WorldWideWhale.com
A Web site dedicated to Cetaceans, the whales and dolphins of this blue planet,
and the people who fight to save them.
and the people who fight to save them.
Humpback Whale Update
Because Humpback Whales are slow swimmers, the whaling of these creatures took a devastating toll on their numbers. It is estimated that up to 100,000 Humpback Whales were slaughtered during whaling before they were listed as endangered in 1966. The International Whaling Comission in 1985 again issued a moratorium on commercial whaling of Humpbacks to allow their numbers to rise.
It is estimated that 15,00 to 20,00 whales are alive today with the healthiest population in the Western North Atlantic Ocean. Although protected legally, Humpback Whales face the same dangers as any other marine mammal, in facing the pollution of our oceans and the hazards posed by whale watching.
And though we think that whaling is of the past, Norweigan and Japanese whaling ships continue to kill whales in the name of "research," saying that the whales will be studied but somehow their meat ends up on supermarket shelves at a ridiculously low cost to consumers, but such a high cost to our oceans!