The Greatest Damage to Whale Populations

The decline of American whaling was also significant for the whales themselves, especially Bailene and Wright Whales. Even today there are thought to be fewer than 1,000 right whales in the world. The modern whaling industry killed probably four or five times as many whales as the 19th century Americans. But they're using much more efficient methods and they hunted whale populations close to extinction. Coming up next time on the show, how modern whalers used new technologies to take on new species of prey including the big ones.