Endangered Blue Whale Makes a Big Comeback!

The waters off the coast of Southern California, the United States, are once again home to an increasing number of Pacific blue whales, proof that concerted efforts to protect the marine giant over the past five decades have been successful.

According to a study conducted by the University of Washington in 2014, the blue whale population is at 97% of its pre-whaling numbers.

Thanks to protective measures and conservative efforts, the largest creature on Earth has been saved from the brink of extinction. Fishing regulations have been revised to prevent entanglements, and shipping lanes have been modified to reduce deadly encounters between vessels and whales. The International Maritime Organization, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Coast Guard collaborated to optimize shipping lanes to preserve the safety of the marine giants that can measure up to 34 meters long and weigh up to 200 tons. Blue whales, humpbacks, and northern elephant seals are all benefiting from such measures. While the blue whale population is making a comeback, the species remains endangered. There are between 1,900 and 2,200 blue whales in Southern California. Worldwide, those numbers are between 10,000 and 25,000. At its all-time peak, the blue whale population reached 250,000 globally.