Humpback whales live in all the world’s oceans, but despite the fact that their natural habitat extends throughout the globe, their existence has been threatened by poaching, bringing them to critical danger of extinction. Fortunately, conservation measures have paid off and in a milestone for the life of the oceans, for the first time in decades, humpback whales will swim free from extinction.
From the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century, humpback whale populations were deeply affected due to human persecution that began to hunt them in search of their meat until their numbers were affected in an alarming way. Their population saw a dramatic decline during this period of time and the impact was such that at one point there were only 700 of these huge marine animals swimming in the North Atlantic.
For this reason, measures for the protection of humpback whales were established. Since the 1980s, general hunting prohibition rules have been imposed to achieve a gradual recovery in the population health of this species of marine mammals. Fortunately conservation efforts have paid off and now humpback whales have been removed from the critically endangered species list in Australia. A clear example that the deep footprint caused by poaching does not disappear overnight and that entire decades are required to try to reverse the damage.
A premature change that worries conservationists
The Australian Scientific Committee on Threatened Species has closely monitored the population numbers of humpback whales. They assure that the status of cetaceans has experienced an increase after spending two years on the list of critically endangered species. Therefore, the Minister of the Environment, Sussan Ley, announced the decision to remove the species from the list.
Although the news is hopeful, conservationists have shown their concern as they consider that the change of statute could be very premature. Although humpback whales remain under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), removing them from the critically endangered species list could divert attention from them that they require to stay safe in the oceans.
Humpback whales, whose scientific name is Megaptera novaeangliae, are impressive animals as they measure up to 16 meters in length. It is one of the largest cetacean species in the world and although its size might seem like a threat, in reality they are peaceful animals that only feed on plankton and krill. Their presence in the oceans is of the utmost importance for the marine ecosystem and for this reason, their conservation must be maintained as a priority. Their removal from the endangered species list is certainly hopeful news, however, you should not let your guard down to conserve these beautiful animals.
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