The Whale’s Eminent Threats from the Environment
Although whaling is not as threatened as it once was, whaling still retains status of an eminent threat in our environment. Here is a brief overview of the whale and the eminent threats that are currently occurring in the environment.
Whales are generally found in the open ocean waters as well as in coastal waters. Whale populations were once heavily depleted but the whale populations recovered after massive international whaling was finally halted in the late 1980s. However, whale populations are still threatened. Why did whale populations nearly disappear at one time?
Whale populations were once heavily harvested for their oil. However, now more than oil, whales are being harvested for their meat, which is still considered a delicacy in Japan and other parts of the world. In 1974, a new organization was put together in order
to protect whaling interests. These groups came together to form the International Whaling Commission. The International Whaling Commission decided to regulate world whaling according to a scientific principle described as the principle of maximum sustainable yield. This means that whenever the whale population begins to drop below a certain level, a ban goes up against whaling in order to allow whaling populations to recover.
When the International Whaling Commission was organized, three species of whales were at very low levels. Thankfully, the International Whaling Commission was able to protect these three species of whales. However, although the International Whaling Commission made a big impact on world whale populations, it was not possible to determine whether whale populations were making a strong comeback. Because of the difficulties in obtaining hard data regarding world whale populations, the International Whaling Commission decided to put a complete moratorium on whale hunting around the world. However, despite the moratorium, it is estimated that some world whale populations are still under threat. World whale hunting continues to be a problem in certain parts of the world, including Alaska, Canada, Greenland as well as harvesting by indigenous populations in these parts of the world. Although estimations are difficult to apprise, the World Wildlife fund has estimated that more than 18,000 whales have been killed since the initial moratorium was enacted in 1986.
However, in recent years, it is estimated that the most vulnerable whale populations have begun to make a comeback. However, there is still some controversy about whale harvesting. Two members of the International Whaling Commission have argued that whaling should be reopened on a limited basis. These two countries, Japan and Norway, have a strong tradition of whaling and harvesting the meat of whales. Although some argue that whales should be spared because they are large and unique mammals, others argue that whales are an important part of some world cultures. Some of these countries have also argued that many world whale populations have grown enough to be able to absorb a small loss to their population. Clearly, the whale debate is not over.
However, it appears that whale populations are for the most part safe, especially considering the aesthetic value that most whales have gained in recent years. There has been a considerable rise in interest in protecting whales around the world, and this probably has something to do with the fact that so many people have had the opportunity to observe whales in person. The whale watching industry has grown tremendously, as well as the popularity of whales in general. Whale watching is also of supreme scientific interest.
However, although whaling continues to be a threat, the newer threat to whale is the damage that is occurring to their environment because of global climate change. It is believed that the effects of global warming could have a devastating effect on world whale populations.