What whales are endangered?

Quick Answer

Multiple whale species are currently classified as endangered under national and international protections. The most critically threatened include the North Atlantic right whale (fewer than 350 left), the blue whale (10,000–25,000 remaining), the sei whale, the fin whale, and the Rice’s whale (roughly 50 individuals). Several other species, such as the sperm whale and the western population of gray whale, also carry endangered or vulnerable status. Most of these species were severely depleted by commercial whaling and continue to face modern threats including ship strikes, entanglement, and climate change. Learn more on our conservation page.

What You Need to Know

Whale Species Listed as Endangered

Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the IUCN Red List, the following whale species or populations are classified as endangered or critically endangered:

• North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) — Critically Endangered. Fewer than 350 individuals survive, making it the most imperiled large whale on Earth. The population has been in decline since 2010 due to vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglement.
• North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) — Endangered. The eastern North Pacific stock may number fewer than 500 animals and is one of the least-studied great whales.
• Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) — Endangered. Hunted to near extinction in the 20th century, an estimated 10,000–25,000 remain globally. You can explore how few are left in our FAQ on how many blue whales are left.
• Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) — Endangered. Global population estimates hover around 50,000, down dramatically from pre-whaling numbers exceeding 250,000.
• Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) — Vulnerable (IUCN), listed as endangered under the ESA. The second-largest animal on Earth, its global population is estimated at roughly 100,000, a fraction of its historical abundance.
• Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) — Vulnerable (IUCN), endangered under the ESA. Approximately 300,000 individuals remain worldwide, down from an estimated pre-whaling population of over one million.
• Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) — Critically Endangered. Identified as a distinct species only in 2021, this whale lives exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico. With roughly 50 individuals remaining, it is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.
• Western gray whale population (Eschrichtius robustus) — Critically Endangered. While the eastern North Pacific gray whale population has recovered to approximately 14,000–16,000 individuals, the western population feeding off Russia’s Sakhalin Island numbers only around 300.

Why Are So Many Whales Endangered?

The primary historical driver of whale endangerment was commercial whaling. During the 19th and 20th centuries, industrial-scale hunting killed millions of whales for oil, baleen, and meat. The blue whale alone lost an estimated 99% of its population in the Southern Hemisphere before protections were enacted. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) imposed a global moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, which remains in effect today.

Despite the moratorium, endangered whales face a suite of modern threats that hinder population recovery:

• Vessel strikes — Ship collisions are a leading cause of death for North Atlantic right whales and several other species in busy shipping lanes.
• Fishing gear entanglement — Ropes, nets, and lines can cause drowning, severe injuries, or chronic stress that reduces reproductive success.
• Ocean noise pollution — Increasing underwater noise from shipping, sonar, and energy exploration disrupts whale communication and feeding behavior, particularly for species that rely on sound to navigate and find food.
• Climate change — Warming oceans are shifting prey distributions, forcing whales to travel farther or into more dangerous waters to find food. This is especially concerning for species like the North Atlantic right whale, whose primary prey—tiny copepods—are moving northward.
• Pollution and contaminants — Chemical pollutants such as PCBs and heavy metals accumulate in whale blubber and can compromise immune systems and reproduction.

Conservation Successes Worth Noting

Not all the news is bleak. Some whale populations have staged remarkable recoveries thanks to sustained conservation efforts. The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) was removed from most endangered listings after its global population rebounded from roughly 10,000 in the 1960s to an estimated 80,000–90,000 today. Similarly, the eastern stock of gray whale was delisted from the ESA in 1994 after returning to near pre-whaling numbers.

These success stories demonstrate that legal protections, international cooperation, and habitat management can work—but they also underscore how much further we must go for species like the North Atlantic right whale and the Rice’s whale, whose populations remain perilously small.

Key Takeaways

• At least seven great whale species remain endangered or vulnerable, including the blue whale, North Atlantic right whale, sei whale, fin whale, sperm whale, Rice’s whale, and the western gray whale.
• The North Atlantic right whale and Rice’s whale are the most critically endangered, with populations under 350 and roughly 50 individuals, respectively.
• Commercial whaling was the primary historical cause of whale endangerment, though a global moratorium has been in place since 1986.
• Modern threats—vessel strikes, entanglement, noise, climate change, and pollution—continue to prevent many populations from recovering.
• Some species, like the humpback whale, have recovered significantly, proving that effective conservation measures can reverse population declines.
• Protecting endangered whales requires ongoing efforts in shipping lane management, fishing gear modifications, marine protected areas, and addressing climate change.

For more on whether whales face extinction risks, see our FAQ on are whales going extinct. To learn about the legal protections that safeguard these species, visit is whale hunting illegal.