Conservation Success for California Blue Whales
Photo credit: sciencedaily.com
Want some great news?
According to new research developed by a team at the University of Washington, the California blue whale population has increased to a sustainable, healthy level.
This success has been due largely in part to the conscious management and conservation efforts surrounding this species.
The current population of California blue whales reaches about 2,200. Research indicates that this is probably close to any historical population level in this region.
Some have argued that this number is surprisingly low, but the following statistics may give you an idea as to the differences in whale population sizes around the world:
Between 1905 and 1971, approximately 3,400 California blue whales were caught and killed in comparison to the 346,000 blue whales caught near Antarctica. We can reasonably deduce that the California region population would be much smaller than the Antarctica population.
Even though this is a huge achievement for the California blue whales, there are still factors that must be monitored to ensure their protection. The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act closely watches the amount of ships that strike blue whales.
Although scientists believe that ship strikes are the largest human caused factor affecting these whales, they state the population growth is slowing because they have reached what is called carrying capacity. This means that they have reached the population size that their ecosystem and environment can support.
So in that sense, slow growth is not a bad thing!
It really is amazing to witness such a success – a once endangered species rebounding and thriving in our constantly changing world.
For more on the story please visit: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140905090223.htm
Source: University of Washington. “California blue whales rebound from whaling; first of their kin to do so.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 September 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140905090223.htm>.
