Gray Whales Fail to Appear in Baja, Creating Much Scientific Speculation
The thousands of gray whales that normally make their way to the warm bays of Baja California to give birth have failed to show up so far this season, and authorities said Friday they don’t know why.
“This is the first time this has happened,” said Graciela de la Garza, head of conservation for the Department of Ecology and Urban Development.
Speculation about the reason for the whales’ disappearance range from the effects of last year’s Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska to a new cold-water current in the Pacific near Mexico’s western peninsula.
Last year about 2,000 gray whales migrated to Baja California, giving birth to about 1,000 calves before returning to Arctic waters, said Luis Fleischer, head of the Fisheries Department’s gray whale program.
This year only 12 to 20 have arrived, according to authorities interviewed Thursday and Friday.
The whales use the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, a 6-million-acre protected zone, because high salt content helps pregnant females float and give birth, said Jorge Hernandez, a marine biologist for a committee that oversees the reserve.
Marine mammal experts are expected to discuss the issue at a seminar in April at La Paz, capital of the state of Baja California Sur.
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