Have you ever seen a gray whale close to shore along the Oregon coast in the summer? If yes, then you were probably lucky enough to see a whale that belongs to the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG)! The PCFG is a sub-group of the much larger Eastern North Pacific (ENP) population of gray whales (~20,000 individuals as of 2021). While ENP whales spend their summers feeding in Arctic waters, PCFG whales (~250 individuals) remain in coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest to feed. The PCFG range extends primarily between northern California, USA and northern British Columbia, Canada (41º – 52º N, excluding the Puget Sound region).