Humpback whale genomes reflect the increased efficiency of commercial whaling

Abstract

Genetic diversity is declining globally, a trend that may particularly impact exploited populations that must adapt to rapid environmental change and other threats. Estimated genomic changes in effective population size mirrored known whaling history and shifts in technology. In the Southern Ocean, a comparison of genomes from historical and contemporary populations indicated that the contemporary genomes have less diversity and an elevated realised mutation load for moderately deleterious mutations, likely due to the effects of whaling.