A series of whale strandings across Northern Europe and the US Pacific Northwest has raised alarm about marine ecosystem health, with at least ten sperm whales beached in Denmark, the UK, and Norway in the past month, a humpback whale stranded in the Baltic Sea, and a juvenile gray whale found dead after swimming up a Washington river.
The eastern Pacific gray whale population has been declining since 2019, and NOAA Fisheries declared an unusual mortality event from late 2018 to late 2023 involving 690 strandings. The preliminary cause, according to NOAA Fisheries, was localized ecosystem changes in feeding areas leading to malnutrition, decreased birth rates, and increased mortality. The most recent gray whale count from 2025 estimated about 13,000 individuals, the lowest since the 1970s. The juvenile gray whale that swam 20 miles up the Willapa River in Washington state was found dead, and its death may be linked to reduced food availability in the Arctic.
It could be military operations or seismic activity related to petroleum operations. If they then panic and swim too fast to the surface, they can get bubbles in the blood vessels. Then they will get decompression sickness and can die.
In Norway, a sperm whale stranded on a beach in Lista, estimated to be 15 meters long and weighing 40-50 tons. A necropsy showed its stomach was completely empty, leading the municipality to conclude the young male whale starved to death due to lack of food in the North Sea, according to Stig Alfred Eikeland, wildlife manager for Farsund municipality, as reported by NRK Sørlandet. However, Audun Rikardsen, a professor of arctic and marine biology at UiT Norway's Arctic University, suggested to major media that the whale may have died naturally of old age, unrelated to the strandings in Denmark. Rikardsen also noted that the cause of the sperm whale strandings is uncertain, but they may have been scared by loud sounds such as military operations or seismic surveys, leading to decompression sickness.
A young male killer whale named NKW-280c was found dead off Haugesund, Norway, with its tail entangled in fishing gear, suggesting drowning as the likely cause of death, according to major media. NKW-280c is the younger brother of Elida, a three-year-old orca found dead in Sognefjorden in 2021 with record-high levels of environmental toxins. Norwegian Orca Survey will investigate whether NKW-280c died from the same cause as its sister, focusing on environmental toxins.
We know that sound can scare whales, and perhaps scare them into large areas of shallow water. Then they can have trouble orienting themselves.
A humpback whale stranded in the Baltic Sea off Germany, nicknamed 'Timmy', is expected to die after repeated strandings. Rescuers have abandoned hope for the whale, as it is now weaker and facing falling water levels, according to Burkard Baschek, scientific director of Ocean Museum Germany.
A beluga whale was observed swimming up the Drammenselva river in Norway, approximately 20 kilometers upstream, near Hokksund, according to major media. The beluga is an Arctic species usually found around Svalbard and Greenland, and may have entered the river to shed its skin, as freshwater helps loosen the skin layer.
We still haven't decided on anything. We have considered pulling it out and sinking it in the sea, but that might be a bigger environmental challenge than we first thought.
Unanswered questions remain: what caused the gray whale to swim 20 miles up the Willapa River? Why have at least ten sperm whales stranded in Denmark, the UK, and Norway in the past month? Did the young orca NKW-280c die from environmental toxins, drowning, or another cause? What will happen to the beluga whale in Drammenselva? And what is the ultimate fate of the humpback whale 'Timmy' in the Baltic Sea? These strandings underscore the complex challenges facing marine mammals in a changing ocean.
We are looking at whether it is possible to bury it where it lies, simply. It is an economical and environmentally friendly method to do it, but it requires that we talk to the landowner and the state administrator.
Within 50 to 100 years, we expect that about half of the world's killer whale population will have died out due to environmental toxins.
There is little doubt that it is a beluga whale. It is not very young. These whales can grow up to five meters long.
One sees occasionally that they go south and go up into rivers. The theory is that they want to change their skin layer. The freshwater makes the skin come off more easily.
It can run aground. People should keep their distance if they are in a boat or on a jet ski, as it can get scared. Keep your distance and show respect for the animal.
I don't think there is any danger to the salmon.
The municipality has performed a necropsy on the stranded whale today and the examinations show that the stomach was completely empty of contents.
This means that the municipality concludes that this young male whale starved to death, probably as a result of not finding food to eat in the North Sea.