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Endangered whale species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN) has categorised the whales according to the population
status. The following categories are recognized:
· Extinct : not found in the wild in the past 50 years.
· Endangered (E): in
dangerof extinction, unlikely to survive if the causes of decline are
not taken
· away.
· Vulnerable (V): likely
to be moved into the Endangered category in the near future is the causes
of decline are not taken away.
· Rare (R): small populations,
not vulnerable of endangered, but definitely at risk.
· Indeterminate (I):
known to be Endangered, Vulnerable or Rare, but for which it is impossible
to determine the exact category.
· Insufficiently known (K):
suspected, but not known, to belong to one of the above categories.
· Out of danger (O):
formerly belonging to the above categories, but sufficiently recovered,
because the main threats have been removed.
· Unlisted (U): no special
status has been assigned.
Of the baleen whale species, 7 are listed as endangered or vulnerable.
The following table shows the original and current sizes of the populations
and the IUCN-assigned status
| Species and status |
Population |
Pre-whaling size |
Current size |
|
|
North Atlantic |
15 000 |
few 100s |
| North Pacific |
5 000 |
1400 -1900 |
| Antarctic |
160 000-
240 000 |
660 (?) |
| Bowheadwhale
V |
Spitzbergen |
25 000 |
extinct (?) |
Hudson Bay
(Davis Strait) |
12 000 |
few 100s |
| Ohotsk Sea |
6 500 -
10 000 |
few 100s |
Bering /
Chukch /
Beaufortsea |
14 000 -
20 000 |
7 800 |
| Graywhale
U |
North Atlantic |
unknown |
extinct |
| Western N. Atlantic |
1 500 -
10 000 |
100 -200 |
| Eastern N. Pacific |
15 000 -
20 000 |
20 000 -
21 000 |
| Bryde´s
whale K |
Indian Ocean |
unknown |
13 800 |
| North Atlantic |
unknown |
unknown |
| North Pasific |
unknown, > 26
000 |
27 000 |
| Southern hemisphere |
unknown |
50 000 |
| Pygmy
right whale K |
Southern
hemispere |
unknown |
unknown |
| Minke
whale K |
North Atlantic |
unknown |
85 000 |
| North Pacific |
unknown |
unknown |
Southern
hemispere |
unknown |
760 000 |
| Souther
right whale V |
South Atlantic |
> 17 000 |
1 500 |
| South Pacific, Indian
ocean |
unknown |
200 (?) |
| Southern ocean |
unknown |
few |
| Norther
right whale E |
North Atlantic |
unknown |
500 - 1 100 |
| North Pacific |
unknown |
nearly extinct |
| Humback
whale V |
North Atlantic
|
unknown |
6 500 |
| North Pacific |
10 000 -
15 000 |
900 - 2500 |
Southern
hemispere |
unknown |
12 000 |
| Indian ocean |
unknown |
> 500 |
| Sei
Whale V |
North Atlantic |
unknown
|
unknown |
| North Pacific |
63 000 |
13 000 |
| Souther ocean |
100 000 |
40 000 |
| Fin
whale V |
North Atlantic |
unknown, > 75 000
|
13 600
|
| North Pacific |
ei tietoa |
< 20 000 |
| Southern hemisphere |
300 000 -
650 000 |
24 000 |
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