Bay Area representatives call for study of whale deaths

All members of Congress from the Bay Area have signed a letter that was delivered to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday that calls on the agency to investigate the high number of gray whale deaths recorded off the coast of California this year.

The Trump administration and the Elon Musk-led DOGE activity have substantially cut the budget and staff of the federal agency that defines its mission as “to better understand our natural world and help protect its precious resources.” The NOAA boasts that it is an agency that enriches life through science and that its reach “goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor … to keep the public informed of the changing environment around them.”

In the letter, the congressional delegation expresses its “concern about the unprecedented number of eastern North Pacific gray whale deaths in the greater San Francisco Bay Area” and requests “information on whether the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has sufficient staff and resources to adequately investigate, create a response plan, and execute strategy to reduce these deaths.”

The letter raises concerns about delayed responses to the increased whale fatalities so far this year and other reports that suggest the population is distressed. “Despite longstanding collaborations among federal, state, and local partners, we’ve received reports that NOAA’s response to whale strandings has become increasingly delayed. This raises questions about NOAA’s ability to meet its marine mammal conservation responsibilities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).”

Rep. Sam Liccardo, whose district includes the Coastside, spearheaded the effort behind the letter. Liccardo told Coastside News that even though the administration denies climate science, he considers it important to speak up. “You might be surprised. There are still people who are deeply devoted to the mission at NOAA and you want to give them an opportunity to respond.”

On another level, Liccardo said, drawing on some basic concepts of physics, “the act of observing changes the subject. When you shine a light, people behave differently.”

Liccardo described the strange situation that exists when half of Congress doesn’t believe in climate change, but emphasized that it nonetheless impacts everyone from farmers in Nebraska to fishers off the California coast. He wants to elevate the issue in any way he can. “It’s important for us to understand how these changes affect everything.”

Acknowledging his mixed species metaphor, Liccardo said he’s concerned that the stress on the gray whale population could be the proverbial canary in the coal mine that warns about a tipping point in the ocean.

One way or another, Liccardo said, it’s important to solicit a response from NOAA, which he said would ordinarily come within a few weeks. As a former prosecutor, he said he understands that even an untruthful answer can be helpful. As an example, he mentioned that if NOAA fails to live up to its statutory responsibilities, it would open up the possibility of litigation by environmental groups.

“We know the work of DOGE, and more broadly of the Trump administration, has been devastating for those who care about basic scientific research in a whole host of areas,” Liccardo said. “We can’t begin to appreciate how impactful the cuts will be until we start asking questions.”