Threats to whales other than whaling

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a very respected advocacy group which works to protect natural habitats and biodiversity. Therefore, I thought they would have a balanced view of the threats posed to whales other than whaling. It's important to look at non-whaling factors that may be threatening whales because they influence how vulnerable whales are and whether they should be better protected.

I found out that, in addition to whaling, whales are hurt by the following factors:

• getting caught in fishing gear (by-catch)
• climate change
• ship collisions
• toxic contamination
• oil and gas development
• habitat degradation

Whales, especially dolphins and porpoises (which are types of whales), get caught in nets accidentally when fishermen are trying to catch fish. This is called "by-catch." Since dolphins and porpoises need to breath air in order to live, they suffocate when they're caught in nets, so they can't just be thrown back into the sea.

Climate change is altering the whole ocean ecosystem and affecting the krill and other sea life that whales depend on to survive.

Fast moving ships sometimes strike whales and seriously injure or kill them. Some environmental groups want to impose lower speed limits on large ships, especially during critical whale migration periods.

Oil and gas development can hurt whales in various ways. For one thing, it releases toxic substances into the environment.

Finally, the natural habitat for whales is gradually degraded, partly by climate change and partly by the fact that the sea is getting more crowded with ships, pleasure craft, whale watching boats, oil rigs, etc.

According to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (part of the National Ocean Service, NOAA in the US), because marine animals, such as whales and dolphins, make use of sound for communication, feeding, and navigation, acoustic (i.e., sound) disturbances caused by dredging, mining, military activities, or boat traffic may affect whales and their behavior. 

For all these reasons, whaling may be the additional threat to whales which sends some species into extinction. One of the reasons Japan and countries such as Norway and Iceland give for continuing to carry out whaling include the idea that ocean stocks of the whales they are catching are at "healthy" or sustainable levels. However, as we can see from all of the threats to whales and to all marine life (mentioned above), there is a cumulative negative effect on the various species and whaling can be the straw that, so to speak, breaks the whale's back. All the more reason to stop whaling immediately.

Threats to Whales | Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. (2023). https://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/protect/threats.html

Threats to whales and dolphins. (n.d.). WWF. https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered _species/cetaceans/threats/

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). (2010, June 14). Against all odds - The threats to whales [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLRWJnxykts