Gray whales have an incredible story to tell. They also are a species that demonstrates clearly what is happening to our oceans with climate change. Once nearly hunted to extinction and knocked out of the Atlantic Ocean, Gray Whales were on the brink. They are a model species for conservation as they went from around 1000 whales to nearly 25,000 whales in 2016. However, with a rapidly changing climate and a diminishing food supply due to their incredibly unique ecologically niche, Gray Whales have suffered a setback. In 2019, thousands of Gray Whales perished and now their population is around 15,00 whales. Yet, there is hope and we do bring that up in this week's podcast. A special whale to help us promote our Plastic Free July. Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. We now are hosting monthly Zoom meetings with them, answering questions and getting ideas on which species they want covered. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation.  Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast You can also visit our website HERE.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices