A juvenile gray whale that swam 20 miles up a river in Washington state has been found dead. A marine mammal research group suspects hunger drove the whale to new hunting grounds. The whale was discovered Saturday in the Willapa River, which feeds into the ocean at Willapa Bay. Gray whales are currently migrating from Mexico to Alaska. Experts say the population of gray whales in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean has faced a crisis due to reduced food availability in the Arctic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries agency declared an unusual mortality event for the whales from late 2018 to late 2023. Their numbers continue to decline.
