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RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2015 www.PosterPresentations.com Whales fall under the order Cetacean and are separated within two main categories, Baleen and Toothed. The main distinction of baleen whales is filter feeding. Baleen’s have a “comb-like fringe”(Defenders of Wildlife, 2017) and are mainly larger than toothed whales and have two blowholes. These feed on plankton and small fish. Toothed whales have teeth, which allows them to feed on fish, sea lions and many other marine animals. Toothed whales also only have one blowhole. Whaling is the act of hunting any and all whales for the resources theses species provides. This practice started thousands of years ago when beached whales were being noticed as resourceful. The moment societies realized the benefits of consuming and harvesting whales the hunting took off. Countries like Japan, Iceland and Norway were the first to take advantage of this market. Whales may be difficult to catch but even one can provide lots of resources alone. As the Dutch and British caught onto the whaling trend, new techniques were developing. Ships would set out to sea where teams of men would sail out on small boats loaded with weapons. Men would throw and stab whales to death with harpoons. The whalers would then drag the animal back to the main ship to be taken apart. In the 1700’s sperm whales were beginning to become a more popular catch for the resources. These animals provided something other than just blubber. Spermaceti is a white substance found in an organ located in the head of the whale (McNamara, 2017). Contrary to its name, spermaceti is not whale semen; it used to be commonly mistaken for it due to its color. Spermaceti lacks taste and smell therefore during its discovery people found it great for products. This newly found substance translated into cosmetic creams, candle wax, textile finishing and more (McNamara, 2017). Moving forward to the 1800’s whaling had taken off. Instead of small boats capturing whales by hand; large ships were beginning to set out on voyages, some would last for years. The market of whale blubber and oil was growing. “…700 whaling ships on the world’s oceans in the 1840s .” (McNamara, 2017). Heading into the 1900’s people were starting to see the negative impacts of whaling along and the inhumane killings taking place. By 1986 commercial whaling was banned as well as the trading market. Although, like any law, whales are still being reported as killed as the species population continues to decrease. Japan is the primary focus on whaling today. Whale meat is still sold in dog food and tourist restaurants (Stop Whaling, 2017). TIMELINE During the 18 th and 19 th century, hunters would have a very specific routine to break down whales because it was becoming in high demand. Once a whale was successfully captured and killed it would then be dragged to the side of the boat. According to National Geographic a select group of tools and a specific routine is used when whale hunting. When capturing the animal, whalers first start by harnessing themselves using a monkey belt, which is a band that ties around the waist and securely to the ship. The whaler will then move to a side platform of the ship safely to start butchering the newly caught and killed whale. While the whale is still fresh in the water the whalers then cut “blankets”, long sheets of blubber, off the animals body. The cut blubber is then punctured with a hole by a sword like tool called a boarding knife, and hoisted into the air on the ship to hang. A wooden toggle is then used to keep the fragile blankets from ripping. Whalers also tend to the hoisted blankets and continue to strap off and trip blubber. During decapitation a circular chain, called a chain strap, is then used to cut off circulation and make it easier for whalers to separate the head from the rest of the body. Next whalers tie a head strap from the jaw to the back the head and bring it on board. Whalers then cut a hole into the throat of the carcass and place the throat chain through the top. Next the insides of the animal are yanked out and thrown onto the deck. The next tool used is similar tool to the chain strap; the fin strap secures the severed dorsal fins, and is then hoisted up the ship. Whalers constantly use blubber hooks to transport blankets of blubber due to its slimy and slippery texture. A mincing knife is left for the remainder of the cutting. This blade is doubled sided and gets blubber off the whale in preparation to be boiled or harvested. ABSTRACT With any animal species, the population is important. When animals go extinct is disrupts the goal of having a consistently balanced ecosystem. Each level of predator has an important function in the food chain. For example at the Yellow Stone National Park the grey wolf went extinct. This wolf was a top predator. The extinction of this animal resulted in an over population of its pray, elk. An extensive amount of elk translated to overgrazing, particularly willow, which endangered the beavers. Having a solid population for each animals species on earth holds its own importance. As species start to become extinct there is expected to be a trickle affect of negative reaction naturally. Whaling can and has severally damaged the oceans ecosystem. As a parallel to the previous example, Blue whales consume forty million krill a day. If these whales were to go extinct there would be an over population of krill, therefore starting another negative trickle affect in the food chain. Not only do whales being alive in the ocean contribute to a healthy ecosystem but also the dead ones. When a whale dies naturally its heavy body sinks to the ocean floor. A single whale is then food to hundreds of creatures. Not only is the whale meat providing food but a whales feces is loaded with nutrients. Whale feces feeds phytoplankton which directly impacts the ecosystem because phytoplankton are a main food source to several marine species. Whales naturally carry an extremely large amount of carbon. Once a whale is captured and brought to the surface carbon dioxide is released. Carbon dioxide is one of the most current conserving aspects negatively affecting the ecosystem. Large amounts of CO2 is life threatening on its own, but global warming increases all the effects by heating up the bond. Figure 4. Smaller scale food chain as described in context above. Whales being killed off entirely is not the only risk the ecosystem can face. Losing particular types of whales vs. others can set an imbalance as well. In the 19 th century the Right whales were almost killed off completely; and over time certain types of whales have been targeted. The Minke whales ended up being one of the least targeted and this resulted into an over population in the southern hemisphere. (Lian, 2017) Other than the scientific impact of whaling on the ecosystem there is also the education aspect. Whales are extremely intelligent, and have taught humans a lot about the ocean, for example echolocation. This is the projection of sound waves from an frontal organ in the head used to detect pray and give signals. Preserving and learning what whales can offer could potentially impact the ecosystem as well. Whaling not only takes away lives but also money. Whales are a majestic creature, favored by most of the world; these species also offer an economic advantage, “Billions of dollars have been spent”(Whale Facts, 2017) Whale watching is a huge market, especially for one that is never guaranteed. Whale watching is very common; people will spend money for the opportunity to, maybe, see the animal in the wild. ECOLOGICAL IMPACT TOOLS AND STRATEGIES ACTION In 1986, the International Whaling Commission, IWC, passed a whale regulation. People were starting to take notice to the extreme increase in whaling leading to a decrease of whale population. Its purpose is to ensure “…the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.” The IWC regulates catch limits, depending on the area and type of whale. Many people all around the world are outraged that such inhumane hunting is still happening. Norway, Iceland, and Japan are the three countries that continue to hunt for the market. Even with a ban on commercial whaling, these countries find loopholes and legal tricks. Japan is known for claiming the whaling is for “research purposes.”(WDC, 2017) The IWC has authority over the “scientific” whaling; requesting numbers and information to continue giving Japan a legal pass. Norway simply has an “objection”(WDC, 2017) to the ban therefore continues to hunt. Lastly, Iceland objects the IWC due to not being a member. In the end, all three of the countries end up killing 1600 whales a year, due to loopholes (WDC, 2017). Currently “Fin, minke, Bryde’s, sei, humpback and sperm whales” are still being hunted commercially. (WDC, 2017) Activist all around the world are constantly trying to ban whaling, despite loopholes. Whales are constantly being killed, and aside from the market and stock numbers, people are outraged with emotion. Whales are not only being over harvested, but also in the most inhumane way. This animal is a moving target, submerged in water, weighting thousands of pounds; there are only a few ways to successfully kill one. Whales are being shot, stabbed and even subjected to grenades. These killing strategies with the size of the animal always result in a slow death. “There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea.” (WDC, 2017) Currently the demand for whale meat does not meet the standard price for harvesting them. In result, whaling has started to decrease for the time being. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is an organization today that helps save animals of the sea. Although originally working to ban whaling and the hunting of sea lions, they have expanded to all marine life. The organization has been protecting marine life one action at a time since 1977. Sea Shepherd mission statement is “to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.” (Sea Shepherd, 2016) Originations like this save marine life every day and help keep a balanced ecosystem. Anyone is capable of helping. Sources "Basic Facts About Whales." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 8 May 2017. <http://www.defenders.org/whales/basic- facts>. "Commercial Whaling." IWC. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2017. <https://iwc.int/commercial>. "Frequently Asked Questions about Whaling." WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2017. <http:// us.whales.org/faqs/whaling#n8100>. "Home." Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2017. <http://www.seashepherd.org/>. Kennedy, Jennifer. "Baleen and Toothed Whales: What's the Difference?" ThoughtCo. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2017. <https:// www.thoughtco.com/baleen-vs-toothed-whales-3876141>. Lindhard, Morten. "Whaling." WWF. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2017. <http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/ threats/whaling/>. McNamara, Robert. "Why Whaling Was a Major American Industry In the 1800s." ThoughtCo. N.p., 9 Mar. 2017. Web. 8 May 2017. <https://www.thoughtco.com/a-brief-history-of-whaling-1774068>. Society, National Geographic. "Big Fish: A Brief History of Whaling." National Geographic Society. N.p., 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 5 May 2017. <https://www.nationalgeographic.org/news/big-fish-history-whaling/>. Society, National Geographic. "Whaling Tools." National Geographic Society. N.p., 09 Nov. 2012. Web. 5 May 2017. <https:// www.nationalgeographic.org/media/whaling-tools/>. "Stop Whaling." WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2017. <http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/stop- whaling-0>. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Spermaceti." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 5 May 2017. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/spermaceti>. Marine Biology 115 By: Haley Pleasants WHALING Figure 2. Whalers hunters using harpoons to puncture the animal and capture with minimal tools Figure 3. Illustration of the tools used to harvest whales; provided with a key as explained above. Whaling is harvesting whales for meat and other recourses. Throughout time commercial whaling has become popular because it can produce odorless and tasteless oil infused into cosmetic creams, candles, textile finishes and more. Whaling technology has advanced from sailboat harpooning to large ship voyages. Harvesting a whale takes a full crew and several tools. Each tool has its own purpose particular to the process. Whaling places a negative affect on the marine ecosystem. When any species becomes endangered or extinct there is a disturbance to the food chain. Not only do other animals rely on whales but these creatures are also filled with an excessive amount of carbon. Harvested whales are releasing carbon dioxide. Groups like the International Whaling Commission, IWC, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are all making impacts and steps to stop whaling. After policies and bans, whaling is now at a steady decrease in demand. Figure 1. This is an introduction image to the gruesome harvesting process. Whalers are cutting up the freshly caught whale preparing blankets.
