01
Caught in fishing gear
Traps, nets, and ropes wrap around whales. Those that cannot get free tire, starve, or drown.
The whale
Hunting almost wiped them out. That is not the end of the story.
They fatten in cold water, then swim thousands of miles to give birth. Fishing gear, ships, noise, and less food still kill them on that trip.
16 m
Adult length. About as long as a city bus.
5,000 mi
A typical migration. One whale was seen 10,005 km later in the Antarctic.
135,000
Whales alive worldwide. About 84,000 of them are adults.
4
Groups still listed endangered by NOAA. Mexico is threatened.
The hunting ban worked.
Commercial hunting cut most groups by more than 95 percent. The 1986 worldwide hunting ban reversed a collapse. The IUCN now lists the species as Least Concern worldwide.
Five groups are still at risk.
NOAA split humpbacks into 14 groups. Nine are no longer listed. Four are still endangered. Recovery is real. It is not finished, and it is not the same everywhere.
IUCN Red List, Cooke 2018. NOAA Fisheries. International Whaling Commission.
The hunt is over.
Four threats remain.