Threats To Blue Whales

Being the largest mammal species in the world, blue whales can also suffer from certain issues, which predominantly are associated with human activity. It is also appropriate to note the cosmopolitan nature of their distribution, which “assists” the contamination and extermination of these animals. The reduction of blue whales population is, certainly, related to slow growth of it and specific peoples’ actions do not save the situation. Hence, it is possible to determine what factors influence on quantity of blue whales individuals.

The first and foremost is whale fishing and catching. Before its appearance there were 250 thousand blue whale individuals in waters of the World Ocean. It could not but strike that during the period of 1860-1960 90 percent of its entire population was killed, resulting in 10-25 thousand staying alive to date. The peak of whaling was observed in 1930, when 30 thousand of blue whales were murdered by hunters. The defense of these animals was raised in 1960, when International Whaling Commission prohibited such activity; however, not all countries accepted these conditions and sometimes a meat of blue whales might be seen on markets. It is also impossible not to mention that meat is not the only one thing taken out of blue whales’ bodies, but their fat as well (one individual might produce 120 barrels of it, which is mostly used in candle making and lamps).

The second urgent danger for blue whales is clashing with large ships, which might be resolved by forcing them to slow down their speed. Some accidents could be provided to approve the harmfulness of the situation. In March 1998 the dead blue whale was delivered on the bow in Rhode Island. And this was an individual of 20 meters at length! Besides, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is the most dangerous place for blue whales in a context of clashing with ships, as it is a zone of intensive navigation. Another accident occurred in California, when three whales at once were killed in 2007.

The third issue is anthropological noise and hydrolocation, which occurs in cases of underwater gas and oil search. It is experimentally confirmed that these processes reduce a range of distribution of whale sounds for about 90 percent. The conservation parties have already pressured such industrial activity.

And the last one observed danger is, of course, related to ecology and wastes problem. Blue whales are affected by such contaminants as pesticides and industrial chemicals that fall into the ocean. One of peculiar disputes among scientists and zoologists is the impact of climate changes on blue whales’ living and distribution.