Which whales live near you?
Whales — majestic and deeply loved by many Americans — are swimming off our coasts. Explore our interactive map to find out which whales live near you and what risks they face from human activity.
Whales are some of the most awe-inspiring animals in the ocean. From humpbacks breaching off Hawaii to endangered Right whales navigating the Atlantic, these giants live in, or migrate through, waters along every U.S. coastline. Yet few of us know which species swim nearby, or serious threats that many of them are facing today.
Take the North Atlantic right whale, named because it was considered the “right” whale to hunt. Once the prime target of American whalers, it remains critically endangered today due to threats such as entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with vessels.
Or consider the Rice’s whale, long thought to be a Gulf population of Bryde’s whale, and only reclassified as its own species three years ago. With just 51 individuals estimated to remain, it’s now one of the most endangered marine mammals in U.S. waters. Even whales that have rebounded aren’t out of danger: humpback whales, once hunted to the brink of extinction, have made a remarkable comeback thanks to conservation efforts. Yet today, they still face threats from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and changing ocean conditions.
This interactive map offers a state-by-state view of whale species found off U.S. coasts, using the latest federal assessments to highlight both where they live and what risks they face. Click a state and scroll under the waves to see what whales live in that state’s waters.
Click a coastal state
to see the whales that swim
beneath the waves.
NOTE: In this map, “population” refers to a specific regional group of whales tracked through NOAA’s stock assessments, not the entire species worldwide. For some species, average mortality numbers may appear as fractions. For example, “half a whale per year” means one whale dies every two years on average.
Federal data sheds light on the state of the whales
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA Fisheries conducts stock assessments to evaluate whale populations and track the impacts of human activities, such as commercial fishing. These reports estimate the size of each stock and document the number of human-caused deaths reported each year.
In addition, NOAA maintains a species directory that provides general information about each whale species, including their typical lifespan, length, range, and a brief overview of their behavior and status. We’ve used these assessments to build an interactive map that shows which whale species are present off the coast of each U.S. state, their current population size, their Endangered Species Act (ESA ) listing status, and a summary of the threats they face.
Together, these resources make it possible to understand where different whale species live, how they are doing, and what threats they face. As with any large public data system, access and availability can vary over time, which makes it all the more important to bring these datasets together in a clear, reliable format.
Human activity threatens whales
Each whale species on this map faces a different set of conditions, and some are in serious trouble.
The North Atlantic right whale, for instance, has an estimated population of just 367 individuals. Yet more than 10 die on average every year due to human causes — mostly entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with vessels. That’s far beyond the allowable limit for the species to recover.
In the Gulf, the Rice’s whale population is so small — fewer than 100 individuals — that any human-caused death is a major setback. And in the Pacific, species like the fin whale are still recovering from historical overexploitation while facing ongoing risks from modern shipping lanes.
Two causes of death show up again and again in federal assessments:
- Entanglement: Many whales become trapped in commercial fishing gear, such as vertical lines, nets, and crab traps. These entanglements can lead to injury, fatigue, starvation or drowning.
- Vessel strikes: In busy shipping areas, whales are at risk of being hit by boats and ships. These collisions are often fatal, particularly for slower or more surface-dwelling species.
This map lets you see which whale species are found near your coast — and whether they’re being harmed at levels that put them at risk. You can also get to know each species through brief facts about their size, lifespan and behavior.
Recommendations
To help protect whales, minimize our impact on their populations, and support their long-term survival, below are some key steps we can take.
- Slow down vessels in key habitats. Slower ship speeds in areas where whales are known to travel can significantly reduce the risk of fatal collisions, particularly for species like the North Atlantic right whale. Learn more about it here.
- Accelerate the transition to whale-safe fishing gear. Gear modifications — such as ropeless traps — can reduce deadly entanglements without putting fisheries out of business. Regulations and financial incentives can speed adoption. Learn more about it here.
- Fully enforce and strengthen conservation laws. Existing protections under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act remain critical. These laws should be fully enforced, updated where necessary, and supported with adequate funding and staffing. Learn more about it here.
- Invest in enhanced data collection and monitoring. Addressing gaps in whale population data, mortality rates and migration patterns is crucial for implementing effective protection measures. For instance, the Maine Department of Marine Resources received $17.2 million from NOAA to improve data collection on North Atlantic right whales, aiming to better assess risks posed by activities like lobster fishing. Such investments are vital for informed conservation strategies.
Methodology
This project draws on publicly available government data to map and summarize risks to whale populations across U.S. waters. Our goal is to give users a clear, accessible view of where different populations of whales are found and what threats they face from human activity.
Data sources
In this visualization we rely on data from NOAA Fisheries, including stock assessment reports and species directory. For some species, population and mortality data were unavailable, so they were not included in this report.
Where possible, we defaulted to using the estimated annual mortality over observed annual mortality given acknowledged data limitations and known issues with confirming whale deaths.
Interpretive choices
In creating this visualization, we made several interpretive choices to make the data more usable and understandable:
- Geographic labeling: Stock assessment reports show where various whale species have been observed in the waters off our coasts. We assigned the states close to them based on whale stock assessment report maps, though some interpretation was required. In some cases, the whales included in our map may live some distance offshore. We chose to include them in this map—even if they aren’t easily spotted from land or present year-round.
- Mortality counts: We focused specifically on human-caused mortality. In some cases, annual mortality is listed as zero—not because whales face no threats, but because no human-caused deaths were documented in the reporting year. Where mortality was unknown or not reported, we marked it as “unknown.”
- Data gaps: If a population had insufficient data (for example, no recent stock assessment or limited documentation), we included a row in the dataset but marked relevant fields as “unknown.” That does not necessarily indicate an absence of risk—just a lack of clear data. For the dwarf sperm whale and pygmy sperm whale in the Northern Gulf, NOAA’s stock assessment report provided a combined population estimate. We chose to represent the dwarf sperm whale for those states.
Limitations and caveats
These datasets come with important limitations:
- Survey challenges: Whale population estimates are often based on visual surveys, which may undercount animals or miss individuals located outside the observed range. The true size—and risk exposure—of some populations may therefore be higher than reported.
- Time lags: Data in some reports are several years old, and recent changes in whale populations, newer survey efforts or threats may not be captured.
- Incomplete risk accounting: Human-caused mortality includes things like entanglement, ship strikes, and noise disturbance, but not all threats are consistently tracked across regions or populations.
Topics
Authors
Kelsey Lamp
Director, Protect Our Oceans Campaign, Environment America Research & Policy Center
Kelsey directs Environment America's national campaigns to protect our oceans. Kelsey lives in Boston, where she enjoys cooking, reading and exploring the city.
Nilou Yaar
Policy Associate, Frontier Group
Nilou Yaar is a policy associate with Frontier Group. In Iran, she worked with communities affected by environmental challenges. After moving to the U.S., her research focused on climate change and environmental activism, exploring how political and geographical contexts shape societal perceptions.
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