Oceans and seas seem to be safe from over-exploitation of man. However, research proves that the above statement is not true. I want to argue that the marine ecosystem is not safe from man’s abuse of its resources which leads to the decline of marine mammals such as whales, and dolphins. Whaling is a highly controversial issue amongst the animal rights movements. Because of the decline in the number of marine mammals, whaling is a barbaric deed that must not be tolerated. Marine mammals such as whales are certainly in the brink of extinction (Climate Institute.org, 2014). Commercial whalers and hunters nearly decimated the half of the population of humpback whales in the beginning of the twentieth century. For example, in the latest study conducted by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation the affected species of whales are as follows: Blue whales, Humpback whales, Fin whales, and Sei whales. The Blue whales including the Pygmy Blue Whales are protected since 1960’s; records shows that there are 1,000 whale population off the Icelandic waters whilst the Gulf of Saint Lawrence provides home to several hundred whales. Humpback whales’ current population are estimated to be around 17, 000 in the Northern Pacific, whilst Sei Whales population are estimated to be around 7,700 (International Whaling Commission.org, 2014). On the other hand, both dolphins and seals are labeled as ‘threatened’ because of their decreasing population. Currently, their estimated numbers of the Bottlenose dolphins are 243, 500 in the Eastern Tropical Pacific whilst there are 37, 000 Bottlenose dolphins estimated to be living in Japan (Greenpeace.org, 2014). Experts of the Whale and Dolphin conservation declares that due to the extensive demand for whale meat, commercial whaling on countries particularly Japan and Canada are still thriving thus decreasing their current numbers (Whale and Dolphin Conservation, 2014). At the present, the exact figures of different species of whales are unknown due to the constant threats in their environment. Furthermore, the experts suggest that whaling should not be resumed because whales and dolphins live a very long life and yet reproduce very slowly (International Whaling Commission, 2014). They face constant threats in the environment such as climate change and hunting conducted by illegal fishing boats. Because of these threats, the International Whaling Commission is a non-profit organization created to prohibit the slaughter and commercial whaling practices of countries.
References
Climate.org. (2014). Endangered whales. Retrieved 24 December 2014, from http://www.climate.org/topics/ecosystems/whales-endangered-climate-change.html
Greenpeace USA. (2014). Bottlenose dolphin. Retrieved 24 December 2014, from http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/oceans/wildlife-facts/bottlenose-dolphin/
International Whaling Commission. (2014). Status of Whales. Retrieved 24 December 2014, from http://iwc.int/status
WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. (2014). Whaling. Retrieved 24 December 2014, from http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/whaling?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D&utm_campaign=yucca_GG&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwuSkBRC7qKq8rr7796sBEiQA5VnSuJUVrPI8hX5COny2HSbzz2MfbHt3Je9PyrPvaviXQ1gaAsTT8P8HAQ
