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The Whale in the Room

Whales possess an underrated role, not only in our ecology but in helping to stave off global warming.

By Patrick TuttlePublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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In December of 2018, Japan announced that along with their withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission they will be changing their practice of commercial whaling. Officials claim that they will adjust their focus from harvesting in the Antarctic region - where as many as 300 minke whales are slaughtered each year - to their own national territories.

Discussion of this change with some of my peers revealed an astonishing amount of apathy and ignorance regarding the subject, and how whales indirectly impact the world as a whole.

With advancements in technology, we are able to learn more about whales than ever before. Such observations have revealed high levels of intelligence and complex involvement in controlling the patterns of other fish. Most interesting is the role they facilitate in reducing atmospheric carbon, therefore helping to reduce the impact of climate change.

As whales follow their migratory patterns they periodically dive into deeper waters, output waste - or feces - and bring more nutrients towards the surface. By redistributing the nutrients and excreting them into the surface waters, they facilitate the growth of phytoplankton.

Not only are phytoplankton the foundation to the aquatic food chain, but they also absorb carbon and produce most of our atmospheric oxygen. Phytoplankton has been providing a balance between Co2 and o2 in our atmosphere since prehistory.

Even at the end of their lifecycle, the corpse of a cetacean sinks literal tons of carbon into the abyssal zone of the ocean. This becomes known as a “whale fall”, which forms a unique ecology and sustains over 400 distinct species. One singular whale fall results in as much carbon and nutrition delivered to the area as it would take in over 100 years.

If whaling efforts continue and their numbers are not sufficiently propagated - with some species having gestation periods as long as 18 months - it would impact the growth patterns of phytoplankton, but the fish that rely on them. Island nations that rely heavily on fish would also be affected.

However, whaling isn’t the only threat that these environmental architects face. Changes in temperature, as well as pollution, change the sustainability of entire regions of the ocean. If these factors continue to worsen, it could result in a cascade effect and accelerate climate change.

Beyond the concern of contribution to climate change, if oceans continue to diminish at the current rate the ecological, economic, and societal impact could last for generations if not become a permanent factor. As the health of our oceans and reefs continues to decline, preserving whales should take as much precedence as deforestation in the attempts to mitigate climate change.

Unlike the Star Trek universe, we do not have ‘The Bounty’ and the crew of the Enterprise to perform a slingshot maneuver around the sun to bring back whales from another point in time. Nor do we possess the technology or time required in order to perform mass cloning of our endangered species.

While the threat we face is not a space ship that is going to cast the world into a maelstrom, instead it is a series of sea vessels that are assisting us in the steady disruption of the ocean’s carbon cycle. In an almost prophetic manner, catastrophic changes in the weather patterns are one of the challenges that we will be faced. Increasing intensity of hurricanes, droughts, fires, and rising sea levels will impact the entire world.

Whales are not the only factor in these changes, but they fulfill a vital role in moderating our world’s ecosystem.

Inaction and apathy only allow problems like these to worsen as others sacrifice the world in the name of greed. Take action - and if you cannot, speak and advocate, and for Flipper’s sake, start recycling!

wild animals
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About the Creator

Patrick Tuttle

Award-winning author * Puppy Wrangler * Constant Daydreamer

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