For 50 million years, the whale has been free to roam the depths of the sea with little to no predators. However, with the arrival of the human species, certain groups of whales are getting close to disappearing due to the once widely popularity of whaling. What began in early prehistoric times with the Vikings and Basques has extended into 19th century where the Dutch, the English, Americans, Norwegians, Icelanders, Japanese and Russians all partake in the business of whaling (McNeill 238).
The market for whale products was big and the rise of the Industrial Revolution made whaling that much more relevant. Sperm oil was essential in lubricating machinery while baleen (or whalebone) acted as plastic in things like corsets and umbrellas. The biggest profit to be made from whaling, beside selling the meat, was the use of the whale oil. A fatty acid, whale oil had three main uses: margarine, dynamite and soap (McNeill 241).
With the money to be made and the amount of whaling being done through out the world, it is no surprise that a noticeable drop in the number of whales swimming the oceans occurred. Between 1610 and 1840 bowhead whale populations were brought to close extinction and by 1860 most of the sperm and right whales were gone. New technologies allowed for the hunting of the faster and the hard to find whales and as a result the blue whale population was down from 150,000 to 500. (McNeill 242)
As the world began to see the effect on whale population, regulations were put into place. At first, these restrictions protected the whale by products and not the whales themselves. But in 1982 the International Whaling Commission IWC passed an act that suspended all commercial whaling (HSUS). Today, 191 nations abide by this act while 3, Japan, Iceland and Norway, continue to kill whales claiming “scientific” reasons (HSC). The problem with this claim is that much of the data Japan acquires has already been collected and does not call for lethal action (Greenpeace). There is much talk about lifting the restrictions on whaling based on the claim that whale populations have been restocked and that there is no longer a threat of extinction. However, because of their constant migration, counting whales can be difficult and if wrong, can result in extinction (HSUS).
The time for whaling to stop is long overdue and despite the majority of the world realizing this, whales are still dying in the name of “science”. What discoveries will be made from a dead whale that will outshine what we can learn from a live, ever-changing mammal that has successfully survived all these years. What can we learn of the whales in the future if there are no more left to be seen?
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McNeil, J.R., 2000: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World: Something New Under the Sun. Norton & Company, Inc., New York
"Whaling | The Humane Society of the United States." The Humane Society of the United States : The Humane Society of the United States. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Vanessa. "THREE NATIONS KILL WHALES VS THE 191 NATIONS WHO DO NOT SAYS THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF CANADA (HSC)." Welcome to the Humane Society of Canada. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
"Scientific Whaling." Iceland Whaling. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. http://archive.greenpeace.org/whales/iceland/Scientific.htm
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I love this article. I feel that whales are distinctly amazing animals and that they should be revered as equals, if not superiors, to the human race. I recognize the limit in how much you could write for this article, but I would have loved to hear more about how special and unique whales are to the ecosystems of the ocean.
ReplyDeleteI especially respect your stab at the futility of "science research" on dead whales.
Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the third paragraph you said "New technologies allowed for the hunting of the faster and the hard to find whales and as a result the blue whale population was down from 150,000 to 500." What was the time frame for this?
Also, aside from using the dead whales for science, did any of your sources indicate that the whales were also used to make products or for any other reason as well?
I'm curious how the cultures of these three countries might change so that they no longer feel the need to hunt whales.