Whales - Threats WIP

Threats to Mammals and Birds

Whales and Shipping

Is Whaling Over?

Fishing

Noise Pollution

Garbage and Chemical Pollution

Whales And Shipping

Right Whale Carcass
This whale carcass was found floating just outside the mouth of the Merrimack River by the Newburyport Whale Watch in early June 1999. The naturalist could not identify it to species, but there was a report of a large ship hitting a Right Whale.

The Right Whale is one of the most endanged species of whale. There is a population of Right Whales that summer in the Bay of Fundy and migrate through the Stellwagen Bank/ Jeffrey Ledge area in spring and fall. This takes them across the major shipping lanes into the port of Boston.

When the boat approached this carcass it was surrounded by 100 or more Wilson's Storm-petrels, all of which had flown by the time the picture was taken.

 Photo by Leonard Medlock taken on the September Jeffrey's Ledge pelagic.

Whaling is not over. Whales used to be taken for their oil now replaced by fossil fuels, for bone used like plastic is used today and for food.  They are still taken for food.

Countries still taking whales:
Japan, Iceland, Norway

The fishing industry hurts whales in three ways:  entanglements, depletion of food, and disruption of schooling.

Disruption of Schooling

Draggers pulling long nets disrupt schools of Herring.  Herring do not readily reschool.  Whales need large school of fish to survive.

This is a baby whale entangled in a rope from fishing gear. Such entanglements occur every year.   The Center for Coastal Studies at Provincetown on Cape Cod works to free entangled mammals.

Overfishing and bycatch have reduced the population of fish in all oceans.  For a complete discussion of this problem read Song of The Blue Ocean by Paul Safina. (22).

Fishermen have been most resistant to regulations of fish take and the government reluctant to force the issue.  The result has been disastrous for both the wild animals and the fishing industry.

The most ridiculous arguments are that Beluga Whales, seals and sea lions are depleting the fish stocks.  We know who is doing it and it is us.

Support efforts to regulate the fishing industry.

Noisy boat propellars and navy sonar interfer with whales in ways that have not been fully determined.