Southern right whale recovery in doubt after being on brink of extinction

Species has increased in number but only to 12% of its original population and faces further threat from climate change

A population of southern right whales that was hunted to the brink of extinction by the start of the 20th century has only recovered to 12% of its original population size and will take at least six decades to recover fully, new research suggests. By that time, the population is likely to be be impacted by climate change.

In the 19th century, armed with just hand-held harpoons and sailing ships, hunters killed almost every New Zealand southern right whale, leaving just 15 to 20 mature females and about 100 whales in total.