The Whale"s Imminent Threats from the Environment
The threat to whale extinction was once very real.
Luckily after massive international whaling was halted in late 1980s, was the population of whales given a reprieve.
However whale populations are still threatened.
Why did the population of whales dwindled to such disastrous levels at one time? Whales are generally found in the open ocean as well as in coastal waters.
Sperm whales were once heavily harvested for their oils.
In Japan and some parts of the world the meat of whales was considered to be a delicacy.
In 1974 a new organization called the International Whaling Commission was formed to protect whaling interests.
The intention was to regulate world whaling according to a scientific principle called the principle of maximum sustainable yields.
This enforces a ban on whaling whenever the whale population drops to a certain level, in order to allow the population of whales to recover.
At that time three species of whales were at very low levels.
Thankfully the International Commission was able to protect these three species of whales.
Though their efforts made a big impact on world whale populations, it was not possible to access whether the whale populations were indeed making a comeback.
Because of this, the International Whaling Commission decided to put a complete moratorium on whale hunting around the world.
Despite this moratorium, some whale populations are still under threat.
Whale hunting continues to be a problem in certain parts of the world, including Alaska, Canada and Greenland as the indigenous populations of these parts of the world practice whale hunting.
The World Wildlife fund estimates that more than 18,000 whales have been killed since the initial moratorium was enacted in 1986.
Recent years have seen a comeback in the most vulnerable whale populations.
However there's still some controversy about whale hunting.
Two member countries of the International Whaling Commission, namely Japan and Norway, have argued that whaling should be reopened on a limited basis.
Their countries have a strong tradition of whaling and hunting whales for their meat.
Some argued whales should be spared because they are large and unique mammals while others contend that whale hunting is an important part of their culture and the population of whales has grown enough to absorb a small loss to their population.
Clearly this issue still remains a controversy today.
There has been a considerable rise in interest around the world to protect the whale, partly due to the aesthetic value that most whales have gained in recent years.
Whale watching industry has grown tremendously.
The fact that so many people have the opportunity to watch the whales in person helps to raise the awareness to protect them.
Whale watching is also of supreme scientific interest.
Another major threat to the population of whales is from global climate change.
The effects of global warming could have a devastating effect on world whale population.
Luckily after massive international whaling was halted in late 1980s, was the population of whales given a reprieve.
However whale populations are still threatened.
Why did the population of whales dwindled to such disastrous levels at one time? Whales are generally found in the open ocean as well as in coastal waters.
Sperm whales were once heavily harvested for their oils.
In Japan and some parts of the world the meat of whales was considered to be a delicacy.
In 1974 a new organization called the International Whaling Commission was formed to protect whaling interests.
The intention was to regulate world whaling according to a scientific principle called the principle of maximum sustainable yields.
This enforces a ban on whaling whenever the whale population drops to a certain level, in order to allow the population of whales to recover.
At that time three species of whales were at very low levels.
Thankfully the International Commission was able to protect these three species of whales.
Though their efforts made a big impact on world whale populations, it was not possible to access whether the whale populations were indeed making a comeback.
Because of this, the International Whaling Commission decided to put a complete moratorium on whale hunting around the world.
Despite this moratorium, some whale populations are still under threat.
Whale hunting continues to be a problem in certain parts of the world, including Alaska, Canada and Greenland as the indigenous populations of these parts of the world practice whale hunting.
The World Wildlife fund estimates that more than 18,000 whales have been killed since the initial moratorium was enacted in 1986.
Recent years have seen a comeback in the most vulnerable whale populations.
However there's still some controversy about whale hunting.
Two member countries of the International Whaling Commission, namely Japan and Norway, have argued that whaling should be reopened on a limited basis.
Their countries have a strong tradition of whaling and hunting whales for their meat.
Some argued whales should be spared because they are large and unique mammals while others contend that whale hunting is an important part of their culture and the population of whales has grown enough to absorb a small loss to their population.
Clearly this issue still remains a controversy today.
There has been a considerable rise in interest around the world to protect the whale, partly due to the aesthetic value that most whales have gained in recent years.
Whale watching industry has grown tremendously.
The fact that so many people have the opportunity to watch the whales in person helps to raise the awareness to protect them.
Whale watching is also of supreme scientific interest.
Another major threat to the population of whales is from global climate change.
The effects of global warming could have a devastating effect on world whale population.
