California blue whales rebound from whaling, first of their kin to do so

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-09/uow-cbw090214.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 5-Sep-2014

Contact: Sandra Hines
University of Washington
California blue whales rebound from whaling, first of their kin to do so

The number of California blue whales has rebounded to near historical levels, according to new research by the University of Washington, and while the number of blue whales struck by ships is likely above allowable U.S. limits, such strikes do not immediately threaten that recovery.

This is the only population of blue whales known to have recovered from whaling – blue whales as a species having been hunted nearly to extinction.

Blue whales – nearly 100 feet in length and weighing 190 tons as adults – are the largest animals on earth. And they are the heaviest ever, weighing more than twice as much as the largest known dinosaur, the Argentinosaurus. They are an icon of the conservation movement and many people want to minimize harm to them, according to Trevor Branch, UW assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

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