Hemisphere. Whaling and whale-watching On account of its relatively small size and sparse distribution, the pygmy right whale has rarely been taken by whalers. A male was taken off South Africa in 1917, and a couple were caught for scientific purposes by Soviet whalers in the South Atlantic in 1970. Also a few pygmy right whales are known to have been caught in fishing nets. These factors are not believed to have had a significant impact on the population. Most data about pygmy right whales come from individual specimens washed up on coastlines; they are rarely encountered at sea and so they are not the primary subject of any whale watching cruises. Conservation The pygmy right whale is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It is listed on Appendix II, as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements. The pygmy right whale is also covered by Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MOU). See also List of cetaceans References Further reading Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Perrin Wursig and Thewissen (eds). Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Mark Carwardine. National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. External links Baleen whales Cetaceans of the Pacific Ocean Mammals described in 1846 Taxa named by John Edward Gray