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 pro-whaling countries need to reintroduce hunting.
鈥淭his comeback could be the green light Japan needs to reintroduce whaling鈥�
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.
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Japan is likely to push hard to end the hunting ban, says Thilo Maack, Greenpeace鈥檚 cetacean expert. 鈥淚 fully expect Japan to say that if even the IUCN have 鈥榣east concern鈥� about the humpback whale it is time to resume commercial whaling.鈥�
Randall Reeves, chair of the Cetacean Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, who led the Red List assessment, strikes a more ambiguous note. He hopes that the good news 鈥渨ill not be used to reverse the humpbacks鈥� recovery鈥�. However, he adds that 鈥渋f there was a concrete proposal for very precautionary, sustainable whaling on the table, then we鈥檇 have to talk about it.鈥�
Maack disagrees. 鈥淐ommercial hunting should definitely not be allowed,鈥� he says.
Endangered species 鈥� Learn more about the conservation battle in our comprehensive special report.
