Humpback whales recover from 150 to 50,000 as conservation summit opens in
Eastern Australian humpback whales recovered from 150 in the 1960s to 50,000 today but face new threats.
The International Whaling Commission met in Hobart this week. The meeting marks 40 years since a global ban on commercial whaling.
Environment Minister Murray Watt told delegates the recovery is not complete. Whales still face bycatch, ship strikes, getting tangled, and habitat loss.
A major debate centers on Brazil's long push for a southern Atlantic sanctuary. Pro-whaling nations like Norway and Japan have repeatedly blocked it.
Three nations still hunt whales for business: Norway, Japan and Iceland. Australia's humpback population shows how strong the ban has been.
The numbers went from nearly extinct to thriving. But new threats have emerged.
The commission will vote on changing its rules. This would limit pro-whaling nations' power to block votes on protecting whales.
- 150 to 50,000
- Population recovery
- 63
- Member nations
- Norway, Japan, Iceland
- Commercial whaling nations
- Since 1998
- Brazil's sanctuary proposal
Why it mattersCommercial whaling was stopped. But whales now face new dangers. If the commission does not change its rules, these new threats could erase decades of recovery.
AustraliaAustralia's humpback whale recovery is a conservation win, but Australian waters and government influence matter as oceans face heating, shipping lanes and fishing pressure that threaten marine mammals globally.
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