Blue Whale 5-Year Review
November 09, 2020
A 5-year review is a periodic analysis of a species’ status conducted to ensure that the listing classification of a species as threatened or endangered on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants is accurate.
Under section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act, we are required to conduct a review of all listed species at least once every 5 years to assess whether the current listing status remains accurate. In 2018, we initiated the blue whale 5-year review, which was conducted by the NMFS Office of Protected Resources in collaboration with the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The 5-year review is based on the best available data through January 2020. We concluded that no change to the listing status of the blue whale is warranted at this time.