Are whale populations increasing?

Pre-hunting population size may have been as many as 200,000-300,000 whales. They were estimated to number around 2,300 in 1998 and to be increasing between 2.4-8.4% per year.

Is the blue whale population recovering?

Scarcely thirty years later, “they were all but gone.” But now, 80-odd years after that, the blue whales may be returning. After commercial whaling was banned in 1986, many species began recovering; by 1998, Southern Ocean blue whale populations had returned “to around 1% of pre-whaling levels,” the authors write.

Are blue whales making a comeback?

Call it a comeback! According to BBC News, blue whales have returned to the waters around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, once a huge whaling hub, after a decades-long absence that many conservationists feared was permanent.

Are blue whales still growing?

Blue whales are the largest animal to have ever lived on Earth and — for now — are continuing to get bigger, say researchers. The findings come out of a study by evolutionary biologist Alistair Evans, of Monash University in Melbourne, and colleagues.

Is the blue whale the largest mammal in the world?

Blue Whale. Scientifically termed as Balaenoptera musculus, this majestic organism is not only the largest mammal in the world, but also the biggest member of the entire animal kingdom . In fact, blue whale is the biggest animal ever in the history of the planet earth.

What do blue whales mostly eat?

The primary food source a the blue whale is krill, a type of crustacean found all over the world. Apart from krill, blue whales have also been known to feed on several species of copepods.

What is the population of blue whales?

A new study published Friday in the journal Marine Mammal Science suggests there could be as many as 2,200 blue whales swimming along the eastern side of the Pacific, from Alaska to Mexico.

Is the blue whale population increasing?

Not all blue whale populations are increasing (especially near Antarctica, where the population is a tiny fraction of what it once was), but California blue whale numbers are rising, and are possibly close to carrying capacity, according to a new study in Marine Mammal Science.