Their haunting songs, recorded in the 1970s, helped galvanise the global ban on commercial whaling. By then, some populations had already been reduced by 90% — hunted to near-silence across the world's oceans. Today, the South Atlantic population has fully recovered to pre-whaling levels.
Almost Silenced
At their lowest, some humpback whale populations had been reduced by 90% by commercial whaling. The haunting recordings of their songs — released in the 1970s — helped galvanise the global ban on commercial whaling in 1986.
A Stunning Reversal
The recovery has been remarkable. The South Atlantic population, once hunted to near-collapse, has rebounded to an estimated 25,000 individuals — close to pre-whaling levels. North Pacific populations have similarly recovered.
>> "Their songs, once used to fight for their survival, are now playing again across recovering oceans."
Humpbacks are now classified as Least Concern globally. Ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and noise pollution remain threats, but the humpback whale story stands as proof that international cooperation can reverse even catastrophic declines.