Abstract

What is whale political ecology – and what can it contribute to oceanic conservation, management, and policy? This presentation describes a whale political ecology framework through the case study of a subgroup of gray whales in the North American Pacific. Every year, Eastern North Pacific gray whales complete the longest migration of any marine mammal, journeying from wintering grounds in Baja California Sur, Mexico to summering grounds off the Alaskan Arctic. But not every gray whale travels all the way north. Some stop early in the Pacific Northwest, between northern California and British Columbia. This group of lingering whales currently is known as the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG). The status and categorization of the PCFG have been subject to substantial debate for over two decades. This presentation discusses how the PCFG and its classification came to play a contested role in gray whale science, management, and politics.