Smallest Whale Population Identified - MSNBC

photo credit MSNBC via Brenda Rone

"Only 30 eastern North Pacific right whales are left on the planet, making it the world’s smallest population of whales."

Numbers are still down due to 19th century whaling. This is one species that was never able to recover. To add insult to injury, recent illegal whaling by the USSR and Japan has furthered the decline.

"The whale’s precarious status today, according to the authors, “is a direct consequence of uncontrolled and illegal whaling, and highlights the past failure of international management to prevent such abuses.”"

Sadly, it is very unlikely that this population will ever rebound. Book your whale watching trips now, because the eastern North Pacific right whales are on their way out.

Full article here (MSNBC)