Gray whale  (Eschrichtius robustus)

The main threat to this whale has been hunting; humans have exploited the species for its oil, hide, baleen and meat (6). The activities of early whalers were, at the very least, a contributing factor to the extinction of the gray whale in the Atlantic Ocean (5), while massive over-exploitation in the 19th and 20th centuries almost destroyed the whole species (6). Whilst hunting is now banned a small quota is permitted to indigenous hunters (6). Shipping and industrial activities in the coastal migratory routes increase the risk of collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing nets and pollution. Furthermore, habitat degradation resulting from drilling and dredging is also a problem (1) (5).

In 1946, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) legally protected gray whales from commercial whaling, and the eastern Pacific stock has shown a remarkable recovery, increasing from the brink of extinction to around 21,000 individuals today (6). However, the western Pacific population that migrates along the east coast of Russia remains very small and Critically Endangered (1). Whale watching, particularly in southern California and Mexico, has developed into an extremely popular tourist attraction (4), allowing people to appreciate these awesome creatures in their natural environment and providing additional value to their conservation.