From February till the end of April, gray whales migrate along the Santa Cruz Coast from their breeding grounds in Baja California to the Bering Sea. Not this year, cautions Sarah Graham of Santa Cruz Whale Watching. In a normal year, Graham says she sees as many as 30 pairs of mothers and calves swimming north to their feeding grounds each spring. This year she has only seen five. She fears their numbers are dwindling: “They need to be recounted and put on the endangered species list as at least threatened.”
The federal government is in the middle of counting the gray whale population after fewer calves were reported born last year. Their findings could have a major impact on the environment. Scientists have recently discovered that whale manure help produce oxygen, and that oxygen can increase the amount of phytoplankton, which transforms the ocean into the world’s most important carbon sink. This is especially good news, because the oceans have been losing their ability to absorb carbon because of global warming.
So what’s one solution to global warming? One step would be helping the gray whale population to eat well, grow big and strong, have lots of calves … and defecate … as they swim along the California coast. They’re more than just a tourist attraction. Read more at NBC Bay Area.
