Gray whales along the West Coast are in crisis. Their population has fallen by roughly half in the last ten years, dropping from about 25,000 to 30,000 whales in 2016 to somewhere between 11,700 and 17,000 today. This summer, 187 gray whales turned up dead on beaches across the region, and scientists counted only about 85 new calves last year, a record low.

Researchers believe a warming Arctic is the root cause. As sea ice disappears, the tiny crustaceans gray whales rely on for food are vanishing too, leaving whales without enough energy to survive their migration between Alaska and Mexico. Hungry whales are also wandering into dangerous waters, like San Francisco Bay, where they're increasingly dying in collisions with ships.

Even so, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) still hasn't answered a petition asking it to relist gray whales under the Endangered Species Act, even though its legal deadline to respond has already passed. Three conservation groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Earth Island Institute, have filed formal notice that they plan to sue if the agency keeps ignoring the science.

An endangered listing would force the government to build a real recovery plan and unlock funding for research, habitat protection, and stronger rules against ship strikes. Gray whales recovered once before because the country acted. They deserve that same commitment now, before a warming Arctic finishes what commercial whaling started.

Sign the petition to demand NOAA relist gray whales as endangered before more are lost.