Submitted:
Jun 15, 2000 - 8:00 pm (Edited Jun 10, 2009 - 7:53 pm)
Facts/Notes:
There are over 80 species of whales living in our world today. Seven species of whales are on the verge of becoming extinct, including the Blue Whale and the Grey Whale. In 1979, the International Whaling Commission banned the hunting of all whale species (except minke whales) by factory ships, and declared the entire Indian Ocean as a whale sanctuary. In 1982, the IWC adopted an indefinite global moratorium on commercial whaling. There are exceptions to the moratorium that enable countries to continue to hunt whales today.