![gray whales seen in the San Francisco Bay](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/80e/fc1/ce2/thumb__635_500_0_0_crop.jpg)
LA Times: Why are Gray Whales and Other Marine Life Visiting San Francisco Bay?
- Species conservation
- Climate change
- Population monitoring
Unprecedented numbers of gray whales are visiting San Francisco Bay, and nobody quite knows why
Published in LA Times: July 14, 2024
When Bill Keener started working at the Marine Mammal Center as a field biologist in the 1970s, there were no whales or dolphins in San Francisco Bay. The waters east of the Golden Gate Bridge were chock- full of life — sea lions and harbor seals galore — but not a cetacean to be seen.
Starting in the late 2000s, things began to change.
There are now four cetacean species living in or regularly visiting the busy waters east of the Golden Gate — harbor porpoises, gray whales, humpback whales and bottle-nosed dolphins.
...researchers aren’t sure if the animals’ presence is a sign of ecosystem health and rejuvenation or a portent of planetary disaster.
Yet Keener and other marine researchers aren’t sure if the animals’ presence is a sign of ecosystem health and rejuvenation or a portent of planetary disaster. And in each case, the story is a little different.
Please note this article is behind a paywall.
Learn More About Gray Whales
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Humpback whale\/cropped-images\/humpback-whales-feeding-photo-by-bekah-lane-c-the-marine-mammal-center-202-14-2724-2128-1709768938.jpg","alt":"two humpback whales surface while feeding","title":"Your Visual Guide to Whale Breaching, Lunge Feeding and Other Behaviors","link_url":"https:\/\/fanyv88.com:443\/https\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/your-visual-guide-to-whale-breaching-lunge-feeding-and-other-behaviors","label":"News Update","date":"2024-03-08 01:00:00","type":"news"}
![two humpback whales surface while feeding](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/930/433/7ec/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
Your Visual Guide to Whale Breaching, Lunge Feeding and Other Behaviors
March 8, 2024
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-baleen-shutterstock-526-1-3317-2591-1604510915.jpg","alt":"gray whale with mouth open above water","title":"Fish Feeding and Rapid Foraging Behavior Switching by Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in California","link_url":"https:\/\/fanyv88.com:443\/https\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/fish-feeding-and-rapid-foraging-behavior-switching-by-gray-whales-eschrichtius-robustus-in-california","label":"Research Paper","type":"publication"}
![gray whale with mouth open above water](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/b52/e7f/74f/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
Fish Feeding and Rapid Foraging Behavior Switching by Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in California
Read More{"type":"manual","image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-tail-shutterstock-341-0-2389-1866-1719960555.jpg","transparent":"0","alt":"gray whale tail seen above the water","label":"Cetaceans","text":"Gray Whale","link_text":"","link_url":"\/animal-care\/learn-about-marine-mammals\/cetaceans\/gray-whale","page_id":"52","person_id":null,"pub_id":null,"news_id":null,"event_id":null}
![gray whale tail seen above the water](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/4a9/887/1fd/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
Yes, I want to save a life!
![](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/f88/81c/668/thumb__370_289_0_0_crop.jpg)
Yes, I want to save a life!
You’ll be giving sick and injured animals the best possible care at the Center’s state-of-the-art hospital. With your gift today, you are giving a patient a second chance at life in the wild.
See Our Latest News
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/California sea lion\/cropped-images\/cropped-images\/group of sea lions swimming underwater-230-0-1270-992-1725386439.jpg","alt":"California sea lions swimming","title":"Sentinels of the Sea Podcast","link_url":"https:\/\/fanyv88.com:443\/https\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/sentinels-of-the-sea-podcast","label":"News Update","date":"2024-09-05 02:00:00"}
![California sea lions swimming](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/85f/7b3/68d/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Sea otter\/cropped-images\/01. Sea otter with kelp-51-2-1270-992-1725043723.jpg","alt":"A sea otter floats above a kelp forest. ","title":"How Sea Otters Can Help Save the Planet","link_url":"https:\/\/fanyv88.com:443\/https\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/how-sea-otters-can-help-save-the-planet","label":"News Update","date":"2024-08-30 02:00:00"}
![A sea otter floats above a kelp forest.](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/435/f4c/2b6/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/2024\/2025-calendar-cover-crabber.png","alt":"marine mammal center calendar calendar cover winner","title":"Pacific Harbor Seal Crabber Chosen as the 2025 Calendar Cover Star","link_url":"https:\/\/fanyv88.com:443\/https\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/vote-for-your-favorite-marine-mammal-to-be-the-2025-calendar-cover-star","label":"News Update","date":"2024-08-28 02:00:00"}
![marine mammal center calendar calendar cover winner](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/1bd/abb/8bd/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
Pacific Harbor Seal Crabber Chosen as the 2025 Calendar Cover Star
August 28, 2024
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Sea otter\/cropped-images\/sea-otter-shutterstock-118-0-2496-1950-1604015482.jpg","alt":"sea otter eating clams","title":"What Do Sea Otters Eat? And Other Otter Trivia","link_url":"https:\/\/fanyv88.com:443\/https\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/what-do-sea-otters-eat-and-other-otter-trivia","label":"News Update","date":"2024-08-28 02:00:00"}
![sea otter eating clams](https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/storage/app/uploads/public/7ad/2a1/b41/thumb__237_185_0_0_crop.jpg)
climate change
population monitoring
Kathi George
Bill Keener
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Humpback Whale
Gray Whale
Harbor Porpoise