Most humpback whale populations will be taken off the endangered species list, as they have grown considerably since the ban on whaling 50 years ago.

In this case, it may be safe to delist them, since whaling remains banned. However, when wolves were delisted because their numbers in the US had grown, that was the signal for several states to encourage hunters to kill them. This is likely to drive wolf numbers down to the point that they will need protection again.

To prevent that, there needs to be an intermediate level of partial protection.