Whales and Humans
Once Useful Whale Products have been Replaced by Modern Materials
Public opinion has turned against commercial whaling, and keeping them in captivity is being called into question.
Whale Products
- Whale Oil
The thick layer of blubber under the whale’s skin is rich in oils that can be easily extracted. Whale Oil has been used for a vast number of purposes: in the manufacture of soaps and cosmetics; as an ingredient of polishes and lubricants; in candles and oil lamps – to name but a few. ‘Spermaceti’ is a form of whale oil found only in the head of the Sperm Whale, and was used for high quality candles and specialist lubricants. Modern synthetic materials have now made whale oils less valuable than they once were.
- Whale Meat
Most people do not eat whale meat as a first choice (although there are exceptions such as many Japanese), but it has been used widely as canned pet-food and even as fertiliser. It should also be said that some aboriginal peoples (particularly in the arctic) have always relied on it as a valuable seasonal food source.
- Whalebone
The baleen plates of the rorquals also had a wide variety of uses - from riding crops to watch springs, and from fishing rods to corsets, but modern materials have now completely replaced it.
Problems Whales Face
Commercial whaling over the last two centuries has been the biggest problem for whales, but entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships are also serious concerns. Military sonar might also be causing a number of deaths, and pollution is badly affecting some coastal species of whale.
Whaling and Public Opinion
Many species of whale are severely endangered, and for a lot of people that is a good enough reason to stop whaling. Others accept that whales are intelligent and social, and that they have emotions. There is no way to kill a large whale humanely, and if its relatives can empathise with the suffering of an individual that has been harpooned, then hunting them is cruel and should be stopped.
Whales in Captivity
Catching whales (usually Killer Whales and Dolphins) is a risky business, and many die in the process. Those that survive capture often end up being housed in poor conditions, and are often only kept as a ‘visitor attraction.’ Whales are too big to be successfully ‘captive-bred’ in large enough numbers to help with their conservation, so many argue that they should not be kept in captivity at all (similar arguments hold for many other mammals in zoos and circuses).
Whale-watching
Responsible whale-watching does not interfere with the animal’s natural behaviour, and allows people to observe them in their natural environment. If this gets more people concerned about marine issues then surely it has got to be a good thing.
Main reference: ‘Whales, dolphins & porpoises’ by Mark Carwardine et al., 1998.
Other articles by John Blatchford
