Scientists Suggest Climate Change as Cause of Malnourished Gray Whales

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published May 14, 2008 at 10:10 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

The California grey whale commutes past San Diego's shore ever year, either on its way to feeding grounds near Alaska or to calving waters on the Mexican coast. There was a time when the whales were s

Tom Fudge: Grey whales are among the many animals that capture our imaginations in San Diego. Every year, they swim past our coastline twice -- once on their way to calve in the bays of Baja California, and then on their way to feed off the coast of Alaska. Now their headed back to their feeding grounds.

The grey whale was brought back from the brink of extinction, after being hunted for many years. But some marine biologists are starting to get concerned about them again. Some whales are showing signs of malnutrition, something that may be related to global warming.

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Guests

Rob Davis , reporter for voiceofsandiego.org .
Steven Swartz, Phd. , fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. He specializes in endangered species and he's monitored Grey Whale calving grounds off the Mexican coast for several decades.
Wayne Perriman, Phd. , head of the photogrammetery and life history for the protected resources of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, which is part of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

(Video courtesy voiceofsandiego.org )