At least one species, the great auk (Pinguinus impennis), is now extinct because of overexploitation.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Arctic~ geography, climate, ecology, and people] Reference

Species like the Steller sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), in the Bering Sea, and the great auk (Pinguinus impennis), in the North Atlantic, were hunted for food by early western explorers and whalers, and became extinct in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively.    From Wordnik.com.  [Human impacts on the biodiversity of the Arctic] Reference

It was the overexploitation of wildlife during the period of arctic exploration and whaling in the 18th and 19th centuries that led to the extinction of the Steller sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) in the Bering Sea and the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) in the North Atlantic, and drastic stock reductions and local extirpation of several other terrestrial and marine mammals and birds.    From Wordnik.com.  [Management and conservation of wildlife in the Arctic] Reference

( '' Hydrodamalis gigas ''), in the Bering Sea, and the great auk ( '' Pinguinus impennis ''), in the North Atlantic, were hunted for food by early western explorers and whalers, and became extinct in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively.    From Wordnik.com.  [Featured Articles - Encyclopedia of Earth] Reference