On the digital platform, whale lovers can visualize the underwater migrations of eight whale species worldwide - and scientists and policymakers can look for new ways to protect those key routes from mounting dangers like ship strikes, fishing and climate change. Article continues below this ad In California's waters, the plight of whales was particularly dire this year, with a spike in deaths around the San Francisco Bay. Gray whales on the West Coast fell to about 13,000, the lowest number since the 1970s.