At Least Five Dead Whales Around Bay Area

Really sad. It looks like they are getting killed by ships as they try to eat krill.

A bountiful crop of krill and busy shipping lanes are to blame for a rash of dead whales that have surfaced around the Bay Area within a few short months, according to scientists.

At least five dead whales have been sighted or have washed ashore around the region since late July, not including a male fetus found near its 80-foot-long mother in Pescadero on Oct. 2.

..."We're definitely seeing an increase in ship strikes - it's awful," said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Researchers say the animals appear to be following abundant swarms of krill - the tiny, shrimp-like creatures that make up whales' favorite food group - right into the path of ship traffic. Last year's krill population was also large, but it did not bring the same cluster of whale deaths.