Bay Area whale deaths rise after Point Reyes discovery

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A dead gray whale that washed ashore late Wednesday at Point Reyes National Seashore was confirmed to be the 14th so far in 2025, according to the California Academy of Sciences.

The discovery came on the same day KRON4 reported that five dead gray whales were found in the San Francisco Bay Area over the course of one week.

The whale was spotted by the National Park Service on the coast near Alamere Falls, Cal Academy said. On Thursday, scientists with the academy and The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) set out to attempt a photo identification of the gray whale and perform a necropsy, or animal autopsy, if conditions made it possible.

The results of the response are pending as of Friday.

Scientists have responded to 15 dead whales in the Bay Area so far in 2025. The total includes 14 gray whales and one minke whale. By this time last year, there were only two responses for dead whales in the Bay Area, according to TMMC.