How many Southern Right Whales are there?
Southern Rights were once the most common whales around southern Australia. No one knows for sure how many there were before whaling began, but most estimates are around 100 000. They were hunted nearly to extinction in the 19th century and it is thought that there are now only about 7000 Southern Rights left in the entire southern hemisphere. There are positive sign’s for this species though with the populations in Australia thought to be growing at about 5-7% annually.
