NOAA Fisheries released the 2017 National Report of Marine Mammal Strandings in the United States. Marine mammals strand for a variety of reasons, and NOAA Fisheries tracks this data to monitor threats to wild marine mammal populations.
A recent review of North Atlantic right whale health assessment techniques highlights activities to improve monitoring and protection for this endangered species.
Twelve dead gray whales were confirmed in Alaska in 2020. The Gray Whale Unusual Mortality Event, declared May 2019, continues along the west coast of North America, from Mexico through Alaska.
NOAA Fisheries continues to support saving and conserving stranded marine mammals through the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program.