Populations and Spatial Dynamics of Endangered Baleen Whales in the North Pacific

Glenn VanBlaricom, NMFS/Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics, and Amanda Bradford, Washington Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington

E/I-13

Baleen whale populations worldwide were dramatically reduced by commercial whaling partices in the 19th and 20th centuries.  This project will examine the dynamics of severely depleted populations of baleen whales in the North Pacific in order to establish a quantitative framework for evaluating the recovery potential of these populations.  The frameworks will be applied to data on western gray whales and Sea of Okhotsk bowhead whales, both of which are at high risk of extinction.