San Francisco, CA
Nearly 1 in 5 gray whales die after entering the San Francisco Bay
Spotting a gray whale in San Francisco Bay can be thrilling, but researchers now know it can be bad news for the marine mammals.
Nearly 1 in 5 gray whales that enter the bay die there, researchers report April 13 in Frontiers in Marine Science. For a population that has lost hundreds of individuals in recent years, the toll is another reminder of trouble along the whales’ 16,000-kilometer migration route.
Most gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) migrate from the freezing Arctic waters, where they eat, all the way to Mexico, where they stop for some time to mate and give birth, before returning to the Arctic to eat again. The trip is usually nonstop. But in 2018, researchers noticed that some possibly hungry whales began making pit stops in San Francisco Bay to find food. The behavior coincided with the onset of a large die-off among whales, which experts attributed to decreased food availability in the Arctic. A similar trend happened in the late 1990s.
Josephine Slaathaug, a whale biologist at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif., and her colleagues used 100,000 photos of gray whales taken from 2018 to 2025 to identify 114 individuals that visited the bay during that period. In the same region, 70 gray whale carcasses were documented. The team matched 21 photo-identified whales, roughly 18 percent, to the carcasses and concluded they died after entering the bay.
And that’s probably an underestimate, the scientists say.
Many of the carcasses were too decomposed to be identified from photos. But most of the remaining 49 carcasses were found in or near the bay, suggesting they too died after entering, possibly because of being hit by boats. Examination of the carcasses showed that nine of 21 identified individuals and 30 of the 70 for which a cause of death could be determined were caused by vessel strikes.
“If you’re desperate, and you go into San Francisco Bay, it looks like you’ve got a really, really high chance of not making it back out,” says Joshua Stewart, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, who wasn’t involved in the study.
While the San Francisco Bay pit stops may be deadly, they may also signal a broader trend. Gray whales have been spotted possibly feeding in other unusual areas, such as off Florida, New England and Hawaii.
The whales’ exploration of new places in search of food could make the populations more resilient to warming seas, but only if we do our best to protect them in the bay and other areas where they go to find food, Slaathaug says. Even so, climate change is altering how whales have historically migrated, and feeding in different areas might not be so beneficial, Stewart say. “I kind of take the view that it’s more of a desperation option, and it’s really only necessary because they’re not getting what they need in the Arctic.”
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Two of San Francisco’s favorite summer events return to the city’s streets next month.
The merrymaking begins with one of the longest running street festivals in San Francisco.
Union Street Festival(Courtesy of Sunset Mercantile)
The two-day long Union Street Festival, presented by Sunset Mercantile in partnership with the Union Street Association, brings together neighbors, locals, and visitors alike to celebrate local business, culture, and community on June 6th and 7th from 11am to 7pm
That weekend, the charming and walkable Cow Hollow neighborhood’s Union Street will transform into an open-air market between Fillmore and Gough with live music, dance, food, art, cocktails and mocktails, plus family-friendly games and activities.
Don’t miss out on San Francisco traditions like the iconic Waiter Relay Race on June 7th at 12pm. The high-energy, crowd-favorite competition where local restaurant, bar, and hospitality teams run a relay race while balancing trays is an only-in-SF-style homage to the city’s vibrant service industry and community spirit.
Just two weeks later, on Saturday, June 20th, and Sunday, June 21st, from 11am to 7pm, is the 70th anniversary of the North Beach Festival, presented by Zoox.
North Beach Festival(Courtesy of Sunset Mercantile)
The heart of the festival is at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Green Street, and this year it will be bigger than ever with more than 200 vendors spread out across 11 blocks. Along with live music, delicious food, and outdoor bars featuring craft beer, wine, and cocktails, you’ll find activities for all ages, including jewelry making, live silk screening, and a kid-friendly zone with Legos, bubbles, chalk drawing, and more.
The Blessing of the Animals, a cherished San Francisco tradition where pet owners are encouraged to bring their furry friends for a special ceremony, will be held at 1pm on both Saturday and Sunday. There’s plenty to do while you’re in the neighborhood, too, like checking out the epic views from Coit Tower and browsing the stacks at City Lights Bookstore.
Even if Karl gets his way, the summer vibes at both events will be powerful enough to cut through the June gloom.// Learn more at sunsetmercantilesf.com
SAN FRANCISCO – The children in one of San Francisco’s most historically challenged neighborhoods now have a new playground to call their own. The park has undergone its first major overhaul since it was opened in 1995, and is now officially kid approved.
Revitalized family-friendly space
What we know:
The children of San Francisco’s Tenderloin welcomed visitors to the newly renovated Tenderloin Children’s’ Playground. Upgrades include a new basketball court, new mini-soccer field just in time for the World Cup, and a new climbing structure that will thrill a new generation of kids.
Azzam Alameri, the District 5 youth commissioner, grew up just blocks from Tenderloin Children’s Playground and he remembers the outdated old park.
“It’s a drastic difference. Before, it was very desolate. It was very dark,” said Alameri.
Now he said the kids would have a destination. “I can relate to these kid,” Alamaeri said. “This place is like their safe spot. Their parents can drop them off and have not too many worries about the neighborhood and have them be kids, you know.”
The park reopened earlier than anticipated following a $3.8 million public private partnership. Sarah Madland from San Francisco Recreation and Parks said: “For more than three decades, Tenderloin Rec has not received a full renovation. But, with the support of our park partners, today we are celebrating this completely reimagined space.”
Upgrade ‘long overdue’
Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said the upgrade was long overdue. “This is a neighborhood with 3,500 hundred kids and it deserves to see the same love as the rest of the city does as well.”
The park drew fans big and small, including Mayor Daniel Lurie. “I want to be brief because I want to go up there,” he said, pointing to the top of the slide.
The new park brought out the kid in Mayor Lurie who couldn’t resist a quick climb into the structure, and a slide to the bottom. The mayor says this park is only the beginning. “This community deserves all of this and so much more and so, this is just a start.”
What’s next:
Until now, the park was only available Monday through Friday, but now it will be open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to welcome as many kids as the park can hold.
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