Climate Heat California Whale Death

Climate change is pushing starving gray whales into the San Francisco Bay in unusual numbers, where ship strikes killed at least 40% of the 21 whales found dead last year. Melting Arctic sea ice has disrupted their food web, leaving malnourished whales to linger in the crowded channel during their 12,000-mile migration. In response, California launched an AI-powered thermal camera network that detects whale heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away and alerts mariners in real time. Meanwhile, marine heatwaves are compressing humpback feeding grounds closer to shore, increasing deadly entanglements in Dungeness crab gear. California recently approved ropeless pop-up fishing gear to reduce entanglement risk.