Does the level of Makah whaling proposed pose any conservation threat to this species?
Absolutely not. Whale scientists have closely observed the species for many years and in 1993 determined that the gray whale population had exceeded the numbers existing before industrial whaling on this species began. In 1994 the gray whale was removed from the endangered species list. The most recent population estimate, (1996) was 22,263 whales. The population continues to increase at a rate of about 2.5 percent per year; despite continuous harvesting of about 165 gray whales a year by Russian aborigines the Chukotki, for the last 30 or 40 years.
