Extracts from Reeves et al. (2003, pp. 35-36): "Although some populations of Blue Whales in the Northern Hemisphere appear to have recovered at least partially from their massive over-exploitation in the early to mid-twentieth century, others have not (Clapham et al. 1999). More than 350,000 Blue Whales were taken by whaling fleets in the Southern Hemisphere from 1904 to 1967, when they were given legal protection. Thousands more were killed, but not reported, by Soviet whaling fleets in the 1960s and 1970s. Numbers of living Blue Whales in the Antarctic remain extremely low (estimates are only in the hundreds), and it is uncertain what proportion are "true" Blue Whales (B. m. intermedia) as opposed to "Pygmy" Blue Whales (B. m. brevicauda). Trends of increase around Iceland and off California contrast with the complete absence of Blue Whales today off southern Japan, and their apparent rarity in the Gulf of Alaska and southern Bering Sea where they were once abundant.
The species’ Red List classification as Endangered (under the 1996 categories and criteria) was based on an estimated decline of at least 50% in worldwide total abundance over the last three generations, assuming a generation time of roughly 20–25 years."
"Blue Whales require continued protection and close monitoring into the foreseeable future. There does not appear to be any immediate intention to resume commercial whaling for them, nor is there any other well-defined threat from human activities. As noted by Clapham et al. (1999), however, their nearly exclusive dependence upon euphausiids, especially krill (Euphausia superba) in the Antarctic, could make Blue Whales vulnerable to large-scale changes in ocean productivity caused, for example, by climate change."
History:
1965
-
"Very rare and believed to be decreasing in numbers" (Scott 1965)
1986
-
Endangered (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
1988
-
Endangered (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1990
-
Endangered (IUCN 1990)
1994
-
Endangered (Groombridge 1994)
Geographic Range
Countries:
Native:
Argentina; Australia; Bangladesh; Canada; Cape Verde; Chile; Ecuador; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Polynesia; French Southern Territories; Greenland; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Japan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Malaysia; Mexico; Myanmar; Namibia; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Peru; Russian Federation; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Native:
Arctic Sea; Atlantic-Antarctic; Atlantic-eastern central; Atlantic-northeast; Atlantic-northwest; Atlantic-southeast; Atlantic-southwest; Atlantic-western central; Indian Ocean-Antarctic; Indian Ocean-eastern; Indian Ocean-western; Pacific-Antarctic; Pacific-eastern central; Pacific-northeast; Pacific-northwest; Pacific-southeast; Pacific-southwest; Pacific-western central
Habitat and Ecology
System:
Marine
Citation:
Cetacean Specialist Group 1996. Balaenoptera musculus. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 July 2008.
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