Recovery of the Eastern North Pacific Gray Whale: A Case Study

Abstract

In 1994, the United States government removed the Eastern North Pacific gray whale from the Endangered Species List due to its recovery rather than extinction. This notable action also marked the first removal of a marine mammal from the List due to population recovery since its enactment in 1973. The gray whale case study is well documented, in large part due to the charismatic nature of whales, a deep regard for marine mammal species, multiple federal laws and international treaties involved in their management and recovery, and a series of legal cases involving the Makah tribe in its pursuit to resume cultural subsistence whaling. The events leading up to the gray whale’s listing as endangered, the actions taken by both the US and the international community, and some of the events since the species’ delisting creates a unique and comprehensive case study that provides space for reflection on the future use of environmental laws to protect and preserve species, including, but certainly not limited to, large cetaceans in the Anthropocene.