Although they've been hunted for over a century to near extinction, blue whales have not only returned from the brink of demise, but rebounded to historical levels, say researchers from the University of Washington.

Likewise, while the number of blue whales in struck by ships in the waters off California is likely above U.S. limits, such collisions are not immediately threatening the giant mammals' recovery.

There are likely at least 11 blue whales hit each along the West Coast.

A new study published in the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science asserts California blue whales, also known as the eastern North Pacific blue whales, are the only known population of blue whales to stage a comeback from the ravages of whaling, said a university news release.

Often growing upward of 100 feet in length and weighing close to 190 tons as adults, blue whales are the largest animals on earth, and they are the heaviest ever, weighing more than twice as much as the biggest known dinosaur, the Argentinosaurus.

"The recovery of California blue whales from whaling demonstrates the ability of blue whale populations to rebuild under careful management and conservation measures," Cole Monnahan, a UW doctoral student in quantitative ecology and resource management and lead author of the paper, said in the release

California blue whales are at their most visible -- and vulnerable -- while at their feeding grounds, about 20 to 30 miles from the California shore, though they are tracked along the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean, from the equator up into the Gulf of Alaska.

While their current numbers, estimated at about 2,200, according to monitoring by other research groups, might seem low, Monnahan said, it's quite impressive when realizing how many California blue whales were caught -- approximately 3,400 -- between 1905 and 1971.

"Our findings aren't meant to deprive California blue whales of protections that they need going forward ... California blue whales are recovering because we took actions to stop catches and start monitoring. If we hadn't, the population might have been pushed to near extinction -- an unfortunate fate suffered by other blue whale populations," Monnahan said. "It's a conservation success story."