Conservation efforts have paid off in Australia, with the country removing humpback whales from its threatened species list.
Before whaling operations ceased in Australia in 1963, and international protections were put in place two years later, more than 30,000 humpback whales were killed by whalers in Australia and New Zealand, The Guardian reports. Only about 1,500 humpbacks were in Australian waters at the time, and today, it's estimated there are at least 40,000.
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Australia's decision to remove the humpback whale from its threatened species list is "based on science and sends a clear signal about what can be achieved through coordinated action," Ley continued. "It is a message of hope for the welfare of a number of species." Environmentalists still caution that rising sea temperatures will likely harm the krill populations in Antarctica, a feeding ground for the whales.
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