Nov 26, 2019 07:00:00

Report that 'the population of humpback whales that were in danger of extinction has recovered surprisingly'

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shadowfaxone

Humpback whales inhabiting waters around the world from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere are known for their behavior by forming a population in each region. The humpback whale population in the western South Atlantic was once threatened with extinction, but in recent years it has become clear that researchers have also recovered surprisingly.

Assessing the recovery of an Antarctic predator from historical exploitation | Royal Society Open Science
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.190368

Humpback Whales Are Doing Surprisingly Well After a Close Brush With Extinction
https://www.sciencealert.com/humpback-whales-are-doing-surprisingly-well-after-a-close-brush-with-extinction

Humpback whales distributed around the world form populations in several sea areas, and the

United States Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) classifies them into a total of 14 populations. Such humpback whales were subject to whaling from the late 1700s to the mid-1900s, and it is said that 300,000 humpback whales were caught all over the world during this period.

In the 1900s, whaling was also actively performed near South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, and in the 12 years from 1904 to 1916, there were 25,000 heads in the western South Atlantic population (WSA population) alone. The humpback whale was captured. In 1830, the WSA population was estimated to have been about 27,000, but in the 1950s the population declined to just 450 and was in danger of extinction.

However, due to the growing momentum to protect humpback whales, in 1966, global whaling of humpback whales was banned worldwide. Gradually the humpback whale in the WSA population has recovered. In 2006, researchers estimated that the number of WSA populations has recovered to about one-third of what it used to be. However, it seems that it is not easy to estimate the number of whales, and NOAA marine biologist Alexandre Zerbini pointed out that 'the estimation of the population size was not accurate in previous assessments.' The

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ArtTower

So Zerbini and his team reestimated the population of humpback whales based on the latest survey data from aviation and ships. The estimated number of WSA populations calculated by Zerbini et al.'S research team is reported to be 24,900, which corresponds to nearly 93% of the 27,000 individuals before whaling. The

According to a report published by NOAA in 2016, 9 out of 14 humpback whale populations were confirmed to have increased in number and were removed from the US endangered species list . “The WSA population case is a clear example of how the population will recover if we do the right thing,” Zerbini commented.

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