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Date: Wed, 18 Jun 97 11:44:11 EDT
From: gopher@esdim.noaa.gov (ESDIM Gopher)
Message-Id: <9706181544.AA28756@esdim.noaa.gov >
Subject: Endangered Whales
Apparently-To: cestvr@ces.iisc.ernet.in
Status: R


             ON THE STATUS OF ENDANGERED WHALES

      More than 2 1/2 million large whales were killed by
commercial whalers between 1600 and 1975. Surprisingly, no
species and only one population became extinct (the Atlantic gray
whale). Many stocks of "great" whales - blue, bowhead,
fin, gray, humpback, right, sei, and sperm whale - however, are
well below their presumed "initial" abundance when commercial
whaling began. For example, 75% of the world's stocks are
severely depleted (and are rare); and about one-quarter of the
major ocean basin populations are less than 5% of their initial
abundance.

      The Endangered Species Act of 1973 defines a species or
population as "endangered" if it is in danger of extinction
throughout all or a significant portion of its range; and
"threatened" if it is likely to become endangered within the
foreseeable future. However, no quantitative criteria were
developed to distinguish "endangered" from "threatened" and
insufficient information was available to determine whether or
not some species were in danger of extinction. Nonetheless, all
eight species were listed as endangered. For some species, we
have years of information on whaling and some population counts
from which to judge status. For a few species' populations,
such as the gray whale and bowhead whale, there is a wealth of
information. Based on several lines of evidence, then, the
following conclusions are reached:

1. The California stock of gray whales in the eastern North
Pacific Ocean is not in danger of becoming extinct and is not
threatened with becoming endangered in the foreseeable future.
The current population size is at least equal to or greater than
the estimated initial stock size in 1846, and has been increasing
at a rate of about 3% per year for at least the past 30 years.
Protection under the ESA is not warranted.

 2. The sperm whale is not in danger of becoming extinct nor is
it threatened with becoming endangered in the foreseeable future.
The worldwide abundance of the species is about 2,000,000. In
spite of uncertainties concerning individual stock structure and
models used to estimate abundance, there are no known sources of
mortality to prevent recovery. Protection under the ESA is
probably not warranted.

      3. The Western Arctic stock of bowhead whales in the
Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas is not in danger of becoming
extinct in the foreseeable future. The stock size is estimated to
be about 7,500 (some 40-50% of initial abundance) and is
apparently increasing in spite of an annual harvest by Alaskan
Eskimos. Because there is uncertainty about the potential effects
of long-term habitat changes in the Arctic, and because this
stock represents over 90% of the remaining world population
of bowhead whales, the stock warrants listing as threatened.

      All other stocks of large whales in U.S. waters should
remained listed as endangered at this time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE WRITE TO DR. HOWARD W. BRAHAM,
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MARINE MAMMAL LABORATORY, AFSC, NMFS, NOAA,
7600 SAND POINT WAY, NE, SEATTLE, WA 98115