Grey whales spotted near Vancouver are starving, UBC researcher warns
The animals are swimming close to shore in a "desperate attempt to refuel," driven by Arctic sea ice loss tied to climate change.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
While Vancouver residents have celebrated whale sightings in recent months—including rare appearances in Kits Beach—the grey whales seen near the city tell a much darker story: they're emaciated and struggling to survive.
According to Andrew Trites, a professor at the University of British Columbia's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, grey whales spotted near Vancouver in late April and May are swimming close to shore "in a desperate attempt to refuel their emaciated bodies." Several grey whales have already washed up dead along the coast, likely from starvation, and Trites said more deaths are likely in the coming years.
The problem stems from climate change reducing Arctic sea ice. Grey whales depend on amphipods—small seafloor crustaceans—that feed on algae growing on and beneath the ice. Without enough ice, the food chain collapses. Pregnant females need 1,600 to 1,900 kilograms of food per day to support fetal growth and produce enough milk. After giving birth, lactating females still need 1,300 to 1,600 kilograms daily for three to four months. All of this must happen before their 20,000-kilometre round-trip migration to Mexico and back.
"Climate change is reducing sea ice, which in turn decreases the algae that sustain the amphipods that grey whales depend on," Trites said in a press release.
The news is brighter for other whales in the region. Transient killer whales have made a dramatic comeback—a UBC study found they're present in the Salish Sea for more than two-thirds of the year on average. They hunt seals and sea lions, whose populations recovered after protections began in the 1970s. "The recovery of seal and sea lion populations has created what amounts to a year-round buffet," said Taryn Scarff, who conducted the research as part of her Zoology Master's degree.
Humpback whales have also rebounded. After three years of commercial whaling from 1907 to 1910 nearly wiped them from B.C. waters, they've returned in large numbers—most commercial whaling for humpbacks in the North Pacific ended in the mid-1960s. "Large numbers now return to B.C. waters each summer to feed on krill, herring, and other prey," Trites said.