Threatened species of Eschrichtius robustus

Threats to gray whales include human disturbance and entanglement in fishing nets. The largest Gray whale breeding ground in Baja, California is threatened by the expansion of onshore salt-extraction plants.

Originally there were three gray whale populations, situated in the Atlantic (extinct), in the western North Pacific (endangered), and one has recovered from very low levels in the eastern North Pacific.

Population levels for the gray whale are thought to be in the region of 22,000.