In Australia, humpback whales — whose numbers have grown thanks to conservation policies — have been officially removed from the endangered species list.
Good news at last. Thanks to intensive conservation efforts for cetaceans, the number of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Australian waters has grown. Today, around 40,000 individuals are estimated to exist. On the basis of this data, it has been possible to remove them from the endangered species list.
The protection of whales is a very important and long-term project. Around the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, hunting and trade pushed these animals to the brink of extinction, humpback whales in particular. The numbers are staggering: around 30,000 specimens were killed by whalers in the seas of Australia and New Zealand up until 1963, so much so that in 1965 they received international protection owing to this dramatic decline. Australia officially began its direct policy against whale hunting in 1979.
Having finally managed to remove humpback whales from the threatened species list is a great achievement, even if threats are always just around the corner. Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley stated that this result is the fruit of the significant conservation efforts that have been made, and that, for this reason, all local and international protection regulations will remain in force to continue along this path. "This is a message of hope for the conservation of all species — you just need a scientific and coordinated foundation," she concluded.
Rising ocean temperatures are causing a decline in levels of krill, the crustaceans on which whales feed: this risks triggering a decline in the populations of these mammals and local extinctions by 2100. This was revealed by a 2019 study focusing on the impact of climate change on whale baleen — the plates they have in place of teeth, which they use to filter food and expel water from their mouths.
Another study, from 2020, identified the climate crisis as the main cause of the decline in humpback whale reproduction rates, associated with a significant drop in the number of calves. To these must be added rising levels of plastic in the sea, ocean pollution, fishing nets, maritime traffic and noise pollution.
It is easy to see that the threats are far from few. Having reached such an important milestone must not cause us to let our guard down regarding the other problems that, unfortunately, do not affect humpback whales alone. The challenge of species conservation has reached a small landmark, but the road ahead is still long.