Now the 15th and 16th Dead Gray Whale to Appear on Washington Coast This Year

Published 04/28/26 at 7:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Ocean Shores, Washington) - More dead gray whales have appeared on or just off the Washington coast, making this the 15th and 16th deceased grays to hit the region since 2026 began.

The Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) made the announcement of the latest two on their website. The first was a male that washed up at Ocean Shores on April 26. It was too decomposed to go near so a necropsy was not performed, and would not work on that level of decay.

The second was spotted yesterday off Westport, floating and dead. This could mean it will wash ashore some place there or on the Oregon coast. Many of the dead whales coming up were spotted out to sea initiailly.

The whale on the Washington coast near Seaview last week was the second in the Long Beach area in just a week. That one was definitely identified as a gray whale.

Last week, Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) arrived on the scene and did a necropsy. They determined it was emaciated but there was also blunt force trauma involved. That announcements did not indicate whether this involved a ship strike. It was a female.

Whale in Reedsport / file photo courtesy Jim Rice

Right about the same time another long-dead whale came up onto the Oregon coast at Rockaway Beach. That one was so decayed in was in two pieces. Two More Dead Whales on Oregon / Washington Coast, Why It's Happening

Malnutrition appears to be a common thread. Nearly all gray whales that have stranded recently on the Oregon and Washington coasts have shown signs of starvation, and last week's cases were no exception.

In more upbeat news, a pair of orca whales were spotted on Oregon coast this weekend. Pair of Killer Whales Wow Crowds Along Oregon Coast - Video - From the group that has made impressions in the past

CRC is now maintaining an updated list of Washington strandings, including necropsy findings, on its website. The tally focuses on Washington cases and may not include whales that come ashore in Oregon.

Why the sudden cluster of strandings?

Researchers point to a combination of environmental forces. Persistent west winds have been pushing debris — and occasionally carcasses — toward shore. But the broader issue is tied to the whales’ food supply.

Gray whale moving up the inlet sea in Skagit County

Scientists say climate-driven changes in the Arctic, including melting sea ice, are disrupting the amphipod populations gray whales rely on during their summer feeding season. Many of the whales now washing up appear to have been starving for months, suggesting their nutritional stress began last year.

CRC now has a regularly updated page on their site https://cascadiaresearch.org/working-list-of-gray-whale-strandings-in-2026/

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