Commercial whaling cut most humpback populations by more than 95%, hunting them to near-silence across the world's oceans, until a global moratorium took effect in the mid-1980s. Today, the western South Atlantic population is back to an estimated 93% of its pre-whaling size.
Almost Silenced
Commercial whaling cut most humpback whale populations by more than 95%. In the western South Atlantic, about 27,000 whales were reduced to roughly 450 by the 1950s. A global moratorium on commercial whaling has been in effect since the mid-1980s.
A Stunning Reversal
The recovery has been remarkable. The South Atlantic population, once hunted to near-collapse, has rebounded to an estimated 93% of its pre-whaling size, around 25,000 whales. Other populations are recovering too, although some North Pacific groups are still listed as endangered in the United States.
>> "Their songs, once used to fight for their survival, are now playing again across recovering oceans."
Humpbacks are now increasing in abundance throughout much of their range. 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.
_Sources: Zerbini et al., "Assessing the recovery of an Antarctic predator from historical exploitation", Royal Society Open Science, 16 October 2019. NOAA Fisheries, "Humpback whale" species page._