How vulnerable is the Sea of Cortez fin whale population

Previous genetic analyses have demonstrated that the fin whales in the Sea of Cortez likely are genetically (and presumably demographically) isolated from North Pacific fin whales. Consequently the Sea of Cortez fin whale population is likely more vulnerable to anthropogenic effects and habitat changes. Here we extend previous work by genetic analyses of microsatellite and mtDNA nucleotide sequences in 375 and 24 fin whale samples from the Sea of Cortez and North Pacific, respectively. We will estimate long- and short-term effective population sizes in these two populations and compare the estimates with data from the much larger North Atlantic fin whale population(s). The objective of the analysis is to assess how vulnerable the Sea of Cortez fin whale population is to random genetic effects, such as loss of adaptive potential and inbreeding.