Which whale species were nearly exterminated by early uncontrolled hunting?

Early uncontrolled hunting led to the rapid depletion and near-extermination of several whale species as the industry progressed from targeting slow-moving, coastal whales to faster, pelagic species.1

By 1800, whalers had nearly exterminated the North Atlantic population of the northern right whale and the bowhead whale. Additionally, whalers succeeded in exterminating the Atlantic population of the gray whale.1

As technology advanced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whalers were able to target previously inaccessible species, leading to severe population declines in:
* Blue whales: Heavily exploited, with nearly 30,000 killed in 1931 alone.12
* Fin whales: Targeted extensively after blue whale stocks were decimated, with catches peaking in the early 1960s.1
* Humpback whales: Subjected to intense hunting pressure during the mid-20th century.13
* Sei whales: Hunted once larger species became scarce.13

The history of whaling is characterized by the sequential depletion of one population after another, driven by commercial demand and technological innovation.1