So-named because early whalers considered them the "right" whale to catch, right whales were slow, often spotted and easy to harpoon. The long-exploited North Atlantic population was reduced to 50 whales by 1900; today, the number teeters at a mere 300, with another 450 to 950 left in the North Pacific. Southern right whales once numbered 70,000 to 160,000 individuals. Whalers discovered them off the coast of Tasmania at the turn of the 19th century. By 1920, only 300 were left. Today, that number has climbed to 7,000.