Humpback Comeback Could Signal End of Hunting Ban
Four decades after hunting them was banned, humpback whales seem to have swum clear of extinction. They might be heading straight for another danger zone, though, as their comeback could be the green light that Japan and other
The latest Red List of Threatened Species, issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), no longer deems the humpback to be at a high risk of extinction. It estimates that there are 40,000 mature adults, up from less than 1500 before the ban, though still pitifully low compared with the estimate of 240,000 in pre-whaling days.
Japan is likely to push hard to end the hunting ban, says Thilo Maack, Greenpeace's cetacean expert. "I fully expect Japan to say that if even the IUCN have 'least concern' about the humpback whale it is time to resume commercial whaling."...
