On July 7, a young gray whale washed ashore at Richmond Long Wharf, making it the 24th whale found dead in and around the bay’s waters this year, many as the result of ship strikes.

Local scientists say they haven’t responded to this many whale deaths in the area since previous unusual mortality events in 2019 and 2021 — and that many more whales may have been killed and never washed ashore.

“We don’t actually know if this is a higher or lower year compared to other years, because our knowledge is so limited, but it’s definitely — from a human perspective — it’s jarring and awful to see these whales that have been struck wash up on the beaches and to see the physical manifestation of the pain and violence that they’re suffering,” said Catherine Kilduff, a senior attorney with the Cent

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