Which is the most endangered species of whale

A.� Of 13 species of great whale seven have either endangered or vulnerable status.

�

The Northern Atlantic right whale, with no more than 350 of these animals remaining, has the least remaining number and is on the verge of extinction. Not far behind is the North Pacific right with only 1,000 left.

�

The Northern Atlantic right whale is threatened by fatal collisions with shipping traffic while the greatest danger to the North Pacific right whale comes from an intensive oil and gas industry in its feeding grounds.

�

Q.� How many whales are killed each year by whaling

A.� Over 1,000, this is despite a worldwide ban on whaling and the fact that almost all of the Southern Ocean is designated as a whale sanctuary.

�

Q.� What's the minimum number of individuals needed in order for a species to survive

A.� For something as complex as a whale, numbers of only a few hundred are probably too low for the species to survive naturally. A much larger breeding population is needed in order to ensure enough genetic variation for whales to be able to respond and adapt to any environmental changes and evolve surviving mechanisms

�

Q.� Are the side effects of commercial fishing the biggest threat to whales

A.� Although becoming trapped in trawlers nets and colliding with fishing vessels both pose a huge threat to whales, chemical pollution possibly presents an even bigger, long-term threat. Pollutants enter the whale's blubber and eventually their milk, which is then passed onto nursing calves.

�

Q.� When was commercial whaling banned

A.� In 1985, it is controlled by the IWC, International Whaling Commission and a 75% majority is needed to over turn the ban. The ban permits a small amount of whaling for scientific research, a loophole that Japan exploits, whereas Norway is not bound by the ban since it never agreed to it in the first place.

�

Do you want to know what's the rarest, oldest, fiercest or smallest animal Click here to ask.

�

by Lisa Cardy