The ocean holds more threats for whales than just whaling.
A whale is harpooned in the Southern Ocean.
Only one commercially whaled population, the east Pacific grey
whale, is thought to have recovered to its original abundance, but
the closely related west Pacific grey whale population is the most
endangered in the world. It hovers on the edge of extinction with
just over 100 individual whales remaining.
A slow extinction
Recent DNA evidence shows that the impact of commercial whaling
may be even worse than previously thought. Most estimates of
historic whale population have been extrapolated from old whaling
figures, but this method is often very inaccurate, argues marine
biologist Steve Palumbi of Stanford University's Hopkins Marine
Station in California, USA.
In 2003 Palumbi and his colleagues used DNA samples to estimate
that humpback whales could have numbered 1.5 million prior to the
onset of commercial whaling in the 1800s. That number dwarfs the
figure of 100,000 previously accepted by the IWC based on 19th
century whaling records. In contrast, humpback whales currently
number only 20,000.
Japanese delegates to the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
constantly refer to a 1990 estimate of the Antarctic minke
population of 760,000. But that figure was withdrawn by the IWC in
2000 because recent surveys found far fewer minkes than the older
ones. The new estimates are about half of the old estimates in
every area that has been resurveyed. The IWC's scientists do not
understand the reasons for this and so far have not been able to
agree a new estimate.
Other threats to whales
Whaling is just one of many threats to whales. Human impacts
have caused dramatic change to our oceans since the protection of
many disappearing whale stocks was introduced. Known environmental
threats to whales include global warming, pollution, overfishing,
ozone depletion, noise such as sonar weaponry, and ship strikes.
Industrial fishing threatens the whales' food supply and also puts
them at risk of entanglement in fishing gear.
Despite these accumulating threats, an increasing number of
nations in the IWC are voting to reverse the ban on commercial
whaling, which has been in effect since 1982. Japan's Fisheries
Agency has been recruiting new members to join the IWC and support
the resumption of commercial whaling, despite the lack of any
significant domestic or international demand for whale meat.
Currently, the Japanese government is killing minke whales in
the Southern Ocean sanctuary for 'scientific' purposes and then
selling it to a small pool of customers. This is despite the fact
the scientific information they are collecting has been declared
"needless" by the IWC itself, and could be found by non-lethal
means. The Japanese government's continued insistence on whaling is
truly baffling.
Whale watching, on the other hand, when practiced responsibly,
is a much more profitable and sustainable investment; 87 countries
worldwide have whale watching enterprises, generating an estimated
$1 billion in revenue every year. Canada banned commercial whaling
in 1972 and since its inception in 1971 the whale watching industry
has grown considerably. In Newfoundland, whale watching provides
jobs and stimulates tourism, helping to fill the economic gap left
by the collapse of the cod fishery.
The economic success of the industry has led to improved morale
in many communities and enabled increased social awareness
regarding whales, their protection and marine regulation.* The whale watching industry is also growing
on the west coast, and the creation of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence
Marine Park was strongly influenced by the industry which has drawn
attention to the public and economic interest of protecting marine
life in the area.
Even with these positive developments, whale populations around
the world are still incredibly vulnerable. Expectations for the
recovery of whale populations have been based on the assumption
that, except for commercial whaling, their place in the oceans is
as secure as it was a hundred years ago. Sadly, this assumption is
no longer valid. Ending commercial whaling is an absolutely
essential step in making the oceans a safer place for whales.
* Canada is not an official member of the
International Whaling Commission but retains observer status.
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