Gray Whales Dying of Overpopulation and Starvation After Decades Long Whaling Ban

[TinWing]

https://phys.org/news/2024-06-wildlife-mystery-gray-whales-san.amp

Perhaps, in hindsight, whaling served the purpose of “culling the herd” and keeping the population of Gray Whales within the carrying capacity of their habitat. Obviously, commercial whaling went too far in that objective, but it might be time to admit artisanal whaling by native cultures and even “traditional” commercial whaling Japan, Iceland or Norway might be in the best interests of certain whale species. I’d go so far as to say that taxpayer dollars might be better spent on promoting whaling among the Inuit and other native cultures than on wildlife biologists and “conservationists” who tend to have a general disregard for non-white and even non-Anglophone cultures.

 

[Arjen]

From the linked piece, what scientists offer as a possible explanation:

Researchers said the die-off from 2018 to 2023, which NOAA called an "unusual mortality event," was likely due to a shortage of food in the Arctic linked to changes in the amount of sea ice, wind patterns and other factors. Whales eat 3,000 pounds or more of food a day, preferring small, shrimp-like crustaceans known as amphipods, along with worms and other tiny creatures that they scoop from the sea floor.
[...]
The roller coaster population—and weird detours into San Francisco Bay—could be related to climate change, or it could be part of the gray whale's natural population fluctuations, said John Calambokidis, a research biologist with Cascadia Research, in Olympia, Washington.
"What is a natural cycle?" he said. "Is this normal? Or something unusual? The ecosystem in the Arctic has changed very rapidly. That's one reason this has scientists' attention."