The Great Whales
As whaling technology modernized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the great whales stood no chance against the relentless onslaught of commercial whaling. As a result of over-exploitation, many species of whale are still endangered today. Some, such as the Humpback whale, have made a significant recovery thanks to international conservation efforts. However, Iceland, Norway and Japan continue to hunt whales on an industrial scale and whales face many other threats in the wild.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) continues to monitor and evaluate the status of cetaceans. Some species are listed as Data Deficient due to a lack of complete and comprehensive information on population totals.
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Image
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Name
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2008 IUCN Red List Status
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Blue Whale
Pygmy Blue Whale
Antarctic Blue Whale
North Atlantic Blue Whale
North Pacific Blue Whale
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Endangered (EN)
Data Deficient (DD)
Critically Endangered (CR)
Vulnerable (VU)
Lower Risk/conservation dependent (LR/cd)
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Fin Whale
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Endangered (EN)
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Southern Right Whale
Chile-Peru Right Whale
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Least Concern (LC)
Critically Endangered (CR)
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North Atlantic Right Whale
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Endangered (EN)
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North Pacific Right Whale
Northeast Pacific Right Whale
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Endangered (EN)
Critically Endangered (CR)
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Sei Whale
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Endangered (EN)
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Sperm Whale
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Vulnerable (VU)
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Bowhead Whale
Bering-Beaufort-Chukchi Sea Bowhead Whale
Okhotsk Sea Bowhead Whale
Svaalbard-Barents Sea Bowhead Whale
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Least Concern (LC)
Lower Risk/conservation dependent (LR/cd)
Endangered (EN)
Critically Endangered (CR)
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Bryde's Whale
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Data Deficient (DD)
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Humpback Whale
Arabian Sea Humpback Whale
Oceania Humpback Whale
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Least Concern (LC)
Endangered (EN)
Endangered (EN)
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Gray Whale
Northwest Pacific Gray Whale
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Least Concern (LC)
Critically Endangered (CR)
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Common Minke Whale
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Least Concern (LC)
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Antarctic Minke Whale
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Data Deficient (DD)
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For a complete list of threatened Cetaceans, including Dolphins, refer to the IUCN Red List.
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