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Whaling is an ancient human activity that has had a great influence on the marine environment with effects ranging from the reduction of several species to the brink of extinction to modifications in the ecosystem. By the 19th century Europeans had managed to reduce the numbers of right whales in their coastal waters to such low numbers that this activity practically ceased on the Old Continent. The Norwegians were instrumental to the industrialization of whaling and the extension of this activity to the high seas and to the southern ocean in the 20th century. As a consequence of inefficient management regimes several species of large whales have risked extinction and are slowly recovering after drastic conservation measures implemented in the late 1980's. But whaling is still practiced in several areas and not necessarily for commercial purposes. Management regimes have been set in place for the large majority of whale populations (The International Whaling Commission and here), but threats to conservation are widespread and difficult to eliminate. Help make this podcast sound better with a donation to the MARIO MICROPHONE FUND.