太平洋西北地區近期頻發鯨魚擱淺事件，引發各界擔憂
Concerns grow over recent whale strandings in the Pacific Northwest
截至2026年4月，太平洋西北地區灰鯨擱淺事件激增，引起科學界的高度警示。
As of April 2026, a surge in gray whale strandings across the Pacific Northwest has raised alarms among scientists.
西海岸已確認至少有19起死亡案例，死亡人數增加的速度遠高於歷年平均值。
With at least 19 deaths reported on the West Coast, the numbers are rising much faster than the typical annual average.
海洋生物學家特別憂心，因為這些事件發生得比往年更早，且地點異常，如內陸河流，顯示鯨魚因嚴重的虛弱而失去方向感。
Marine biologists are particularly concerned because these events are happening earlier in the season and in unusual locations, such as inland rivers, suggesting the whales are disoriented from severe weakness.
專家指出，北極氣候變遷（特別是水溫升高與海冰消融）是導致這場營養危機的主因。
Experts point to climate-driven changes in the Arctic—specifically warming waters and lost sea ice—as the cause of a nutritional crisis.
由於主要的食物來源逐漸消失，鯨魚在長達12,000英里的遷徙過程中無法維持生存所需的體力。
Because their primary food sources are disappearing, the whales are failing to sustain themselves during their long 12,000-mile migration.
此趨勢延續了自2019年開始的一項「異常死亡事件」，該事件導致東太平洋灰鯨數量減少了50%。
This trend follows a broader "Unusual Mortality Event" that began in 2019, contributing to a 50% decline in the eastern North Pacific gray whale population.
Cascadia Research Collective等組織持續監控這些事件，並警告此危機反映了海洋生態系統正持續退化。
Organizations like the Cascadia Research Collective continue to monitor these events, warning that the crisis reflects the ongoing degradation of marine ecosystems.
