Smaller species that live near coastlines, such as the almost extinct vaquita porpoise, might face a greater risk from being caught in fishing nets and drowning. The larger toothed whales for example, such as orca and sperm whales, tend to be at a greater risk from chemical pollution because they are at the top of the food chain, and toxicants bio-accumulate up the food chain and into their bodies. It is also the complexity of the problem, and the difficulties we face in understanding how these different threats pose risks to different species and populations of whales.įirst, these different threats challenge different species. It is not only the variety of threats that pose significant challenges to whale conservation today. Some of the primary threats whales face are: climate change, bycatch/entanglement in fishing gear, plastic pollution, noise pollution, chemical pollution, and ship strikes. Whales in our oceans today face more threats than ever before, and these threats are intensifying and diversifying. Many people believe that commercial whaling is no longer a significant threat to whale populations, and that whales have fully recovered and no longer need our protection. In the early 20 th century, these technological advancements opened up the massive stocks of whales in the southern ocean to exploitation. In the 19 th century, advances in technology such as the development of exploding harpoons and steam powered ships allowed whalers to exploit richer whaling grounds and kill more whales. Whales were also exploited for a variety of other goods and materials, including soap, perfume, clothing, fishing hooks and whale meat. Whale oil, obtained from the blubber of whales, was in great demand as both a lubricant to ensure the smooth operation of all of these new machines and factories, and also as an illuminant to light the homes and streets of the 18 th and 19 th centuries. This was due in large part to the advent of the Industrial Revolution across Western Europe and the United States, as machines and factories began to replace hand production. Yet it wasn’t until the late 18 th century that whaling began to have a more significant impact on global whale populations. Whales have been hunted by humans for centuries, all across the planet.

Cartoon whale