Well known and appreciated by the general public, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) measuring about 13 meters and 25 tons, saw their populations decline drastically in the 1960s due to commercial whaling. This is why in 1970, the United States placed them under the protection of their law by classifying them as « endangered. » In 2010, NOAA’s fisheries service (national oceanic and atmospheric administration) initiated a review of the humpback whale’s status. To better study it, the species found in almost all seas of the world was divided into fourteen distinct populations worldwide.
In 2016, following a whole series of studies, 9 out of the 14 defined populations at the start were removed from the endangered species list, proof of the success of conservation and protection efforts undertaken for several decades worldwide. As NOAA specifies, the moratorium on whaling imposed since 1982 by the International Whaling Commission has played a major role in the increase in the number of individuals per population.
Nevertheless, 4 populations remain considered endangered (Cape Verde, northwest Pacific, Central America, and Arabian Sea) and one has been reclassified on the threatened species list (Mexico). Of the 4 endangered populations, 2 pass through U.S. territorial waters at certain times of the year, especially to feed, as does the population of Mexico.
American authorities announced on Tuesday, September 6, 2016, regulatory measures aimed at increasing the protection of these two populations, which constantly evolve in American waters around Hawaii and Alaska, and the population of Mexico, which is also likely to occasionally evolve there. These measures notably concern the minimum distances to be maintained by boats navigating near these cetaceans.
Top of the page photo: © Gilles Diraimondo.
Morgane CONSTANTIN