humpbacks, all in all amounting to around 90% of the overall population back
then.
15
The current global population of humpback whales is estimated to be at least
84,000 animals with an increasing population trend. The IUCN therefore categorises
the humpback as ‘least concern.’
16
2.1.6 Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is the only whale species in the genus
Eschrichtius. Before the last Ice Age, the North Atlantic and North Pacific
populations underwent some mixing via the Northwest Passage. When the waters
of the passage started to freeze over and ultimately became perennially frozen,
separated populations with unique genetic features started to develop. In the late
seventeenth or early eighteenth century, the gray whale could be found in the north
Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean until the Atlantic population disappeared. While
Icelandic, Basque and Yankee whaling certainly contributed to the decline of the
Atlantic gray whale population, it is unclear whether whaling constituted the only
reason for the disappearance of the population. Contemporary gray whale
populations are limited to the Pacific Ocean where two extant populations can be
found. The eastern North Pacific and adjacent Arctic Ocean waters is the habitat of
the American/California/Chukchi stock. The Asian/Korean/Okhotsk stock can be
found in the North Pacific off the Asian coasts.
Gray whales have always been on the top of the list of commercial whalers since
they move rather slowly and are therefore relatively easily to be hunted. Consequently, gray whale stocks declined significantly over the nineteenth and early
twentieth century. When the International Whaling Commission was founded in
1946, gray whales were amongst the first species to be protected and commercial
whaling on gray whales was banned. This did not account for aboriginal subsistence
whaling. Currently, the Chukchi of the Chukotkan Peninsula in the Russian Federation and the Makah in Washington State in the United States conduct aboriginal
subsistence whaling, also targeting gray whales. The quotas allocated for gray whale
hunts are also shared amongst the Chukchi and Makah. Although gray whale hunts
had been banned since 1946, this did not mean that gray whales had been continuously protected. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union did not adhere to the
prohibition of gray whale hunting and killed nearly every gray whale upon sight.
Also the deliberate and accidental by-catch of gray whales in fishing nets by
Japanese fishers puts tremendous pressure on the population.
The gray whale displays several unique characteristics. On the one hand it has
been termed the ‘devil fish’ by whalers due to its ferocity when being hunted. On the
other, it is much sought-after by the whale watching industry due to its friendliness.
15 Clapham (2008), pp. 582–585.
16 Cooke (2018c).
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2 Marine Mammals: Some Basics
then.
15
The current global population of humpback whales is estimated to be at least
84,000 animals with an increasing population trend. The IUCN therefore categorises
the humpback as ‘least concern.’
16
2.1.6 Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is the only whale species in the genus
Eschrichtius. Before the last Ice Age, the North Atlantic and North Pacific
populations underwent some mixing via the Northwest Passage. When the waters
of the passage started to freeze over and ultimately became perennially frozen,
separated populations with unique genetic features started to develop. In the late
seventeenth or early eighteenth century, the gray whale could be found in the north
Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean until the Atlantic population disappeared. While
Icelandic, Basque and Yankee whaling certainly contributed to the decline of the
Atlantic gray whale population, it is unclear whether whaling constituted the only
reason for the disappearance of the population. Contemporary gray whale
populations are limited to the Pacific Ocean where two extant populations can be
found. The eastern North Pacific and adjacent Arctic Ocean waters is the habitat of
the American/California/Chukchi stock. The Asian/Korean/Okhotsk stock can be
found in the North Pacific off the Asian coasts.
Gray whales have always been on the top of the list of commercial whalers since
they move rather slowly and are therefore relatively easily to be hunted. Consequently, gray whale stocks declined significantly over the nineteenth and early
twentieth century. When the International Whaling Commission was founded in
1946, gray whales were amongst the first species to be protected and commercial
whaling on gray whales was banned. This did not account for aboriginal subsistence
whaling. Currently, the Chukchi of the Chukotkan Peninsula in the Russian Federation and the Makah in Washington State in the United States conduct aboriginal
subsistence whaling, also targeting gray whales. The quotas allocated for gray whale
hunts are also shared amongst the Chukchi and Makah. Although gray whale hunts
had been banned since 1946, this did not mean that gray whales had been continuously protected. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union did not adhere to the
prohibition of gray whale hunting and killed nearly every gray whale upon sight.
Also the deliberate and accidental by-catch of gray whales in fishing nets by
Japanese fishers puts tremendous pressure on the population.
The gray whale displays several unique characteristics. On the one hand it has
been termed the ‘devil fish’ by whalers due to its ferocity when being hunted. On the
other, it is much sought-after by the whale watching industry due to its friendliness.
15 Clapham (2008), pp. 582–585.
16 Cooke (2018c).
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2 Marine Mammals: Some Basics