Cetaceans Essays

Cetaceans are an order of highly adapted, fully aquatic mammals (Wells 2010). Historically all cetaceans were once hunted extensively across the globe, causing major population declines, the Atlantic Gray Whale consequently became extinct. Some reached near extinction such as the Blue Whale while other species have more recently started to recover and scientists are slowly seeing population increases, for instance The Humpback whale (Ruegg et al. 2012). This mass population decline is often associated

I don’t agree with the Norwegian and Japanese position on permitting the hunting of whales as a cultural exemption even though whales a are non-endangered species. I can understand the need for killing whales for food out of poverty and of lack of food supply during and right after war time, but when the economy has been restored and improved, and there are plenty of choices of other food, and yet they keep killing simply for cultural and heritage sake, it just don’t seem right to me. We, as human

December of this year marks the 70th anniversary of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The IWC was established “to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.” Among the methods used to accomplish this purpose are setting catch limits, setting aside areas as whale sanctuaries and restricting hunting methods. (International Whaling Commission: History and Purpose, 2016) In 1982 there was a moratorium put on commercial

I believe that the Japanese and the Norwegians should be allowed to hunt non endangered whales and that they have a right to claim a cultural exemption. But this exemption should only be from within their own territorial waters where they would have to manage their coastal stocks. The Japanese traditionally did their whaling close to their own coastal shores (Whaling in Japan, 2016) and have been doing open boat whaling since the 12th century (Whaling in Japan, 2016). It was the depletion of their

The cartoon ‘Maybe a little more soy?’ by the cartoonist Alan Moir of the Sydney Morning Herald refers to the subject of whaling in the Antarctic Ocean and how the Japanese whalers justify their killings by claims that they for ‘research.’ The cartoon focuses on the sympathetic response of readers to seeing a whale harpooned and two gentlemen of oriental appearance oblivious to the whale’s suffering. The issue arises immediately after the 1968 whaling ban, when the Japanese launched its scientific

If you’ve ever had the chance to watch the 1980’s movie “The Blue Lagoon” with Brooke Shields, you might know that the blue lagoon in the movie is stunning. I had the chance to go to Jamaica with my family and see it with my own eyes, it wasn’t only beautiful it was also a bit magical. The blue lagoon in Jamaica has to be the coolest thing i've ever seen in nature. We were staying in a place called Port Antonio when a guy from the hotel told us that the blue lagoon of the movie was really close

Just about a year ago, my seventh grade class took a trip to Pigeon Key, FL to spend two days at a Marine Science Center. My school encouraged every student to go on the trip and after hours and hours of driving, we were greeted by many enthusiastic staff members excited to take us on the boat to Pigeon Key. When the boat arrived at the dock, I was immediately overwhelmed by the gorgeous scenery. Water wrapped around the island like a blanket, leaving only a small space for the buildings. At the

Chasing the Dream-What’s Happening Around the Galapagos in January January marks the beginning of the warm season in the islands. As the air and water temperatures rise; daily rain showers leave behind lush vegetation and vibrant, sunny skies for a Galapagos vacation that takes your breath away. Exotic by nature, the archipelago comes alive in the new year as many of its creatures wait for the warm season to breed. Green sea turtles lay their eggs, land and marine iguanas start to mate, and giant

For centuries, humans have hunted numerous whale species for their meat, oil, and baleen. Due to the technological advances made in the 18th and 19th century, whaling became increasingly more popular. By the 1930s, over 50,000 whales were being killed every year, and many species (such as the sperm whale) were almost hunted to extinction. Now that these species are finally making a comeback, it is pivotal that we as a society, who wants to keep our whales, make sure that we never allow whaling to

Year 9 Science Ecology Symbiosis Symbiosis Symbiosis is the relationship between two living organisms. The main types of symbiosis are mutualism, parasitism and commensalism. The association between the two organisms can be beneficial to one or two of the species or in some cases be harmful, depending on the type of symbiosis. Commensalism Commensalism is a biological term which is used to describe the relationship between two living organism, where in which one benefits from the other without

Unit 6 Written Assignment Japan and Norway: A cultural case for an exemption from the international ban on whaling. Introduction and the Japanese and Norwegian position Japan Japan is certainly one of the two countries, and the only country, in Asia to make the claim that Whaling should be permitted for certain Whale stocks. The practice of hunting Whales can be traced back to over 1,000 years. And, in turn there are records that show Jimmu, the first Emperor, who rein circa 660BC himself ate

I chose the case of the exemption for whaling because it clearly shows how globalized opinion has the power to impact villagers that may not even be aware of the discussions that their activities generate worldwide. After reading this paper you will notice that I am against this whaling ban because I have already seen the devastating force that some hypocrite laws have and what they can do to small communities, usually constituted by poor people. Just to illustrate my point, a similar case happened

Dear Editor Why do humans think that our lives have more value over animals lives? Whales have existed on this earth far before we did, yet we still use our power to control these victims and take bits and pieces from their lifeless bodies as we please, as if they were put on this earth for humans to slaughter. Whales are not commodities. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society which I am the president of frequently endeavours on dangerous expeditions to protect and defend marine wildlife from poaching

Whaling, which has been in practice for centuries, involved hunting and killing whales in order to obtain oil, meat, or bone. In past years, it has proven controversial and has brought up the question as to whether or not whaling should continue. In order to get a full glimpse of this issue, we need to gather the pros and cons to whaling. By doing this, we can truly assess whether or not whaling is something that should be carried on and legalised. In the Faroe Islands, there is an old saying which

have a divergent evolution. Whales and dolphins are often called cetaceans when referring to both species. The cetaceans are a marine mammal, descendants of land mammals. A cetacean is an aquatic species that needs air from the surface, the bones of their fins resemble the limbs of land mammals and the vertical movement of their spines is a characteristic for a running land animal than a horizontal movement of fish. Evolution The cetacean evolution has one of the most

To further my research I decided to look into some of the comparisons between sea life in captivity and sea life in the wild. Cetaceans (marine mammals) can normally travel up to 100 miles each day, including hunting and socializing with other mammals or members of their pods. Meaning they keep close family ties and have good team work with each other. In captivity, cetaceans are housed in small enclosures/tanks. This means that they cannot swim in long straight lines or dive very deeply like they

Provide scientific advice to related management authorities with regards to cetacean behavior and ecology in Walker Bay. Materials and methods Study site The study site (Fig.1) is situated in Walker Bay which is located on the coast of South Africa, stretching between 34.628, 34.418° S and 19.123, 19.292° E (van Beuningen 2013).

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is one of the largest of the Cetaceans. They are fairly well known, even outside of the scientific community. They are identifiable by their dark grey dorsal color, white underbellies, very long pectoral flippers and by their habits of breaching and raising their tales above the water before diving. Their range expands tropical, temperate, and sub polar waters all around the world. They migrate in search of breading grounds and feeding grounds. Humpbacks

Introduction The Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and the short beaked Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) are two of the most common and most seen cetaceans around the coasts of the UK. The Harbour porpoise is a smallest cetacean, residing in shallow and cold waters in Northern Europe, whereas the Common dolphin prefers offshore locations and warm temperate waters (Evans, 2003). However there is a decline in both species due to various causes, with many strandings on UK beaches being surveyed

other organisms in the water (Weilgart 2007). Wilson et al. found that wind-driven waves contribute to ocean noise (1985) while Nystuen and Farmer found precipitation to be a culprit as well (1987). This noise is of great concern to groups such as cetaceans, who utilize sound