Rorquals: Balaenopteridae

The International Whaling Commission, set up in 1946 by twenty countries, has attempted to monitor and establish limits on the number of whales and the kinds of whales that are killed each year. In 1972, the United States Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act banning hunting of marine mammals and the purchasing of their products from other countries. While these efforts have brought an end to most whale hunting worldwide, they may have been too late for many rorqual species. Today, the blue whale, the sei whale, and the fin whale are considered Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Humpback whales are considered Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Studies done by the International Whaling Commission have estimated that there are fewer than five hundred blue whales remaining in the world.