A gray whale and her calf migrate north along the California coast on their way to summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. Once common throughout the Northern Hemisphere, gray whales are now only regularly found in the North Pacific Ocean where there are two extant populations, one in the eastern and one in the western North Pacific.
Commercial whaling rapidly brought both Pacific populations to near extinction. International conservation measures were enacted in the s and s to protect whales from over-exploitation, and in the mids the International Whaling Commission instituted a moratorium on commercial whaling. Gray whales are known for their curiosity toward boats in some locations and are the focus of whale watching and ecotourism along the west coast of North America.
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Gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling about 10, miles round-trip and in some cases upwards of 14, miles. On their migration routes they face threats from vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and other sources of disturbance.
NOAA Fisheries works to conserve gray whales through collaborative management, integrated science, partnerships, and outreach. Our scientists use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and rescue gray whales in distress e.
We strive to reduce the harmful effects of human activities, such as fisheries interactions, noise, and pollution, through management actions based on science, public input, and public outreach. NOAA Fisheries estimates the population size also called a stock for gray whales in its stock assessment reports.
