Gray whales and their amazing migrations up and down the west coast of the U.S. have made an impact in my life ever since I was a child. In the 1990’s I remember following the story and being in awe of JJ, the young gray whale who was rescued and rehabilitated by Sea World San Diego. In later years, whale watching season off the coast of San Diego was an event to look forward to every year from December to April. Depending on what month it was, tourists and locals would be on the lookout for gray whales traveling south to their overwintering grounds, or in the late spring sometimes we would be lucky enough to see mother and calf pairs, who were often the last to start their journey north.

Years later, now residents of Seattle, my partner and I recently witnessed a gray whale in mid-summer near the northern half of Whidbey Island. Our whale watching tour guides explained that it was a whale who stayed as a temporary resident to feed in the Puget Sound. I love that, despite the fact that I now live over 1,000 miles away from my hometown in southern California, I can still observe these gentle giants on a different part of their migratory journey and life stage. Their set route makes it somewhat predictable where they can be seen at different times of the year.

While I refer to them as gentle giants, compared to other whale species, gray whales are actually medium sized. And in terms of appearance, gray whales might not be judged as conventionally attractive to the average person’s eye. Their bodies are often mottled with scars from being covered in barnacles and whale lice, and they have a bumpy back in place of a dorsal fin. What I find most charming about them compared to other whales is that their two blowholes create a heart shaped spout, which makes them recognizable from afar. And, of course, they are most celebrated for their incredible ability to repeat the same epic movement patterns, every year of their lives.

As recently as 2017, three distinct migrating populations of gray whales were recognized: the North Pacific Migratory population, the Pacific Coast Feeding Group population, and the Western Pacific population. Gray whale migratory patterns are determined by several factors, involving their reproductive timelines as well as seasonal food availability. While individuals from all three of these populations have been identified using the same location for winter calving grounds in Baja California, Mexico, their behavior differs in where they spend their summers feeding. The North Pacific Migratory population will travel to feed in the arctic waters near Alaska, while the Pacific Coast Feeding Group population does not travel as far, and spends the summer feeding in the Pacific Northwest. The Western Pacific population feeds off the east coast of Russia. This third population is complex, because only some of the population joins the southern migration to Mexico, while other members of this population have been seen in the winter near Japan and China.

During their annual journey, gray whales can travel an average of 10,000 to 12,000 miles. From north to south and vice versa, it generally takes them two to three months to complete the journey one way, moving at a slow and steady pace of about five miles per hour. After feeding all summer in productive northern waters, whales will follow their prey’s migration south in the fall and then continue their journey to their wintering grounds in Mexico, where they will fast while breeding and calving. Throughout the spring, whale watchers along the west coast can spot gray whales on their way back to their northern destination, completing the round trip.

The warm and safe lagoons to which gray whales travel every winter are protected wildlife refuges, and for good reason, as they provide essential conditions for gray whale calf survival. Adult females have even been observed returning to their natal lagoons. After 13 months of gestation, female gray whales usually give birth in January and nurse their calves until they are strong enough to attempt to travel north. In preparation for their long journeys ahead, gray whale mothers and their calves need to conserve energy, and the warm waters of their lagoon shelters help with this. In warmer temperatures, mothers are able to devote all their energy to nursing, and calves can grow quickly. During this early stage, the few months of overwintering also help mothers and their babies avoid the gray whale’s main predator: orcas, which are not seen as frequently that far south.

Gray whales are unique in terms of feeding behaviors because, unlike other baleen whales, they generally don’t feed on plankton or fish in the water column. Instead, they consume mostly benthic crustaceans and filter feed by turning on their sides and sifting through the sediment on the ocean floor. During feeding season, they can consume up to 170 tons of food before months of fasting. In terms of conservation concern, climate change is affecting the food chain at all levels, including benthic organisms upon which the gray whales depend. Sea ice melting too early in the north will affect the timing of productive phytoplankton blooms, which in turn could affect the distribution and abundance of the bottom dwelling amphipods that are the main source of gray whales’ diets. Fortunately, gray whales have been observed to be opportunistic eaters and can switch to feeding off of zooplankton when it is more available, which could be good news for gray whales in the future as waters warm.

The best time to observe gray whales in Puget Sound is in the spring, as they pass by on their way to summer waters. A group of gray whales called the Sounders, which belong to the North Pacific Migratory population, makes a regular appearance and sometimes stays for longer periods of time feeding on locally common ghost shrimp. Recently the Sounders have been observed arriving earlier and earlier in the year, and sometimes staying through the winter. They were first seen doing this in 2019, a year of notable change of food availability in the Arctic, and a year of tragic mass gray whale mortality. If this trend continues, we may see more hungry whales each year in local waters. Eager eyes will be watching to see how the whales’ migration behaviors adapt to future changes.

While gray whale populations were once close to extinction due to overexploitation by the commercial whaling industry, protections in the 1900s helped them recover over several decades. Today the North Pacific Migratory population’s current numbers are considered stable. Unfortunately, since designating gray whales into three distinct populations, the Pacific Coast Feeding Group population and the Western Pacific population have been assessed as endangered. Within U.S. waters, all gray whales are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and their long migrations do put them at risk for accidents with boats. Under the MMPA, boats are not allowed to approach whales closer than 300 feet. Gray whales are known for their friendly and curious demeanor and have been known to approach boats full of lucky passengers.

Someday, my dream is to travel to the lagoons in Mexico to watch gray whales on the winter rest stop leg of their journey, following these ocean giants on their amazing migration once more.

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