Whale Family Research Paper
Balaenoptera musculus, Balaenoptera acutorostrata , Balaenoptera physalus Megaptera novaeangliae , and Eschrichtius robustus. Better known as the blue whale, minke whale, fin whale, humpback whale and the gray whale. These all have something in common. These kinds of whales, dolphins and porpoises are all part of the cetacean family. This family, especially whales, is crucial to the survival of humans and the planet. The whale family has as profound link to the ocean as the ocean has an undeniable link to humanity. The damage being done to whales has already negatively affected the earth, therefore affecting us as a species. As humans, we have a duty to protect whales and make a conscious effort to conserve them. The conservation of whales
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is not driven solely by the love for animals. The whale is not just an endangered species; whales are a species linked to the survival of the planet. Therefore as humans, to protect our planet’s prosperity, we must protect the whales. “We are tied to the ocean.
And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.” – John F. Kennedy. This quote perfectly sums up human’s relationship with the ocean. The amount of marine life on earth far exceeds that of the land, because 95% of habitable space on this planet is in the ocean (“Blue Planet”). The ocean is teeming with life, most of which we have not met. In the ocean however, there are two species of animals that keep all life on the planet flourishing. Coral and cetaceans. The documentary Blue Planet continues, stating, “ Coral is essential to life in the ocean. Organisms live inside it, use it for shelter, use it for food and use it for cleanliness. No creature could survive in the reefs without coral.” Secondly, a remarkably important species is the cetacean species. This family is made up of whales, dolphins and porpoises, of which the whale is paramount. Whales have the biggest animal to ever live, the blue whale (Blue Planet). Its heart is as big as a car, its tail is as big as an airplane, it has blood vessels so wide you could swim through them, and it is bigger than any dinosaur. Of the two species vital to the ocean, the whale is the most critical to save. Our vast and plentiful oceans depend on coral, but even coral depends on the
whales. The survival of the whale species is directly related to the integrity of the planet’s atmosphere and in turn, the planet. So what exactly are whales doing to help our planet? Whale’s biggest contribution to Earth is the maintenance of global warming. Whalefacts.org states “The continual rise of the Earth’s temperature can have severe consequences such as heavy rainfall, longer drought, shrinking ice caps and imbalances in food resources.” They continue, “That the issues presented with global warming may cause global stress, reduce agricultural viability and limit natural resources.” Whalefacts.org also relates the decreasing whale numbers with the continual rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Studies have shown that nutrients in whale excrement help stimulate the growth of phytoplankton. These phytoplankton are responsible for extracting over 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year. The ocean has absorbed half of the carbon dioxide the world has put out since the industrial revolution thanks to these whales and phytoplankton (Whalefacts.org). Phytoplankton pulls carbon from the atmosphere like plants, providing a cleaner and healthier breathing environment. NASA.org states, “…When the ocean absorbs a lot of CO2, the water becomes more acidic. The alkalinity of the ocean is very important in maintaining a delicate balance needed for animals. Corals could also be affected, since their skeletons are made of the same shell-like material that can be damaged with sudden a change in the acidity of the ocean.” AS previously mentioned, coral is a valuable building block in the stability in the ocean. Without whales, there is no phytoplankton, which means neither CO2 absorption through the ocean, nor any food for the fishing market. Whales help regulate the flow of food by helping to maintain a stable food chain and ensuring that the ocean stays balanced. Considering how remarkable these creatures are, it’s incredible that we are hunting them to extinction. Whales and dolphins live in a world of sound and water. They are vulnerable to attack in the only place they can survive and humans are exploiting them for themselves. This is full of irony, because the more humans kill whales, the quicker the planet dies. Oil and chemical spills, sewage and debris can have terrible effects on whales and dolphins and the way they live, eat and breed (US.whales.org). If we continue to pump chemicals into their world, increase noisy boat activity, or continue underwater seismic searches, they will suffer. The manmade debris that pollutes our oceans poses a threat to the cetacean’s health and the integrity and beauty of our natural environment. The whale’s biggest concern isn’t their quickly degrading habitat; it’s the gross amount of illegal whaling. Whaling remains inhumane in its procedures and is a senseless business; given whaling is a clumsy and unprofitable trade (US.whales.org). Whales live for an incredibly long time and are slow to reproduce, making them unsustainable for long-term use. Whales.org continues, in 1986 the International Whaling Commission put a ban on whaling, seeing that it was putting their populations at risk. Almost every country complied at first, but Japan exploited a loophole, allowing whaling to continue for “research” purposes. Even after the Whaling Commission declared this illegal, 50,000 whales were killed. Japan has been recruiting countries with no obvious interest in whaling to join the IWC to vote in its favor. Many countries that were originally against whaling have felt pressure to make a compromise. Without any clear legislation, the whales are at the mercy of our harpoons. Japan and other countries continue to kill these mammals, with no intention of stopping. This does not bode well for the whale population or the planet as a whole. The only thing that the whales can hold out hope for is the ban the IWC loosely holds. If the ban were lifted however, the floodgates would open and whales would be near wiped out in less than 10 years after the ban would be lifted (US.whales.org). There is a way to help these creatures and in turn help future generations. Simple solutions around the house include recycling, volunteer with wildlife organizations, and most importantly avoiding any whale oil products. Get involved in the fight against whaling the protection of whales at Savethewhales.org, greenpeace.org or the WDC. The fight for the protection of whales has already begun. In March of 2016, the Bangladesh government has taken action to ban the movement of shipping traffic indefinitely to the Shila River. This area is home to several populations of endangered dolphins and tigers states whale.org. This shows that affirmative action can be taken. And it’s everyone’s job to be educated on what we’re doing to the whales. “Ships are expendable; the whales are not.”- Paul Watson. It is vital to the sustainability of the planet that the whales are protected. We can no longer sit by and keep killing the majestic creatures that keep our oceans alive. We must stop putting them on pens and in makeup tins and let them roam free in their aquatic home in which we rely. Without the whales, there is no ocean and without the ocean there is no humans. As a species, we need to wise up and educate our children about the whale crisis and as communities we need to get involved in helping the whale.
is not driven solely by the love for animals. The whale is not just an endangered species; whales are a species linked to the survival of the planet. Therefore as humans, to protect our planet’s prosperity, we must protect the whales. “We are tied to the ocean.
And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.” – John F. Kennedy. This quote perfectly sums up human’s relationship with the ocean. The amount of marine life on earth far exceeds that of the land, because 95% of habitable space on this planet is in the ocean (“Blue Planet”). The ocean is teeming with life, most of which we have not met. In the ocean however, there are two species of animals that keep all life on the planet flourishing. Coral and cetaceans. The documentary Blue Planet continues, stating, “ Coral is essential to life in the ocean. Organisms live inside it, use it for shelter, use it for food and use it for cleanliness. No creature could survive in the reefs without coral.” Secondly, a remarkably important species is the cetacean species. This family is made up of whales, dolphins and porpoises, of which the whale is paramount. Whales have the biggest animal to ever live, the blue whale (Blue Planet). Its heart is as big as a car, its tail is as big as an airplane, it has blood vessels so wide you could swim through them, and it is bigger than any dinosaur. Of the two species vital to the ocean, the whale is the most critical to save. Our vast and plentiful oceans depend on coral, but even coral depends on the
whales. The survival of the whale species is directly related to the integrity of the planet’s atmosphere and in turn, the planet. So what exactly are whales doing to help our planet? Whale’s biggest contribution to Earth is the maintenance of global warming. Whalefacts.org states “The continual rise of the Earth’s temperature can have severe consequences such as heavy rainfall, longer drought, shrinking ice caps and imbalances in food resources.” They continue, “That the issues presented with global warming may cause global stress, reduce agricultural viability and limit natural resources.” Whalefacts.org also relates the decreasing whale numbers with the continual rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Studies have shown that nutrients in whale excrement help stimulate the growth of phytoplankton. These phytoplankton are responsible for extracting over 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year. The ocean has absorbed half of the carbon dioxide the world has put out since the industrial revolution thanks to these whales and phytoplankton (Whalefacts.org). Phytoplankton pulls carbon from the atmosphere like plants, providing a cleaner and healthier breathing environment. NASA.org states, “…When the ocean absorbs a lot of CO2, the water becomes more acidic. The alkalinity of the ocean is very important in maintaining a delicate balance needed for animals. Corals could also be affected, since their skeletons are made of the same shell-like material that can be damaged with sudden a change in the acidity of the ocean.” AS previously mentioned, coral is a valuable building block in the stability in the ocean. Without whales, there is no phytoplankton, which means neither CO2 absorption through the ocean, nor any food for the fishing market. Whales help regulate the flow of food by helping to maintain a stable food chain and ensuring that the ocean stays balanced. Considering how remarkable these creatures are, it’s incredible that we are hunting them to extinction. Whales and dolphins live in a world of sound and water. They are vulnerable to attack in the only place they can survive and humans are exploiting them for themselves. This is full of irony, because the more humans kill whales, the quicker the planet dies. Oil and chemical spills, sewage and debris can have terrible effects on whales and dolphins and the way they live, eat and breed (US.whales.org). If we continue to pump chemicals into their world, increase noisy boat activity, or continue underwater seismic searches, they will suffer. The manmade debris that pollutes our oceans poses a threat to the cetacean’s health and the integrity and beauty of our natural environment. The whale’s biggest concern isn’t their quickly degrading habitat; it’s the gross amount of illegal whaling. Whaling remains inhumane in its procedures and is a senseless business; given whaling is a clumsy and unprofitable trade (US.whales.org). Whales live for an incredibly long time and are slow to reproduce, making them unsustainable for long-term use. Whales.org continues, in 1986 the International Whaling Commission put a ban on whaling, seeing that it was putting their populations at risk. Almost every country complied at first, but Japan exploited a loophole, allowing whaling to continue for “research” purposes. Even after the Whaling Commission declared this illegal, 50,000 whales were killed. Japan has been recruiting countries with no obvious interest in whaling to join the IWC to vote in its favor. Many countries that were originally against whaling have felt pressure to make a compromise. Without any clear legislation, the whales are at the mercy of our harpoons. Japan and other countries continue to kill these mammals, with no intention of stopping. This does not bode well for the whale population or the planet as a whole. The only thing that the whales can hold out hope for is the ban the IWC loosely holds. If the ban were lifted however, the floodgates would open and whales would be near wiped out in less than 10 years after the ban would be lifted (US.whales.org). There is a way to help these creatures and in turn help future generations. Simple solutions around the house include recycling, volunteer with wildlife organizations, and most importantly avoiding any whale oil products. Get involved in the fight against whaling the protection of whales at Savethewhales.org, greenpeace.org or the WDC. The fight for the protection of whales has already begun. In March of 2016, the Bangladesh government has taken action to ban the movement of shipping traffic indefinitely to the Shila River. This area is home to several populations of endangered dolphins and tigers states whale.org. This shows that affirmative action can be taken. And it’s everyone’s job to be educated on what we’re doing to the whales. “Ships are expendable; the whales are not.”- Paul Watson. It is vital to the sustainability of the planet that the whales are protected. We can no longer sit by and keep killing the majestic creatures that keep our oceans alive. We must stop putting them on pens and in makeup tins and let them roam free in their aquatic home in which we rely. Without the whales, there is no ocean and without the ocean there is no humans. As a species, we need to wise up and educate our children about the whale crisis and as communities we need to get involved in helping the whale.