Despite the International Whaling Commissions (IWC) efforts to provide legal protection in the 1960s, illegal hunting continued till 1972.

"The continued absence of blue whales at South Georgia has been seen as an iconic example of a population that was locally exploited beyond the point where it could recover, said Susannah Calderan, the lead author of the study published in Endangered Species Research.

What happened in South Georgia 50 years ago?At least 42,498 blue whales were killed between 1904 to 1971 in the Atlantic Ocean around South Georgia. Most of them met their doom before the 1930s.

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This is the first time that blue whales have been spotted in the region again, according to the British Antarctic Survey. Their study also shows that humpback whales are also making a comeback.

Blue whales return to South GeorgiaAs far as the British Antarctic Survey can tell, blue whales returning to the waters of South Georgia this time around arent the same ones that used to live in the region before.

However, 2020 was a milestone year. This year resulted in more blue whale sightings than ever before at 58, in addition to numerous acoustic detections.

"We don't quite know why it has taken the blue whales so long to come back. It may be that so many of them were killed at South Georgia that there was a loss of cultural memory in the population, that the area was a foraging ground, and that it is only now being rediscovered," said Calderan.

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Blue whales are returning to a tiny island in the sub-Antarctic 50 years after whaling in the region brought - Business Insider India