Wildlife

Whale Bonanza Delights San Francisco Bay Area

So many whales are frolicking in the Pacific just outside San Francisco Bay that officials are warning boats and ships to steer clear of the marine mammals.

Experts told the Marin Independent Journal that the whales are being drawn to the area outside the Golden Gate by an unusually large number of shrimplike krill, which are the staple diet of blue whales.

Humpbacks are being attracted to huge schools of anchovies.

Ocean temperatures more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal have contributed to the northward migration of the whales’ food source.

Officials say they observed 115 humpback, blue and fin whales during a single one-hour survey.

Even observers along the coast of San Francisco say they have seen as many as 10 humpbacks at a time spouting and splashing just a mile offshore.

Boaters are advised to remain at least 300 feet from the marine mammals to reduce the chance of impact.