(From abc.net.au)- A report compiled by Southern Cross University”s Whale Research Centre has found 14 out of 86 species of the world”s whales, dolphins and porpoises are now listed as threatened.
The director of the centre, Professor Peter Harrison, says the findings of the report are disturbing and it is obvious many of the great whales have not recovered from unregulated commercial whaling. Professor Harrison says the real threat to whales, porpoises and dolphins now is overfishing, pollution and habitat loss.
“Some of the populations are regarded as vulnerable, therefore we need to have a very close watching brief on them,” he said. “Some of them are listed as endangered species and these are real problems because some of these populations consist of 300 individuals or less.”