The hunting ban on whales is beginning to show results with several species having just emerged from endangered status.   The beloved and acrobatic Humpback Whale (seen left) and Southern Right Whale are two of the species to come back from the brink due primarily to most nations adhering to international whaling bans according to a new report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

It’s not all good news in the IUCN report however.   Many species of whales currently on the endangered list, including the Blue Whale and Sei Whale, remain on the endangered species list, pending the gathering of more evidence reagrding their status.   Worse yet, many smaller cetacean species including porpoises and dolphins whose habitat lies in more shallow waters closer to coastlines have declined further toward extinction.  

The major cause for the deaths of these smaller species is getting accidentally caught up in fishing nets and traps intended for other species.   The only remedy the IUCN can recommend to help stop the decline of these cetacean species is a full fishing bans in selected habitats to enable the dolphins to survive.

You can takepart in helping to save endangered species by logging on and learning more about the World Wildlife Fund.

LINKS:

IUCN: Humpback Whale on Road to Recovery Reveals IUCN List

Reuters AlertNet: Some big whales recovering since 1980s hunting ban

Yahoo! News (AP): Nature group say humpback whales recovering