Industrial commercial whaling, ~1860s through the 1986 IWC moratorium, removed an estimated 2.9M large whales globally. Distinct from contemporary Ship strikes and Entanglement in being a legacy pressure: the populations are still recovering.
Magnitude per species
hemisphere by 1966.
among the most successful.
Why it still matters
Long generation times (~30 years for blue whales) mean recovery trajectories span centuries. IUCN status assessments factor in the depleted baseline, not just current trends — hence why Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is still Endangered despite an increasing trend.