The blue whale is considered a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The population of blue whales is estimated to be between 5000 and 12000 according to a 2002 study. In previous periods, there were around 200000 blue whale.
Catching and killing blue whales is not an easy task, thanks to their strength and speed. With these features, they remained away from being the target of hunters in the early periods of whaling. However, smaller and easier to hunt species, such as the sperm whale, were hunted extensively during these periods and their populations decreased significantly. As a result, whalers increasingly turned to larger species, and eventually blue whales became targets.
In 1864, Norwegian Svend Foyn equipped a steamship with harpoons specially designed to hunt large whales. In this way, he started an active whaling era. By the end of the 19th century, the sky whale population became extinct in the North Atlantic Ocean.
In 1946, the first restrictions limiting the international whale trade came into effect.
After the hunting of blue whales was banned in 1960, their previous population increased by only 1%.
Blue whales have been considered a threatened species since the day they were included in the Red List of Threatened Species (UDKB's Red List) created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. B. The Indian Ocean subspecies called musculus indicais not on the Threatened Species List.
Although hunting is banned globally, there are still possible threats to the increase in the blue whale population. These threats are as follows:
Increased concentration of chlorinated biphenyl chemicals due to pollution in the seas. These chemicals accumulate in the whales' blood and cause their premature death due to poisoning.
Increasing ocean traffic creates noise. This noise muffles the whales' calls and reduces their chances of finding a mate.
For these reasons, it is reported that it will not be possible to save blue whales today.
