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Scientists have responded to 21 gray whale deaths in the San Francisco Bay Area this year, the most in 25 years, according to the Marine Mammal Center.
The latest washed up July 7 in Richmond after a suspected vessel strike, the Sausalito-based mammal center and the California Academy of Sciences said Thursday.
It marked the highest number of gray whale fatalities since 2000 and came as the population struggles, scientists said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released a revised population estimate showing eastern North Pacific gray whale numbers continue to decline to about 13,000, the lowest since the 1970s.
The Richmond whale — a subadult female in good body condition — was found floating underneath the Richmond Long Wharf adjacent to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
It was towed to Angel Island State Park on Thursday for scientists to determine the cause of death.
