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Whale Most species of large whales are at risk of extinction due to hunting to which they are subjected. For centuries the great whales have been hunted for oil, meat, baleen and ambergris. Whaling has led many whale populations to near extinction. Several species of small whales are caught in fishing nets during fishing, this can cause the whales to surface to breathe, and the imposition of a death by drowning. Environmentalists have long argued that some cetaceans, including whales, are endangered by sonar used in most modern vessels causing strandings and cause air embolism, although the seismic tests used to detect oil and gas can damage the submarine ability of echolocation and hearing of whales.