The Lone Sounder

Last month, I took this photo of a lone gray whale feeding in the Puget Sound - a rare summer sighting. It's important to note that this single whale represents half of the gray whale population in the sound currently. This whale, along with one other, seemingly failed to make the southern migration this spring with the rest of their pod. These two whales lingering behind are members of a small population of Pacific Gray Whales known as the “Sounders” or "Saratoga Grays." This population of Sounders consists of just 14-15 individuals who migrate annually from Baja California to the Bering Sea each spring.

Each spring, these gray whales break off from their migratory patterns to feed on the ghost shrimp found in the mud flats of the Puget Sound. This provides the Sounders with plenty of nutrients to bulk up before continuing on their annual migration. However, over the past four years, researchers have observed this population of gray whales returning earlier and earlier each year–a worrisome sign of potential issues for the whales. These early arrivals each spring, coupled with the rare sight of two gray whales remaining in the Sound through summer, may suggest a scarcity of essential nutrients in the whales' Pacific feeding grounds.

These earlier sightings and prolonged stays in the sound started with the Unusual Mortality Events (UME), which began in early 2019 and lasted through the end of 2023. During this time, 690 emaciated gray whales were found stranded and deceased along the Pacific Coastlines, spanning all the way from Alaska to Mexico. The UME, which has now been closed by NOAA Fisheries, was associated with ecological changes in the whale's Subarctic and Arctic feeding grounds. These changes led to decreases in food availability which resulted in malnutrition, decreased birth rates, and increased mortality.

The plight of these Gray Whales should serve as a stark reminder that the ocean, no matter how grand it may seem, is a fragile ecosystem susceptible to even the smallest disruptions. Every modification made to an environment can lead to major consequences for the inhabitants of an ecosystem.