2/18/2024 0 Comments Whales in puget sound![]() The WNP population, federally classified as endangered by the U.S., primarily feeds in summer in the Sea of Okhotsk (mainly near the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia) and off the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea. Gray whales undertake the longest migration of any mammal, regularly traveling 10,000 miles round-trip and sometimes up to 14,000 miles annually. Individuals become sexually mature at 5 to 11 years of age. The life span of this species is unknown. The calving interval is usually two years. ![]() A single calf is born in late December to early February. When feeding, the whales use the brush-like baleen in their mouths to strain out the tiny animals from the water they draw in.īreeding occurs during southward migration or near the calving grounds, and gestation lasts about 13.5 months. Gray whales are the only whale species known to feed extensively on benthic animals. The whale’s diet consists of these small invertebrates obtained from the sea bottom. Gray whales feed in shallow continental shelf waters and at offshore banks, where “benthic” (bottom-dwelling) invertebrate communities are concentrated. Photo by Cynthia Christman - NOAA Gray whale mother and calf To report a dead, injured or stranded marine mammal, please call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) West Coast Region Stranding Network hotline: 1-86. Marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Gray whales face a number of known or potential threats, such as entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris, ship strikes, human-generated marine sound, and climate change. The Eastern North Pacific stock of gray whale has recovered from overharvest and has been stable for several decades however, status of a small group within this stock, the Pacific Coast Feeding Group, whose range includes Washington, requires further assessment. The Western North Pacific stock is listed as federal endangered. Individuals from both stocks occur in Washington and are state listed as “sensitive” species. Gray whales in the North Pacific are divided into two genetically-distinct populations (or stocks) known as the Eastern North Pacific and Western North Pacific stocks. Monofilament recovery and recycling program.
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