Gray whales are starving as the Arctic warms. Will the US protect them?

Scientists and officials gathered in Oregon last week to discuss a collapse in the eastern gray whale population, which has fallen from roughly 25,000-30,000 in 2016 to as few as 11,700 today, with just 85 calves born last year, a record low. Researchers point to a warming Arctic thinning out the crustaceans whales depend on, leaving them undernourished and more vulnerable to ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements; 187 washed up dead this past summer alone.

The Trump administration's NOAA missed a legal deadline to respond to a petition to relist gray whales under the Endangered Species Act, prompting three conservation groups to file notice of intent to sue. The agency is also months late releasing this year's calf count. Attendees at the conference described a tense, cautious mood, since many rely on federal funding at a time when the administration has cut NOAA staff and proposed eliminating the Marine Mammal Commission.

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