Table of Contents
What species are most affected by whaling?
Since the dissolution of the commercial whaling industry, the largest threat to blue whales has been ship strikes. Blue whales off the southern coast of Sri Lanka and off the west coast of the United States are especially susceptible to ship strikes due to the high volume of commercial ship traffic in these areas.
What impact do whales have on other species?
The ecosystem services provided by whales, including increasing primary production, directly and indirectly sequestering carbon, and providing nutrients and habitat to myriad marine species, also have an economic value. Such values have been calculated for other species, including bats and pollinators.
What does a whale need to survive?
Because they live underwater, blue whales need highly efficient lungs to survive. Their lungs exchange 80-90% of oxygen, as opposed to humans who only exchange 10-15%. The trachea extends all the way to the center of the lungs to help adapt to its diving habits.
What is the impact of whaling?
Migrating whales get entangled with fishing gear, and vessels, large and small, can damage or be damaged by collision with whales. Perhaps most insidious is the increasing, though invisible, noise pollution in the ocean from sonar, sea traffic, military activities and oil and gas exploration.
Why are whales so important to marine biologists?
Whales have become an important topic of study among marine biologists and scientists. Biological and research studies in whale behavior, echolocation, language, intelligence, environmental impact and various other topics have helped scientists learn so much about the whale species and their impact on this world.
How are sperm whales affected by commercial whaling?
Due to the decimation of sperm whales by commercial whaling, however, Hawaiian waters have lost 2,000 tonnes of new nitrogen each year, decreasing primary production in the region by 1,000 tonnes of organic carbon annually.
How does the slaughter of whales affect the ecosystem?
A previously ignored consequence of the slaughter was that it prevented whales from fulfilling their evolutionary role in the ecosystem. In every ecosystem, every native species has a role in the ecology of their habitat, from the smallest microorganisms to the most dominant predator.
What is the economic value of whale watching?
Whales have an enormous economic value as the popular subject of marine tourism. Globally, whale watching generated over 2 billion dollars in revenue in 2012 and supported some 13,000 jobs while providing millions of people an opportunity to observe and learn about whales and other marine species in the wild.