Are humpback whales endangered?

No, humpback whales are not endangered as a species. The IUCN Red List classifies the humpback whale as Least Concern, with a worldwide population of roughly 135,000 whales and an increasing trend, as most populations have recovered from historic whaling.

Some regional groups are still at risk: the isolated Arabian Sea population numbers only around 80 individuals and is considered endangered. Recovery elsewhere led the United States, Canada, and Australia to downlist the species’ threatened status.

Source: Humpback whale, Wikipedia

Image: Humpback whale breaching off Cabo San Lucas by Juan Cruzado Cortés, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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