WHALES have been hunted since about 3000 BCE and all whale species have become less common because they have been hunted for both food and oil.
Other factors, such as pollution and drift net fishing, have also contributed to whales facing extinction. The humpback whale was hunted almost to the point of extinction - its numbers dropping from about 100 000 to only 3 000, though it is now protected. -
Tell Me When?, Chancellor Press