Offshore Gray Whale Satellite Tagging in the Pacific Northwest

About

Pacific coast feeding group (PCFG) gray whales are a group of eastern North Pacific gray whales which do not migrate up to the arctic during the summer feeding season. Individuals have been repeatedly sighted in multiple years at locations ranging from northern California to southeast Alaska from late spring through fall (Calambokidis et al. 2002, Swartz et al. 2006). This report presents preliminary data from a satellite tagging project conducted to identify PCFG gray whale movements in and around the Pacific Northwest in association with the United States Navy’s (Navy) Northwest Training Range Complex (NWTRC).