It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements. It is also covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MOU).
Current conservation status
Sperm whale
Sperm whale | Current conservation status
Currently, entanglement in fishing nets and collisions with ships represent the greatest threats. Other threats include ingestion of marine debris, ocean noise, and chemical pollution. urrently, entanglement in fishing nets and collisions with ships represent the greatest threats to the sperm whale population. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) regards the sperm whale as being "vulnerable". The species is listed as endangered on the United States Endangered Species Act. No, conservation outlook is brighter than for many other whales since commercial whaling has ceased and the species is protected almost worldwide.
what ocean zone does the sperm whale live in
user
They are relatively abundant from the poles to the equator and are found in all the oceans.
assistant
where does this whale species get its name from?
user
It is a truncation of "spermaceti whale".
assistant
what does it look like?
user
It is distinguished by its large tooth.
assistant
can it make sounds?
user
Yes a "creak" and a "coda" are some of sound names used as per the situation they are in.
assistant
what do they feed on?
user
They feed on several species, notably the giant squid, colossal squid, octopuses and fishes such as demersal rays. However, their diet is mainly medium-sized squid.
assistant
are they under threat of extinction?
user
Other threats include ingestion of marine debris, ocean noise, and chemical pollution. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) regards the sperm whale as being "vulnerable". The species is listed as endangered on the United States Endangered Species Act. Sperm whales are listed on Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It is listed on Appendix I as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range and CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
Sperm whale | Current conservation status
The total number of sperm whales in the world is unknown, but is thought to be in the hundreds of thousands. The conservation outlook is brighter than for many other whales. Commercial whaling has ceased, and the species is protected almost worldwide, though records indicate that in the 11-year period starting from 2000, Japan has caught 51 sperm whales. Fishermen do not target the creatures sperm whales eat, but long-line fishing operations in the Gulf of Alaska have complained about sperm whales stealing fish from their lines. Currently, entanglement in fishing nets and collisions with ships represent the greatest threats to the sperm whale population.
Sperm whale | Current conservation status
It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements. It is also covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MOU).
Sperm whale | Current conservation status
Remaining sperm whale populations are large enough so that the species' conservation status is vulnerable, rather than endangered. However, the recovery from the whaling years is a slow process, particularly in the South Pacific, where the toll on males of breeding age was severe.
Toothed whale | Sperm whaling
Remaining sperm whale populations are large enough so that the species' conservation status is vulnerable, rather than endangered. However, the recovery from the whaling years is a slow process, particularly in the South Pacific, where the toll on males of a breeding age was severe.
Sperm whaling | Effect on sperm whale population
There is some hunting of the dwarf sperm whale in Indonesia, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Lesser Antilles as food or bait, though there are no major operations. A bigger threat is likely ingestion of marine debris and entanglement in fishing gear, though it has not been determined how serious a threat these pose. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists the dwarf sperm whale's conservation status as data deficient, though it could possibly be of least concern. The dwarf sperm whale is covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area.
Dwarf sperm whale | Relationship with humans
No global population estimate has been made, and so its conservation status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is least concern.
Dwarf sperm whale | Introduction
Killer whales ("Orcinus orca") and sharks are known to prey on the dwarf sperm whale. Dwarf sperm whale remains have been found in the stomachs of great white sharks ("Carcharodon carcharias"), and infestations of the cestode "Phyllobothrium delphini" in beached individuals indicates shark attacks since the cestode matures in sharks. The dwarf sperm whale also competes with other squid-eating whales, such as beaked whales. It occupies the same ecological niche in the same regions as the pygmy sperm whale, though the latter can forage in deeper waters and has been known to feed on a wider array of species of larger size.
Dwarf sperm whale | Threats
Battles between sperm whales and giant squid or colossal squid have never been observed by humans; however, white scars are believed to be caused by the large squid. One study published in 2010 collected evidence that suggests that female sperm whales may collaborate when hunting Humboldt squid. Tagging studies have shown that sperm whales hunt upside down at the bottom of their deep dives. It is suggested that the whales can see the squid silhouetted above them against the dim surface light. An older study, examining whales captured by the New Zealand whaling fleet in the Cook Strait region, found a 1.69:1 ratio of squid to fish by weight.
Sperm whale | Diet
Many sperm whales have scars on their backs, believed to be caused by the hooks of colossal squid. Colossal squid are a major prey item for sperm whales in the Antarctic; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of the colossal squid, which indicates that colossal squid make up 77% of the biomass consumed by these whales. Many other animals also feed on colossal squid, including beaked whales (such as the southern bottlenose whale), pilot whales, southern elephant seals, Patagonian toothfish, sleeper sharks ("Somniosus antarcticus"), and albatrosses (e.g., the wandering and sooty albatrosses).
Colossal squid | Predation
The prospects of averting mass extinction seems unlikely when "[...] 90% of all of the large (average approximately ≥50 kg), open ocean tuna, billfishes, and sharks in the ocean" are reportedly gone. Given the scientific review of current trends, the ocean is predicted to have few surviving multi-cellular organisms with only microbes left to dominate marine ecosystems.
Conservation biology | Status of oceans and reefs
A past ban which was implemented around the 1960s has helped some of these species of whale to recover. According to IUCN's Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG), "Several populations of southern right whales, humpbacks in many areas, grey whales in the eastern North Pacific, and blue whales in both the eastern North Pacific and central North Atlantic have begun to show signs of recovery." Populations of many other whales species are also increasing. Other whale species, however (in particular the common minke whale) have never been considered endangered. Despite this, opponents of whaling argue that a return to full-scale commercial whaling will lead to economic concerns overriding those of conservation, and there is a continuing debate as to how to describe the current state of each species.
Whale conservation | Conservation status
"Livyatan"-like sperm whales became extinct by the early Pliocene likely due to a cooling trend causing baleen whales to increase in size and decrease in diversity, becoming coextinct with the smaller whales they fed on. Their extinction also coincides with the emergence of the killer whale as well as large predatory globecephaline dolphins, possibly acting as an additional stressor to their already collapsing niche.
Livyatan | Extinction
Baleen whales were predominantly hunted from 1600 through the mid-1900s, and were nearing extinction when a global ban on commercial whaling was put into effect in 1986 by the IWC (International Whaling Convention). The Atlantic gray whale, last sighted in 1740, is now extinct due to European and Native American Whaling. Since the 1960s the global population of monk seals has been rapidly declining. The Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals are considered to be one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet, according to the NOAA. The last sighting of the Caribbean monk seal was in 1952, and it has now been confirmed extinct by the NOAA.
Marine conservation | Marine mammals
Both the North Atlantic and North Pacific species are listed as a "species threatened with extinction which [is] or may be affected by trade" (Appendix I) by CITES, and as "endangered" by the IUCN Red List. In the United States, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a subagency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified all three species as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, they are listed as "depleted". The southern right whale is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, as "nationally endangered" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, as a "natural monument" by the Argentine National Congress, and as a "State Natural Monument" under the Brazilian National Endangered Species List.
Right whale | Conservation
Prior to the setting up of the IWC in 1946, unregulated whaling had depleted a number of whale populations to a significant extent, and several whales species were severely endangered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes that the Atlantic population of gray whales was made extinct around the turn of the eighteenth century. Examination of remains found in England and Sweden found evidence of a separate Atlantic population of gray whales existing up until 1675. Radiocarbon dating of subfossil remains has confirmed this, with whaling the possible cause. Whaling and other threats have led to at least five of the 13 great whales being listed as endangered.
Whale conservation | Conservation status
Its range occurs in one protected marine area, but its population is still in decline, listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Its threats include residential and commercial development, shipping lanes, aquatic resources being harvested, invasive species, diseases, pollution, and climate change.
Anacropora matthai | Conservation
Some efforts being made for this species include – aggressive reforestation, trying to get a captive population, the removal of feral ungulates, and collecting of data about its life to help with the three other plans. Conservationists have yet to obtain the eggs of this species, which will be needed to create a breeding population in captivity. Moreover, adults will be needed to keep up what little populations are still left. It is threatened by habitat loss and predation by invasive species.
ʻAkiapolaʻau | Conservation and threats
The bowhead is listed in Appendix I by CITES. While the global population is thought to be secure, thus assigned "least concern" status, some populations are listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as "endangered" under the auspices of the United States' Endangered Species Act. The IUCN Red List data are: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the USA government list the bowhead whale as federally endangered. The bowhead whale is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of its range.
Bowhead whale | Conservation
The only known predators of adult giant squid are sperm whales, but pilot whales may also feed on them. Juveniles are preyed on by deep-sea sharks and other fish. Because sperm whales are skilled at locating giant squid, scientists have tried to observe them to study the squid. Giant squid have also been recently discovered to presumably steal food from each other; in mid-to-late October 2016, a giant squid washed ashore in Galicia, Spain. The squid had been photographed alive shortly before its death by a tourist named Javier Ondicol, and examination of its corpse by the Coordinators for the Study and Protection of Marine Species (CEPESMA) indicates that the squid was attacked and mortally wounded by another giant squid, losing parts of its fins, and receiving damage to its mantle, one of its gills and losing an eye.
Giant squid | Predators and potential cannibalism
Some beached individuals have had large parasitic infestations which probably lead to their death, particular with nematodes in the stomach and tapeworms in the blubber. In the southeastern United States, stranded dwarf sperm whales were found to have died from heart failure, and heart failure may have led to the stranding itself.
Dwarf sperm whale | Threats
In November 2012, the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recognized the Hawaiian population of false killer whales, comprising around 150 individuals, as endangered.
False killer whale | Conservation
The Antarctic minke whale is currently considered Near Threatened by the IUCN red list. However, the IUCN states that the population size is "clearly in the hundreds of thousands". The Antarctic minke whale is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements. In addition, the Antarctic minke whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region.
Antarctic minke whale | Conservation status
The species is listed as near-threatened, and almost meets the criteria for vulnerable (having extent of occurrence (EOO) of less than 15,504 km²).The species shows no sign of continued decline in population. The species, like other island species, faces threats from natural disasters like hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. It may also face a threat from change in land cover, and agricultural use.
Sturnira angeli | Conservation
Although for some populations there is not enough information on current abundance trends (e.g., Pygmy blue whales), others are critically endangered (e.g., Antarctic blue whales).
Blue whale | Conservation status
Also, it is estimated to number less than 2,500 mature birds, with less than 1,000 in any one subpopulation. The main threats are unsustainable logging, as well as land conversion for agriculture or narcotics plantations. Only in the range of the nominate subspecies does deforestation seem to have declined to levels where the species can be considered relatively secure; elsewhere, it is still extensive and may even threaten protected areas. Puracé National Natural Park is the most likely site to hold any remaining population of "G. g. lehmanni". The La Planada Nature Reserve subpopulation may have recently gone extinct; it was not found anymore in the 1990s.
Giant antpitta | Status and conservation
The mesoplodonts are completely unknown as far as population estimates are concerned. They have been hunted occasionally by the Japanese, but never directly. They are also accidentally captured in drift nets. It is not known what effect this has on the population.
Mesoplodont whale | Conservation
In 2014, the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the giant kōkopu as "At Risk: Declining" under criterion "B(1/1) - 20,000–100,000 mature individuals, predicted decline 10–50%". The giant kōkopu has been rated as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN since 1996. Primary reasons for their decline include ongoing drainage of wetlands, drain clearance, and land-use changes, particularly the expansion and intensification of dairy farming. Other threats are loss of riparian vegetation and introduced salmonids (trout). Giant kōkopu have been successfully bred in captivity. The species is highly prized as a traditional food and is considered to have potential in aquaculture.
Giant kōkopu | Conservation
In 2008, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) changed its assessment of the killer whale's conservation status from conservation dependent to data deficient, recognizing that one or more killer whale types may actually be separate, endangered species. Depletion of prey species, pollution, large-scale oil spills, and habitat disturbance caused by noise and conflicts with boats are the most significant worldwide threats. In January 2020, the first killer whale in England and Wales since 2001 was found dead with a large fragment of plastic in its stomach. Like other animals at the highest trophic levels, the killer whale is particularly at risk of poisoning from bioaccumulation of toxins, including Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Killer whale | Conservation
The preponderance of asexual reproduction in this species raises the possibility that genetic diversity in the remnant populations may be very low. These uncertainties as to recruitment/recovery potential and genetic status are the bases for increased demographic concerns for this species. Over the last 50 years, we have seen a significant decline in the population of Acropora cerviconis caused by a combination of coral disease and bleaching as well as other stressors such as pollution and predation. In order to reduce the loss of this species, The Coral Restoration Foundation in conjunction with the NOAA Recovery Plan (NRP) started in 2007 outplanting coral projects to restore populations at sites where Acropora cerviconis was previously abundant.
Staghorn coral | Threats and concerns
The dwarf sperm whale is a suction feeder that mainly eats squid, and does this in small pods of typically 1 to 4 members. It is preyed upon by the killer whale ("Orcinus orca") and large sharks such as the great white shark ("Carcharodon carcharius"). When startled, the whale can eject a cloud of red-brown fluid. Most of what is known of the whale comes from beached individuals, as sightings in the ocean are rare. Many of these stranded whales died from parasitic infestations or heart failure. The dwarf sperm whale is hunted in small numbers around Asia. It is most threatened by ingesting, or getting entangled by, marine debris.
Dwarf sperm whale | Introduction
The species of sea turtles include "Dermochelys coriacea, Chelonia myads", and "Eretmochelys imbricata." Extinction is a risk for these species as the sex ratio is being afflicted causing a higher female to male ratio. Projections estimate the declining rate of male "Chelonia myads" as 2.4% hatchlings being male by 2030 and 0.4% by 2090.
Extinction risk from climate change | 2016
There was a Washington state-wide task force created in March 2018 to make recommendations on how to preserve the Southern Residents from extinction. Some of the recommendations include stopping the use of hormone disruptors and other toxins in consumer products and removing dams that interfere with the salmon's access to breeding grounds. Current conservation efforts are listed as: On October 31, 2018, the Government of Canada committed $61.5 million to implement new protections for the Southern Residents.
Southern resident killer whales | Conservation efforts
The National Marine Fisheries Service lists eight species among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. These species are the Atlantic salmon; the Central California Coast coho; the Cook Inlet beluga whale; the Hawaaian monk seal; the Pacific leatherback sea turtle; the Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon; the Southern resident killer whale; and last, the White abalone. Threats from human activities are the primary cause for most being threatened. The Services have also changed a species’ status from threatened to endangered on nine occasions. Such a move indicates that the species is closer to extinction. However, the number of status changes from endangered to threatened is greater than vice versa.
Endangered Species Act of 1973 | Extinctions and species at risk
The conservation status for this species was updated to critically endangered in 2008 due to a rapid decrease in population over the preceding decade. The 2012 population was estimated under 5,000 individuals and in 2016 fewer than 1,000.
ʻAkekeʻe | Threats
Human caused climatic change, toxic chemical build up and energy shortages have even worsen the situation. Even the population of the giant pandas has increased from 1000 in the 1980s to 1600 recently, their survival is still not optimistic. And apart from the prominent threats to whales, dolphins and giant pandas, many other species are also disappearing at alarming rates.
Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong | Background
The IUCN classifies this species as near threatened, with an occurrence range of and a breeding range of . The largest threat for this bird is longline and trawl fisheries. Net monitor cables were responsible for large numbers of deaths; however, they were phased out in 1992. Commercial exploitation of squid in Bass Strait may present a threat by reducing the food supply. Also, pigs on Auckland Island reduced nesting from 1972–1982, and feral cats also take small number of chicks. Since 2006, Auckland Island birds have been tracked, and this will continue.
White-capped albatross | Conservation
As of 2016, the estimated abundance of the endangered Cook Inlet population was 293 individuals. The most recent estimate in 2018 by NOAA Fisheries suggested that the population declined to 279 individuals. Despite beluga whales not being threatened overall, sub-populations are being listed as critically endangered and are facing increased mortality from human actions. For example, even though commercial hunting is now banned due to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, beluga whales are still being hunted to preserve the livelihood of native Alaskan communities. The IUCN and NOAA Fisheries cite habitat degradation, oil and gas drilling, underwater noise, harvesting for consumption and climate change as threats to the prolonged survival of beluga whale sub-populations.
Beluga whale | Conservation status
For instance, conservationists are pleased that the sei whale continues to be listed as endangered, but Japan says that the species has swelled in number from 9,000 in 1978 to about 28,000 in 2002, so its catch of 50 sei whales per year is safe and the classification of endangered should be reconsidered for the North Pacific population.
Whale conservation | Conservation status
The fin whale is listed on both Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It is listed on Appendix I as this species has been categorized as in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of its range and CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them. It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.
Fin whale | Conservation
The Southern right whale was hunted to near extinction in the mid-to-late 20th century, with only a small (unknown) population around Antarctica. Because of international protection, the Southern right whale's population has been growing 7% annually since 1970. Conversely, the eastern stock of North Atlantic right whale was extirpated from much of its former range, which stretched from the coast of North Africa to the North Sea and Iceland; it is thought that the entire stock consists of only ten individuals, making the eastern stock functionally extinct. Baleen whales continue to be harvested. Only three nations take whales: Iceland, Norway, and Japan.
Baleen whale | Conservation and management issues
There is currently no robust estimate of the global whale shark population. The species is considered endangered by the IUCN due to the impacts of fisheries, by-catch losses, and vessel strikes, combined with its long lifespan and late maturation. In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the whale shark as "Migrant" with the qualifier "Secure Overseas" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It is listed, along with six other species of sharks, under the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks. In 1998, the Philippines banned all fishing, selling, importing, and exporting of whale sharks for commercial purposes, followed by India in May 2001, and Taiwan in May 2007.
Whale shark | Conservation status
The false killer whale is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS), and the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). The species is further included in the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia (Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU) and the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU). No accurate global estimates for the false killer whale exist, so the species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Redlist.
False killer whale | Conservation
Various species are predicted to become extinct in the near future, among them the rhinoceros, primates, pangolins, and giraffes. According to the WWF's 2020 "Living Planet Report", vertebrate wildlife populations have declined by 68% since 1970 as a result of human activities, particularly overconsumption, population growth and intensive farming, which is evidence that humans have triggered a sixth mass extinction event. Hunting alone threatens hundreds of mammalian species around the world. Scientists claim that the growing demand for meat is contributing to biodiversity loss as this is a significant driver of deforestation and habitat destruction; species-rich habitats, such as significant portions of the Amazon rainforest, are being converted to agricultural land for meat production.
Mammal | Threats
For the period 1970 to October 2006, humans have been responsible for 48% of the 73 documented deaths of the North Atlantic right whale. A 2001 forecast showed a declining population trend in the late 1990s, and indicated a high probability that North Atlantic right whales would go extinct within 200 years if the then-existing anthropogenic mortality rate was not curtailed. The combined factors of small population size and low annual reproductive rate of right whales mean that a single death represents a significant increase in mortality rate. Conversely, significant reduction in the mortality rate can be obtained by preventing just a few deaths.
North Atlantic right whale | Threats
All populations worldwide remain listed as endangered species by the US National Marine Fisheries Service and the International Conservation Union Red List. The fin whale is on Appendix 1 of CITES.
Fin whale | Whaling
In March 2008, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans stated the previous estimates in the eastern Arctic had undercounted, with a new estimate of 14,400 animals (range 4,800–43,000). These larger numbers correspond to prewhaling estimates, indicating the population has fully recovered. However, if climate change substantially shrinks sea ice, these whales could be threatened by increased shipping traffic. The status of other populations is less well known. About 1,200 were off West Greenland in 2006, while the Svalbard population may only number in the tens. However, the numbers have been increasing in recent years.
Bowhead whale | Baffin Bay and Davis Strait
Since 2006, the IUCN has listed "Parahucho perryi" as critically endangered based on the assessment completed by the Salmonid Specialist Group. This designation represents the highest potential risk of global extinction to the species. The assessment revealed that the range-wide population has dropped in size to less than 5% of historic levels.
Sakhalin taimen | Status
Ant predation of iguana eggs is another threat to the species.
Cyclura nubila | Decline
The bowhead was an early whaling target. The population was severely reduced before a 1966 moratorium was passed to protect the species. Of the five stocks of bowhead populations, three are listed as "endangered", one as "vulnerable", and one as "lower risk, conservation dependent" according to the IUCN Red List. The global population is assessed as of least concern.
Bowhead whale | Introduction
Observations of aggression in males of the cetacean species suggest that head-butting during male–male aggression is a basal behavior, and that the enlarged melon or spermaceti organ is a direct product of sexual dimorphism, having evolved as a battering ram to injure an opponent in such attacks. The ability of the sperm whale to aggressively attack and destroy ships some 3–5 times its body mass in this manner is therefore hardly surprising. The 5-month period that elapsed between the sinking of the "Ann Alexander" and the killing of the whale involved demonstrates that long-term survival was possible after combat with a much larger ship and so, presumably, with another whale as well.
Ann Alexander (ship) | Aftermath
The colossal squid has been assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List. Furthermore, colossal squid are not targeted by fishermen; rather, they are only caught when they attempt to feed on fish caught on hooks. Additionally, due to their habitat, interactions between humans and colossal squid are considered rare.
Colossal squid | Conservation status and human interactions
To make more fish available, they say, more whales will have to be killed, putting populations at risk. Additionally, whale feeding grounds and commercial fisheries do not always overlap. Professor Daniel Pauly, Director of the Fisheries Center at the University of British Columbia weighed into the debate in July 2004 when he presented a paper to the 2004 meeting of the IWC in Sorrento. Pauly's primary research is the decline of fish stocks in the Atlantic, under the auspices of the Sea Around Us Project. This report was commissioned by Humane Society International, an active anti-whaling lobby, and stated that although cetaceans and pinnipeds are estimated to eat 600 million tonnes of food per year, compared with just 150 million tonnes eaten by humans (although researchers at the Japanese Institute for Cetacean Research give figures of 90 million tonnes for humans and 249-436 million tonnes for cetaceans), much of the food eaten by cetaceans (in particular, deep sea squid and krill) is not consumed by humans.
Whale conservation | Fish stocks
The population around Hawaii has been declining.
False killer whale | Population and distribution
After sperm whale populations declined significantly, the species was given full protection by the International Whaling Commission in 1985. Hunting of sperm whales by Japan in the northern Pacific Ocean continued until 1988.
Sperm whaling | 20th century
The male Sudan's sperm was harvested before his death and is still in Kenya. On 11 September 2019, it was announced that "two embryos" were generated and will be kept in a frozen state, until placed in a surrogate female. On 15 January 2020, it was announced that "another embryo" was created using the same techniques; all three embryos are "from Fatu".
White rhinoceros | Modern conservation tactics
Due to the difficulty to survey populations, 38% of marine mammals are data deficient, especially around the Antarctic Polar Front. In particular, declines in the populations of completely marine mammals tend to go unnoticed 70% of the time.
Marine mammal | Threats
The species was listed as vulnerable in 1996 and endangered as recently as 1988. Most monitored stocks have rebounded since the end of commercial whaling. In the North Atlantic stocks are believed to be approaching prehunting levels. However, the species is considered endangered in some countries, including the United States.
Humpback whale | Least concern
Prior to 2008, the beluga was listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a higher level of concern. The IUCN cited the stability of the largest sub-populations and improved census methods that indicate a larger population than previously estimated. In 2008, the beluga was reclassified as "near threatened" by the IUCN due to uncertainty about threats to their numbers and the number of belugas over parts of its range (especially the Russian Arctic), and the expectation that if current conservation efforts cease, especially hunting management, the beluga population is likely to qualify for "threatened" status within five years.
Beluga whale | Conservation status
N ratios showed that this squid is a top predator. In turn, they are eaten by the sperm whale.
Taningia danae | Ecology
As of 2018, the IUCN Red List labels the common minke whale as Least Concern and the Antarctic minke whale as Near Threatened. COSEWIC puts both species in the Not At Risk category . NatureServe lists them as G5 which means the species is secure on global range . Population estimates are generated by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission. The 2004 estimate yielded 515,000 individuals for the Antarctic minke stock.
Minke whale | Population and conservation status
Narwhals are one of many mammals that are being threatened by human actions. Estimates of the world population of narwhals range from around 50,000 (from 1996) to around 170,000 (compilation of various sub-population estimates from the years 2000–2017). They are considered to be near threatened and several sub-populations have evidence of decline. In an effort to support conservation, the European Union established an import ban on tusks in 2004 and lifted it in 2010. The United States has forbidden imports since 1972 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Narwhals are difficult to keep in captivity. Inuit people hunt this whale species legally, as discussed above in Predation and hunting.
Narwhal | Conservation issues
It is probably threatened by loss of closed-canopy forests. It is present in the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park and probably in some other protected areas too.
Alexteroon obstetricans | Introduction
This species is threatened by habitat loss and illegal trade. These iguanas were used as a source of food by natives. Its eggs are a food source for the equally threatened Motagua Valley beaded lizard ("Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti"), thereby possibly linking the status of the two species. It is included in CITES appendix II so that trade of this species is regulated.
Ctenosaura palearis | Conservation status
"Powelliphanta" "Haast" is classified as being in "Gradual decline" by the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
Powelliphanta &quot;Haast&quot; | Conservation status
It is threatened by habitat loss due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, spread of invasive eucalyptus trees, livestock grazing, and expanding human settlements.
Platypelis tsaratananaensis | Conservation
As not much us known about this species, as well as due to the whaling and conservation laws in place for marine mammals, it is listed as “lower risk least concern” in the IUCN Red list. However, it faces some modern day issues; it is one of the most common stranded species in Florida sound. Due to its slow-moving and quiet nature, the species is at a higher risk of boat strikes. Its small size also allows for it to become a byproduct of commercial fishing, caught in seine nets. Anthropogenic noise is another particular issue affecting this species, as it echolocates, and it has repeatedly been found stranded with plastic in its stomach.
Pygmy sperm whale | Conservation
They elaborate that a best case scenario puts it at a 17% increase and a worst-case scenario of a 7.2% reduction. Major threats to the well-being of this species start with the typical accidental deaths caused by longline fishing as well as trawl fishing near the Falkland Islands. Between 2,000 and 4,000 were killed in 1997—1998 due to illegal longline fishing. Also the number of southern elephant seals, which is an important source of food as carrion, has been shrinking. Human disturbances have also adversely affected this bird. To assist in this bird's continued survival it was placed in CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex I.
Southern giant petrel | Conservation
Competition from other predators of marine mammals, such as macropredatory sperm whales which appeared in the Miocene, and killer whales and great white sharks in the Pliocene, may have also contributed to the decline and extinction of megalodon. Fossil records indicate that the new whale-eating cetaceans commonly occurred at high latitudes during the Pliocene, indicating that they could cope with the increasingly prevalent cold water temperatures; but they also occurred in the tropics (e.g., "Orcinus" sp. in South Africa). The largest macropredatory sperm whales such as "Livyatan" are best known from the Miocene, but persisted into the Pliocene, while others, such as "Hoplocetus" and "Scaldicetus", survived until the early Pleistocene.
Megalodon | Changing ecosystem
While this may be correct for the plotopterids, for pelagornithids it is not all too likely for two reasons: First, the Pelagornithidae continued to thrive for 10 million years after modern-type baleen whales evolved, and in the Middle Miocene "Pelagornis" coexisted with "Aglaocetus" and Harrison's whale ("Eobalaenoptera harrisoni") in the Atlantic off the Eastern Seaboard, while the Pacific "Osteodontornis" inhabited the same seas as "Balaenula" and "Morenocetus"; the ancestral smallish sperm whale genus "Aulophyseter" (and/or "Orycterocetus") occurred in both Northern Hemisphere oceans at that time, while the mid-sized sperm whale "Brygmophyseter" roamed the North Pacific. As regards Miocene pinnipeds, a diversity of ancient walruses and ancestral fur seals like "Thalassoleon" inhabited the north-east, while the ancient leopard seal "Acrophoca" is a remarkable species known from the south-east Pacific.
Pelagornithidae | Ecology and extinction
In adopting a Recovery Plan for the North Pacific right whale, the United States government (NOAA) described its evaluation of the various threats to the continued survival of the species.
North Pacific right whale | Threats
The Hawaiian monk seal, hawksbill turtle, and humpback whale are all listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve | Marine habitat
On a global scale, Aetomylaeus bovinus still classified as data deficient, however in the Mediterranean Sea Bull rays have been classified as critically endanger (Cr) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) during the last assessment of 2015, where they were previously classified as data deficient. The Bull ray is now part of the 53% Mediterranean Sea native Elasmobranchs at risk of extinction who require urgent action to conserve their population and habitats. Bull rays appears to be extremely rare throughout the Mediterranean region and it current population trend is highly suspected to be decreasing (by 80% during the last 45years according to IUCN).
Bull ray | Conservation and status
It is widely suspected that the species went extinct due to the arrival of "Homo erectus", due to staggered extinctions on islands co-inciding with the arrival of "H. erectus" in these regions.
Megalochelys atlas | Extinction
In Puget Sound, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted rules for protecting the harvest of giant Pacific octopuses at seven sites, after a legal harvest caused a public outcry. Populations in Puget Sound are not considered threatened. Regardless of these data gaps in abundance estimates, future climate change scenarios may affect these organisms in different ways. Climate change is complex, with predicted biotic and abiotic changes to multiple processes including oxygen limitation, reproduction ocean acidification, toxins, effects on other trophic levels, and RNA editing.
Giant Pacific octopus | Conservation and climate change
Factors limiting or threatening current population levels include ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and changes in sea-ice coverage associated with climate change.
Gray whale | Prewhaling abundance
Fossil records have revealed a predator-prey relationship between large sharks (e.g. "C. megalodon") and Cetotheriids. The raptorial toothed whale, "Livyatan melvillei", may too have posed a threat to these whales. The skeleton of an ancient whale was unearthed by archeologists in Crimea in 2018. The whale disappeared 10 million years ago.
Cetotherium | Paleobiology
The range of "Aipysurus foliosquama" has significantly decreased and population is significantly declining, the IUCN lists their status as critically endangered.
Aipysurus foliosquama | Conservation status
It is classed as a least concern species on the IUCN Red List, but it is believed that its population is decreasing, and it is listed under Appendix II of CITES. Figures of its population are unknown, but is likely to be threatened by the global reduction of coral reefs, the increase of temperature causing coral bleaching, climate change, human activity, the crown-of-thorns starfish ("Acanthaster planci") and disease.
Acropora abrotanoides | Threats
"Hyloxalus cevallosi" is currently listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and its population is decreasing. Members of the species live in less than five different areas worldwide in a total space less than 5000 square kilometers. It is threatened by habitat loss as the forests of the Amazonian foothills of the Andes are slowly disappearing due to agricultural development and logging. It is not known to live in any protected areas.
Hyloxalus cevallosi | Status
Prior to the beginning of whaling, it is estimated that there were upwards of 100,000 northern bottlenose whales in the North Atlantic. Between 1850 and 1973, commercial hunting of the species, focused on populations found off Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Labrador, greatly reduced their numbers across their range. Current conservation concerns include threats from human activities such as disturbance related to offshore oil and gas developments and naval sonar, as well as entanglement, pollution, ingestion of plastic and ecosystem shifts related to climate change. The International Whaling Commission designated the northern bottlenose whale as a protected stock in 1977 and set a zero catch quota.
Northern bottlenose whale | Conservation
Sperm whales usually dive between , and sometimes , in search of food. Such dives can last more than an hour. They feed on several species, notably the giant squid, but also the colossal squid, octopuses, and fish such as demersal rays, but their diet is mainly medium-sized squid. Some prey may be taken accidentally while eating other items. Most of what is known about deep-sea squid has been learned from specimens in captured sperm whale stomachs, although more recent studies analysed faeces. One study, carried out around the Galápagos, found that squid from the genera "Histioteuthis" (62%), "Ancistrocheirus" (16%), and "Octopoteuthis" (7%) weighing between were the most commonly taken.
Sperm whale | Diet
A 2016 study published in "Science" concludes that humans tend to hunt larger species, and this could disrupt ocean ecosystems for millions of years. A 2020 study published in "Science Advances" found that around 18% of marine megafauna, including iconic species such as the Great white shark, are at risk of extinction from human pressures over the next century. In a worst-case scenario, 40% could go extinct over the same time period.
Holocene extinction | Overexploitation
As a result, it is an endangered species. Over 725,000 fin whales were reportedly taken from the Southern Hemisphere between 1905 and 1976; as of 1997 only 38,000 survived. Recovery of the overall population size of southern subspecies is predicted to be at less than 50% of its pre-whaling state by 2100 due to heavier impacts of whaling and slower recovery rates.
Fin whale | Introduction
Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and Canada's Species at Risk Act. There are about 400 individuals in existence in the western North Atlantic Ocean—they migrate between feeding grounds in the Labrador Sea and their winter calving areas off Georgia and Florida, an ocean area with heavy shipping traffic. In the eastern North Atlantic, on the other hand—with a total population reaching into the low teens at most—scientists believe that they may already be functionally extinct. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear, which together account for nearly half of all North Atlantic right whale mortality since 1970, are their two greatest threats to recovery.
North Atlantic right whale | Introduction
On the west coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, seal and sea lion populations have also substantially declined.
Killer whale | Conservation
In New Zealand its conservation status was declared to be "Not Threatened" in 2004, 2009 and 2012 under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, and this New Zealand classification was reaffirmed in 2018, with the further comment that it was safe overseas.
Leucopogon fraseri | Conservation status
Occasionally there are sightings of the bowhead whale. The Russian Arctic stock of this species, ranging from Cape Farewell in Greenland and Svalbard/Spitsbergen areas to East Siberian Sea is considered to be the most endangered of all populations in the world. The waters around Franz Josef Land are seemingly the most important place for this stock.
Franz Josef Land | Critically endangered cetaceans
It is feared that the species might now be extinct. The precise reasons for this dramatic decline are not known, but climate abnormalities and chytridiomycosis are possible factors.
Atelopus petersi | Habitat and conservation
The vast majority of these consisted of disarticulated beaks (with up to 47 found in a single sperm whale stomach; #327), though more substantial remains were occasionally recovered, including even whole adult specimens (#85, 129, 138, 153, 208, 225, and 234), with one reportedly showing signs of life after being vomited (#129). The most important figure in the study of ingested giant squid remains was marine biologist Malcolm Clarke, who authored around a dozen relevant papers (Herring, 2014:118; Rodhouse "et al.", 2015; Gomes-Pereira "et al.", 2017).
List of giant squid specimens and sightings (20th century) | Background
The population of the endemic salmon-crested cockatoo is now gravely threatened due to hunting and the destruction of its habitat, and the park remains its last stronghold. For the first time in 2006 nine cockatoos have been released in the wild after being confiscated from a smuggler in 2004.
Manusela National Park | Conservation and threats
In the United States, this species is listed as “endangered” by the NMFS under the Endangered Species Act. It is also listed as "depleted" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. On a global level, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS, or the "Bonn Convention") is a multilateral treaty specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes. CMS has listed the North Atlantic right whale on Appendix I, which identifies it as a migratory species threatened with extinction. This obligates member nations to strive towards strict protection of these animals, habitat conservation or restoration, mitigation of obstacles to migration, and control of other factors that might endanger them.
North Atlantic right whale | Conservation status
No particular threats to this fish have been recognised, but not enough is known about it to determine its population trends and conservation needs, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its status as "data deficient". As a denizen of coral reefs, the degradation of the reefs may well have an adverse future effect on the species. However, parts of its known range are within the boundaries of some marine protected areas.
Arothron carduus | Status
The conservation status of this species was changed from near threatened to vulnerable in the 2008 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List because the species has declined at least 30% over the past 30 years (three generations) due to hunting and habitat loss. This is considerably better than the 1994 assessment which found it to be endangered, followed by the 2003 assessment which found the species to be near threatened. Although the conservation status has improved, actual population numbers are on a decreasing trend. Since it only lives in white water flooded forests, it is very susceptible to human impact (i.e.: land acquisition for agriculture and/or pastures).
Bald uakari | Conservation
"P. ayeaye" is currently under threat due to habitat loss. Human-related threats include mining for materials in Brazil, fires that ravage the landscape, and pollution from industries and military operations. The pollutants in the water causes a decline in the population. Ecotourism and urbanization also affect the breeding areas of this species. Non-human threats include climate change and erosion, which causes streams to be filled with sediment.
Pithecopus ayeaye | Threats
This species has been classified under the New Zealand Threat Classification system as being Nationally Endangered.
Pseudocoremia albafasciata | Conservation status
In 1985, the International Whaling Commission ended sperm whaling. The pygmy sperm whale is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). The species is further included in the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia (Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU) and the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU).
Pygmy sperm whale | Conservation
The state of the population hit an all-time low in 2010, when no new reproductive females were recorded, resulting in a minimum of 26 reproductive females being observed since 1995. Even a very small number of additional annual female deaths will cause the subpopulation to decline. However, as of 2018, evidence has indicated that the western population is markedly increasing in number, especially off Sakhalin Island. Following this, the IUCN downlisted the population's conservation status from critically endangered to endangered.
Gray whale | North Pacific
Its existence is threatened by habitat loss, due to the introduction of domestic goats in 1978; the goats now number more than 300 on this tiny island. Its conservation status was upgraded to CR in 2010 by the Biodiversity Center of Japan, although the IUCN still considers that current lack of population data prevents an accurate assessment. New population studies have evaluated the species as vulnerable.
Senkaku mole | Ecological threats
Anthropogenic threats appear to be combining with natural traits suich as low productivity and late sexual maturity to inhibit the recovery of the species. Additionally, the skink currently requires a specialised habitat, leaving the populations isolated and small with virtually no room for relocation or expanding.
Otago skink | Conservation