How does whaling affect the environment?

Question

I need some facts for a research project. (I'm against whaling by the way) If you have any sources, please list them. Thanks!

Answer 1

The arguments for and against whaling
Debates over whaling have drawn more world-wide attention and debate than for any other animal group. Whales are slow to mature and migratory, and have value both for tourism and to whalers, international debates have focused on issues of ownership, conservation, sustainability, and national sovereignty. Also raised in debates is cetacean intelligence and the level of suffering which the animals undergo during harvest. Since the International Whaling Commission (IWC) 1986 ban on whaling, the value of lethal sampling of whales for scientific research and to establish catch quotas has also been debated. Finally, whaling may be carried out to lessen the impact of whales of fish stocks for fisheries, another point of debate.

Conservation status

Blue whale populations have declined dramatically due to commercial whaling, putting them at risk of extinction.The sharpest point of debate over whaling today concerns the conservation status of hunted species. Today there is widespread agreement around the world that it is morally wrong to exterminate a species of animal. The unregulated whaling before IWC introduced regulation and ban had depleted a number of whale populations to a significant extent and several whales species were severely endangered. Past ban on these species of whales which were implemented around 1960s has helped some of these species to recover, according to IUCN's Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG).

"Several populations of southern right whales, humpbacks in many areas, grey whales in the eastern North Pacific, and Blue Whales in both the eastern North Pacific and central North Atlantic have begun to show signs of recovery."[22]

Other species, however, in particular the Minke Whale, have never been considered endangered and still other species or certain population group within particular whales species have shown signs of recovery.

Still, those opposed to whaling argue that a return to full-scale commercial whaling will lead to economic concerns overriding those of conservation, and there is a continuing battle between each side as to how to describe the current state of each species. For instance, conservationists are pleased that the Sei Whale continues to be listed as endangered but Japan says that the species has swelled in number from 9,000 in 1978 to about 28,000 in 2002 and so its catch of 50 Sei whales per year is safe, and that the classification of endangered should be reconsidered for the North Pacific population.

Some North Atlantic states have argued that Fin Whales should not be listed as endangered any more and criticize the list for being inaccurate.[23] IUCN has recorded studies showing that more than 40,000 individuals are present in the North Atlantic Ocean around Greenland, Iceland, and Norway.[24] As there is no information about Fin Whales in areas outside of the Northern Atlantic where they still hold the status of being endangered.

Whale conservation statuses as determined by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) is shown below. Note that, in the case of Blue and Gray Whales, the IUCN distinguishes the statuses of various populations. These populations, while not regarded as separate species, are considered sufficiently important with respect to conservation.[25].[26] The Data Deficient category is not included.

Extinct Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable Lower Risk
(Conservation Dependent) Lower Risk
(Near Threatened) Lower Risk
(Least Concern)
Species
none
Subspecies

none
Subpopulations or Stocks

Gray Whale (Atlantic population), around the turn of the eighteenth century.[27]
Species
none
Subspecies

none
Subpopulations or Stocks

Bowhead Whale Spitsbergen stock
Beluga Cook Inlet subpopulation
Gray Whale Northwest Pacific (Asian) stock
Species
Blue Whale
Sei Whale
Fin Whale
North Atlantic Right Whale
North Pacific Right Whale
Subspecies

Antarctic Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia)
Subpopulations or Stocks

Bowhead Whale Baffin Bay-Davis Strait stock
Bowhead Whale Okhotsk Sea subpopulation
Species
Humpback Whale
Sperm Whale
Beluga
Subspecies

none
Subpopulations or Stocks

Bowhead Whale Hudson Bay-Foxe Basin stock,
Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus musculus, North Atlantic stock
Species
Bowhead Whale
Gray Whale
Antarctic Minke Whale
Arnoux's Beaked Whale (Berardius arnuxii)
Giant Bottle-nosed Whale (Berardius bairdii)
Southern Right Whale
Pacific Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)
North Atlantic Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)
Flathead Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon planifrons)
Orca
Subspecies

none
Subpopulations or Stocks

Bowhead Whale Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea stock
Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus musculus, North Pacific stock
Gray Whale Northeast Pacific (American) stock
Species
Common Minke Whale
Subspecies

none
Subpopulations or Stocks

none
Species
Pygmy Right Whale (Caperea marginata)
Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas)
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Dwarf Sperm Whale
Melon-headed Whale
False-killer Whale
Subspecies



Value for research
Since the 1986 IWC ban on whaling, Japan has conducted its whaling by issuing scientific research permits. The value of "lethal sampling" of whales is a highly contentious issue. The aim of the Japanese JARPA research program is to establish sustainable whaling in Antarctic Ocean[28].

Lethal sampling is required to obtain age information, which can be reliably gathered by looking at the ear plug in the head of the dead animal. However, all other information can be gathered through non-lethal means. Dietary information can be gathered from analysis of whale faeces. Gender, reproductive status, and population profiles can be gathered from non-lethal biopsies. Within the IWC, age data is not needed to establish a catch limit for whaling, which is the stated goal of the Japanese research[28] Questionable research includes a paper named Fertilizability of ovine, bovine, and minke whales spermatazoa intracytoplasmically injected into bovine oocytes, a paper which studies the taking of whale genetic material and putting it into cows.[28]


According to a review in 2006 by ABC TV's Catalyst, of the 18 year JARPA I program, which lethally obtained samples from 6800 whales, less than 55 peer reviewed papers were produced, 14 that could be relevant to goals of the JARPA program, and only 4 that would require lethal sampling.[28] Joji Morishita of JARPA has said the number of samples was required in order to obtain statistically significant data.

Answer 2

Uh, whaling is the process of slaughtering an endangered species. Earlier in history, whaling was done to get several materials that can now be manufactured synthetically.

If you've seen Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, that's a possible way it could be affected.

I think anyone who trys to make money by killing an endangered species should be dragged out into the street and shot repeated or killed the same way they killed the animal. Would keep the crime rate down if it happened.

Answer 3

They're a top predator but, honestly (unlike lions and wolves and such), there is little they eat that other things don't also. The most significant effect whaling has on the environment is to remove the most remarkable creature on earth from it. Is that not bad enough? There may be important exceptions, though, like sperm whales eating giant squid.

Answer 4

It doesn't, it affects ecosystems, there's a difference.

The whales are part of the food chain, without them, much like without other sections of food chain, it goes out of whack, and has to reestablish equilibrium.

Imagine taking out the lion from it's ecosystem, bam they're all gone, what happen? Well lions eat other animals, hunt them, those animals won't have hunters, if there's no other hunters they'll balloon up, next thing you know you have lots of these animals.

It could be what happened to the kangaroo, it used to have checks and balances with some kind of predator that preyed on them, now they lack it so their numbers are huge.

The whales serve a purpose, find out that purpose, and without them that purpose won't be served, and that's how they throw the ecosystem out of whack.

Answer 5

Well back then it affected the environment alot, but as for today it has changed.Here is a website you can check to learn more on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling