At a glance
- IUCN category
- EN · Endangered
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Increasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2018 global assessment of Balaenoptera borealis says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The sei whale is a large, fast baleen whale of the open ocean. It is assessed as Endangered.
It feeds by both skimming and gulping plankton and small fish near the surface.
Range & habitat
Found in oceans worldwide, mostly in deep offshore waters.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Past commercial whaling
- Ship strikes
- Entanglement
Why it matters
A swift ocean giant heavily hunted during industrial whaling, the sei whale is a species slowly recovering under protection.
Sources
Sources for Sei Whale
- IUCN Red List — look up Sei Whale (authoritative status)
- NOAA Fisheries
- Animal Diversity Web
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is the sei whale?
It is among the fastest of the great whales, capable of sustained high-speed swimming — one reason it was hunted later than slower species, once faster whaling ships existed.
Why is the sei whale Endangered?
Published assessments cite the heavy toll of 20th-century commercial whaling, with ongoing threats from ship strikes and entanglement. See the IUCN Red List.