Number of Dead Whales Found on Coast Drops
After a rise in recent years in the number of gray whales found dead along the California coast, scientists say the trend now is reversing.
Last year, only five gray whales floated ashore, down from 58 the previous year, said wildlife biologist Joe Cordaro of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Forty-seven whales were found dead on California shores in 1999, and 30 were found in 1998. During a regular year, state officials find about 10 of the 700 to 1,000 that die offshore annually.
Though the increase initially appeared alarming, many scientists now believe that it may just have been the natural process of keeping the gray whale population in check, Cordaro said Monday.
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