The 2nd-largest whale species found throughout the world’s oceans

Fin whales, being a large whale, were hunted by commercial whalers. Fin whales were, at first, difficult to target as they are fast swimmers and live in the open ocean. However, due to the modernization of the whaling methods, whalers decimated other easy-to-catch species of whales. Thus, whaling turned to fin whales. This whaling species switch caused a large decline in the population of this species.

Whaling is no longer a threat for fin whales since commercial whaling ended in the 1970s and 1980s. Currently, the major threat to this species comes from vessel strikes in open oceans. The fin whale is considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act and depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.