Environment
An 'Unprecedented' Number of Whales Pop Up Near San Francisco
Their fecundity might be due to a developing La Niña.
The waters off San Francisco must be echoing with a glorious chorale of weee-oooos and uuuuurrrghhs. Spotters have reported a record number of gray, humpback, and massive blue whales in the region, making whale-watching as easy as strolling onto the Golden Gate Bridge.
The blowholed behemoths normally show up off California later in the summer or fall, but this year they’ve been cruising around since May. Their premature arrival is either good or bad news, depending on which theory you believe. Curran White at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy writes the draw might be plentiful food from a developing La Niña: