Gray whales

Gray whales are among the more commonly sighted large whale species in the Salish Sea and along the coast of the Pacific Northwest, but a clearer understanding of the multiple ways they use our waters has only come into focus in recent years. Gray whales were historically mostly known for their annual migrations past the Washington Coast including the entrance to the Salish Sea: southbound in December on route to their wintering grounds in Baja California, Mexico and northbound in March to May returning to their primary feeding grounds in Arctic waters.

In general, gray whale use of the Salish Sea and coastal waters falls into several broad groups or categories as follows:

  • Overall Eastern North Pacific migrating group. This is the major portion of the gray whale population that migrates past the Pacific Northwest.
  • Migration stragglers. In spring and sometimes in December particularly in years with high mortality, gray whales wander into the Salish Sea. These whales are often in poor nutritional condition and may already be in a debilitated state and end up in unusual areas.
  • Sounders gray whales. This is a small group of annually-returning gray whales that break off from the migration and feed in spring in northern Puget Sound documented starting in 1990.
  • Pacific Coast Feeding Group. These approximately 250 gray whales appear to be a distinct unit that largely do not appear to migrate further north and feed in the Pacific Northwest from spring to fall.

  • Western gray whales. While most of the whales migrating past the Pacific Northwest are part of the eastern North Pacific population, many gray whales from the small endangered western population that feed in waters off Russia also appear to migrate past our coast.

    --Source: Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Overview

Gray whales of the Salish Sea
The Cascadia Research Collective has prepared an overview of the status and trends for gray whales in our region.
Read More
Gray whale surfacing with land in the distance.

Related Articles

A group of five gray whales swimming in the same direction seen from above.

Gray whale safe haven in Puget Sound takes on new significance amid population decline

Almost 200 gray whales have washed up dead along the West Coast in 2026. A small group of gray whales who feed in Puget Sound is surprisingly central to understanding the crisis.
Read More
Gray whale surfacing with land in the distance.

Gray whales of the Salish Sea

The Cascadia Research Collective has prepared an overview of the status and trends for gray whales in our region.
Read More
Flock of short-tailed shearwaters flying low over calm ocean water under overcast sky.

Looking back on a year of Puget Sound surprises: rare birds, gray whales, water

The year 2025 has been fairly mystifying to experts who make their living studying natural systems in the Puget Sound region.

Unusual observations this year include record-low dissolved oxygen levels, unexpected gray whale visitations, and the sudden arrival of an astounding number of short-tailed shearwaters — a seabird almost never seen in Puget Sound.

Cold waters rising from the deep along the West Coast helped to rescue Puget Sound from an oceanic heat wave bringing warm-water troubles to other parts of the Pacific Ocean. But our inland waterway has had its own problems, and the reasons have been a challenge

Read More
Gray whale and calf

Biomarkers update insights on reproductive physiology of gray whales

An article published in PLoS ONE in 2021 describes a study of hormone concentrations in gray whales. The findings may contribute to increased knowledge of reproductive physiology and population dynamics among the species.

Read More
Tail of a gray whale showing above water

"Sounders" arrive as gray whales decline along the coast

Each spring, about a dozen gray whales make a brief detour into the Salish Sea before heading north to their feeding grounds in the Arctic. Biologists dubbed these whales "Sounders" after first noting their presence in the 1990s, and the whales have become rare but widely anticipated visitors to local waters. The whales were spotted again this year, but biologists have documented a 24 percent decline in gray whale populations along the West Coast.

Read More
Gray whale (photo by Chris Johnson).

Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

This article was originally published by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of its annual report Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in Washington.

Read More