By Ashley Michua and Jazmine Basa
As kids, we are taught about the many animals in the ocean, we are introduced with a vast amount of sea life of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. With its a enormous reputation, majestic tail, and seemingly peaceful nature, there is a good chance whales won’t be a part of that “vast amount.” If current trends continue, such as pollution, whaling, climate change, and more, there is a chance for whales to disappear for good.
Let’s consider the dangers of life without whales.
Although whales may seem uninfluential, they are an essential part of both animal and human life.
Sabrina, an employee at Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) states, “There are plants that live in the ocean called phytoplankton and they live on the ocean’s surface. Well, whales come up to the surface to poop because they can’t poop at depth due to pressure and that poop helps fertilize those plants much like you would spread manure on a garden. Since most of our ocean’s surface is water, there are a lot of plants that are creating oxygen for us to breath.”
Despite being an essential contributor to the production of our oxygen, there has been a recent issue with whale endangerment.
According to seethewild.org, “Today, some of these whale populations are stable, and/or slowly increasing, while others continue to decline. Of the 13 ‘Great Whale’ species, 7 of them are currently classified as endangered or vulnerable.”
Monica Pepe, a biologist for Whale and Dolphin Conservation from North America, states, “Many species, especially the baleen whale species, are classified as endangered.”
There are several speculations as to why whales are endangered; human beings being one of the main culprits.
“Whales are susceptible to entanglement in commercial fishing gear. This can slow whales down, weakening them, and can prohibit them from feeding, leading to eventual starvation and death,” seethewild.org states.
According to whalefacts.org, “...contributing to the current endangered status of whales such as overfishing, pollution, dam/bridge construction, private/commercial boating, and commercial whaling, but out of these contributing factors commercial whaling has had the largest effect on the endangered status of today’s existing whale populations.”
Many human activities can result in the current state of endangered whales. Since we humans interact in their home so often, we have a higher chance of impacting them. It is in a variety of ways too from boat collisions, creating noise that can hurt them. Pollution, for example, hurts their home and sometimes whales ingest it. Whales can also get entangled in fishing gear.
As far back as 3000 B.C., whaling (or whale-hunting), is the most drastic method of killing whales. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), a federal (U.S.) law passed to prevent whale-hunting, was passed to avoid killing whales off entirely. Yet, why do people still hunt whales? What is it that makes whales worth the hunt?
“Whaling still occurs because of money. Some counties will hunt whale and then sell the whale meat to other countries as a form of ‘delicacy’. On the other hand, they sometimes sell the whale meat and mislabel it to be ‘fish’ and people don’t even realize they are eating whale!” says Sabrina from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).
Discovery.kcpc.usyd.edu.au explains, “The products made from various bits of whale include: lamp oil (from sperm oil), cooking oil (from whale oil), candles, soaps, cosmetics, perfumes (from sperm oil), umbrellas (from whalebone), whale-meat for human consumption, fertiliser (from bone meal) and string for tennis racquets (from tendons).”
As kids, we are taught about the many animals in the ocean, we are introduced with a vast amount of sea life of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. With its a enormous reputation, majestic tail, and seemingly peaceful nature, there is a good chance whales won’t be a part of that “vast amount.” If current trends continue, such as pollution, whaling, climate change, and more, there is a chance for whales to disappear for good.
Let’s consider the dangers of life without whales.
Although whales may seem uninfluential, they are an essential part of both animal and human life.
Sabrina, an employee at Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) states, “There are plants that live in the ocean called phytoplankton and they live on the ocean’s surface. Well, whales come up to the surface to poop because they can’t poop at depth due to pressure and that poop helps fertilize those plants much like you would spread manure on a garden. Since most of our ocean’s surface is water, there are a lot of plants that are creating oxygen for us to breath.”
Despite being an essential contributor to the production of our oxygen, there has been a recent issue with whale endangerment.
According to seethewild.org, “Today, some of these whale populations are stable, and/or slowly increasing, while others continue to decline. Of the 13 ‘Great Whale’ species, 7 of them are currently classified as endangered or vulnerable.”
Monica Pepe, a biologist for Whale and Dolphin Conservation from North America, states, “Many species, especially the baleen whale species, are classified as endangered.”
There are several speculations as to why whales are endangered; human beings being one of the main culprits.
“Whales are susceptible to entanglement in commercial fishing gear. This can slow whales down, weakening them, and can prohibit them from feeding, leading to eventual starvation and death,” seethewild.org states.
According to whalefacts.org, “...contributing to the current endangered status of whales such as overfishing, pollution, dam/bridge construction, private/commercial boating, and commercial whaling, but out of these contributing factors commercial whaling has had the largest effect on the endangered status of today’s existing whale populations.”
Many human activities can result in the current state of endangered whales. Since we humans interact in their home so often, we have a higher chance of impacting them. It is in a variety of ways too from boat collisions, creating noise that can hurt them. Pollution, for example, hurts their home and sometimes whales ingest it. Whales can also get entangled in fishing gear.
As far back as 3000 B.C., whaling (or whale-hunting), is the most drastic method of killing whales. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), a federal (U.S.) law passed to prevent whale-hunting, was passed to avoid killing whales off entirely. Yet, why do people still hunt whales? What is it that makes whales worth the hunt?
“Whaling still occurs because of money. Some counties will hunt whale and then sell the whale meat to other countries as a form of ‘delicacy’. On the other hand, they sometimes sell the whale meat and mislabel it to be ‘fish’ and people don’t even realize they are eating whale!” says Sabrina from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).
Discovery.kcpc.usyd.edu.au explains, “The products made from various bits of whale include: lamp oil (from sperm oil), cooking oil (from whale oil), candles, soaps, cosmetics, perfumes (from sperm oil), umbrellas (from whalebone), whale-meat for human consumption, fertiliser (from bone meal) and string for tennis racquets (from tendons).”
Although humans may be one of the main causes of whale endangerment, there are many other contributions to whales dying.
According to the International Whaling Commission, whales die from disease and age, too. Whales could have also died from vessel collisions. Environmental degradation, global warming, and climate change also have an effect on whales, for it affects their environment..
Furthermore, panda.org states, “Climate change may also impact the areas of the oceans in which whales live, including migration patterns. Climate change, depletion in the ozone layer and the related rise in UV radiation may also lead to a fall in the population of krill, a primary food source for many marine species.”
A lot of work is being done to help protect these whales. One of the biggest ways is through legislation or helping create laws to protect whales. There currently are two laws in effect, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. they both help to protect marine animals.
Sabrina insists, “They use the science they collected to influence the policy changes and back it up. They also are using education and teaching others why whales are important and why we need to protect them!”
Although it may seem like a long shot to turn back and fix our mistakes, there’s still time. Despite our lack of expertise on whales, my partner and I still seek change to protect whales. Regardless of our many differences, whales and humans are similar to an important degree. Like us, they have families, a life, a home, and offspring to care of. What gives humans the right to deprive those rights?
Imagine a world where the people you love are vanishing; a world where death surrounds you. You may never know when you could die or be hunted by humans. Life is unexpected, and it is not ours to take; we have to try to help in even the smallest of ways.
“They are intelligent, social creatures that are similar to us in many ways, and they simply have the right to live free in their ocean homes,” Monica Pepe says.
There are many ways to help save these whales. You can start by buying products that are environmentally friendly or even volunteer with local communities. Another way you can help is by donations at local whale protection organization. It really helps the whales when you donate because it could help protect a species, protect our environment, and protect lives.
According to the International Whaling Commission, whales die from disease and age, too. Whales could have also died from vessel collisions. Environmental degradation, global warming, and climate change also have an effect on whales, for it affects their environment..
Furthermore, panda.org states, “Climate change may also impact the areas of the oceans in which whales live, including migration patterns. Climate change, depletion in the ozone layer and the related rise in UV radiation may also lead to a fall in the population of krill, a primary food source for many marine species.”
A lot of work is being done to help protect these whales. One of the biggest ways is through legislation or helping create laws to protect whales. There currently are two laws in effect, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. they both help to protect marine animals.
Sabrina insists, “They use the science they collected to influence the policy changes and back it up. They also are using education and teaching others why whales are important and why we need to protect them!”
Although it may seem like a long shot to turn back and fix our mistakes, there’s still time. Despite our lack of expertise on whales, my partner and I still seek change to protect whales. Regardless of our many differences, whales and humans are similar to an important degree. Like us, they have families, a life, a home, and offspring to care of. What gives humans the right to deprive those rights?
Imagine a world where the people you love are vanishing; a world where death surrounds you. You may never know when you could die or be hunted by humans. Life is unexpected, and it is not ours to take; we have to try to help in even the smallest of ways.
“They are intelligent, social creatures that are similar to us in many ways, and they simply have the right to live free in their ocean homes,” Monica Pepe says.
There are many ways to help save these whales. You can start by buying products that are environmentally friendly or even volunteer with local communities. Another way you can help is by donations at local whale protection organization. It really helps the whales when you donate because it could help protect a species, protect our environment, and protect lives.