(Photographed by Pam Snyder / New England Aquarium)

Volunteer Writer: Emma Bowser

Email: ebowser@umassd.edu 

A gray whale was spotted about 30 miles south of Nantucket on March 1, 2024. This is the fifth time a gray whale has been spotted outside the Pacific Ocean, making it “an incredibly rare event,” according to the New England Aquarium. It is believed that this specific whale is the one that was also seen near Florida in December last year.

Scientists from the New England Aquarium flew in a plane when they saw the creature. Multiple photos were taken, and identification was confirmed after the photos were reviewed on land. According to the scientists who witnessed it first-hand, the whale appeared to feed by repeatedly diving and resurfacing. 

Gray whales are visually distinct from other whales because of the mottled gray color of their skin and the lack of a dorsal fin. Although they are usually gray, their pigmentation can cause the shade of gray to vary wildly, making some whales appear almost white or almost black.

Another distinguishing trait is their size. Growing to a length of 35 to 45 feet, they are shorter than blue whales and longer than beluga whales. Despite their mediocre size, they weigh a lot, ranging from 30 to 40 tons.

Upon seeing the photos, Research Technician Kate Laemmle commented, “My brain was trying to process what I was seeing, because this animal was something that should not really exist in these waters… We were laughing because of how wild and exciting this was—to see an animal that disappeared from the Atlantic hundreds of years ago!”

The last time a gray whale was seen in the Atlantic Ocean was around 200 years ago. Scientists believe that global warming is the reason why the number of gray whale sightings has increased. New England Aquarium explains, “The Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific through the Arctic Ocean in Canada, has regularly been ice-free in the summertime in recent years, partly due to rising global temperatures.”

This means it’s significantly easier for the whales to travel from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through the Northwest Passage because global warming has eliminated the ice that normally prevents the oceans from connecting.

According to New England Aquarium scientists, “This sighting highlights how important each survey is. While we expect to see humpback, right, and fin whales, the ocean is a dynamic ecosystem, and you never know what you’ll find. These sightings of gray whales in the Atlantic serve as a reminder of how quickly marine species respond to climate change, given the chance.”

Climate change has also had a negative effect on the species. In 1999, a study was done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA) to review the whale’s status as non-endangered, “especially in light of recent climatic changes occurring in their arctic feeding grounds.” Their numbers have reduced enough that the whales are considered endangered according to the Endangered Species Act and depleted according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

Gray whale conservation efforts currently include reducing entanglement in fishing gear, reducing vessel strikes, minimizing whale-watching harassment, overseeing stranding responses, and addressing ocean noise. 

In some locations, gray whales are known to be friendly and curious towards boats, which makes them good candidates for whale-watching trips and the tourism industry—and victims of injuries sustained from motor boats. Because they are regularly found in the North Pacific Ocean, whale watching is concentrated on the west coast of the USA.

It is likely these sightings will become more common as climate change and global warming heat up the planet and its oceans.