"The large bays and lagoons, where these animals once congregated, brought forth and nurtured their young are already nearly deserted. The mammoth bones of the California Gray lie bleaching on the shore…ere long it may be questioned whether this mammal will be numbered among the extinct species of the Pacific." - Charles Scammon, 1874
If Charles Scammon were alive and traveling with us today he would be both relieved and elated at how many gray whales we encountered inside Almejas Bay. The fleet of Zodiacs viewed multiple clusters of gray whales rolling and fluking giving us great looks at the mottled gray appearance of their skin and knob-like knuckles that run down their tail stocks. During the 1800's the protected bays and lagoons of Mexico were targeted by whale ships in search of whale oil. As early as 1874, whale oil could bring in between $27.00 and $42.00 per barrel. Consequently, the gray whale population plummeted to as low as 4000 animals. Presently the gray whale numbers most likely exceed 24,000.
