Whaling.
The act of commercially killing Whales.
Whales have been killed for their meat and blubber for thousands of years, but the practice
beaming a booming industry in the 18th and 19th centuries… but was quickly outlawed
in the 20th century.
The issue of Whaling is controversial and some countries flat out refuse to abide by
anti whaling laws.
But…what if we never hunted them in the first place?
Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions, I am your host Rebecca Felgate
and today I am asking What If We Never Hunted Whales.
Before we get into this video I want to know if you have ever seen a whale, and if not,
what is the biggest fish you have seen?
I am actually going to Victoria in British Columbia in June and I hope to see some Whales
then!
Let me know in the comments section down below and if you like our content please do leave
a thumbs up and share this video with a friend.
Check out our source links in the description box to learn more and also the links to the
social medias of the people who went into making this video.
Stick around to the end where I am going to be responding to some comments.
OKAY let us do this!
Understanding why we hunted Whales helps us to understand what life would have been like
if we never did it.
The reason the practice was started in the first place was primarily as a food resource
for local oceanside communities, but in the pre-electricity industrial era, oil harvested
from whales was found to keep flames used for lights burning brighter and longer, and
beyond that, the oil was used to lubricate machinery, especially in wartime.
Whale blubber has been used in cosmetics and some parts of Whale intestines are used to
create perfume.
Whale bones were also used in clothing in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Beyond the historic uses for whales, in more modern times, whaling has been conducted for
quote unquote Scientific research.
Whaling became an issue in around the 1930s, when it was discovered that 45-50 thousand
whales each year were being killed, provoking the Whaling Convention that put tighter restrictions
on the practice.
By the 1940s Blue Whales and Sperm whales were being hunted to near extinction and by
1986 the practice was by and large banned, although Japan, Norway and Iceland generally
ignore the rules and continue the practice for a number of reasons, some for cultural
heritage, and others again for quote unquote science.
Let’s tackle the question of oil first.
There is no doubt that oil harvested from whales in the 17th and 18th centuries helped
keep things light at night… but had we never had the resource we would have kept up with
the demand for oil by using other materials.
We may have turned to paraffin oil, which would have been worse for the atmosphere and
breathable gasses.
Whale oil was also used heavily in World War One for munitions on all sides.
Its not likely the lack of whale oil would likely have had any baring on the outcome
of the war, but it was during this time that Whaling was at its highest.
Had we not killed so many whales throughout this time period, it is likely our oceans
and air quality would be healthier.
Why?
You may be surprised to know the answer is Whale Poo.
Whale poo is an excellent fertilizer.
With more Whale’s in the ocean at this time, had we not killed them, then their would likely
be more plankton as a result of the more fertile environment.
This plankton not only feeds smaller fish and animals, it also helps absorb carbon dioxide
which is vital to maintaining our breathable air.
Right now, approaching the second decade of the 21st century, carbon dioxide levels in
our atmosphere are unsustainable and a contributor to global warming.
If we hadn’t hunted whales, this would likely still be the case, but perhaps the levels
would be safer and easier to manage.
The use of whale blubber has been stopped in cosmetics, although it is still found in
some products.
It is pretty wild to make assumptions on whaling and the cosmetic industry, but perhaps had
we not been okay with harvesting animals for use in cosmetics we would be wearing less
make up… although I doubt that… rather, we would have found different ways to make
them.
That being said, I have to wonder if the use of Whale blubber further justified cruelty
towards animals in the cosmetic industry for so many years?
The hardest issue when it comes to Whaling, which I think we perhaps can agree isn’t
a legit modern day practice, is that in history it has undoubtedly saved many from starvation.
In Alaska, ingenious groups are still allowed to hunt whales for sustenance and after the
World Wars, whaling may have helped saved millions of Japanese lives as the county starved
as a result of their terrible economic downturn.
If we never hunted whales, it is likely things would have been much more catastrophic for
Japan… and those who live in more remote parts of the world lacking in food resources
except for whales would have had a much tougher time surviving.
To this day though, Japanese, Norwegian and Icelandic people still eat Whales, although
tourist appetites for the meat has dropped very low.
These nations argue that they hunt the non-endangered Minke – but Iceland does indeed hunt the
endangered finback.
These days eating whale meat is not essential for survival in these affluent nations, and
the reason they still do it largely comes down to cultural preservation…..and again,
the guise of Science.
Japan is the most staunch in their defense against anti whaling because…science…
so I was trying to research some scientific breakthroughs that have been made by killing
whales so I could point you towards what the world might look like had we never hunted
them… but I can’t find any real breakthroughs that have been made from whaling… indeed
Australia argue that research could be just as fruitful without actually killing the whales.
In terms of historical economy, whaling was lucrative for the UK, America, Iceland, Norway
and Japan.
In the mid 1800s, Whaling was one of the most lucrative industries in the Unite States,
bringing in 10 million a year.
Had we never hunted whales, some of these countries would not have been as well off….
But… especially when discussing America…
I am sure they would have found other ways to bank the big bucks.
These days whale watching tours are a big tourism draw.
Like I said, I am off to Victoria, BC for whale watching soon!
If we never killed them, there would be more whales in the ocean and perhaps the whale
watching industry would be even bigger than it is today!
What’s done is done in terms of whaling and the practice definitely had some historic
benefits, but as we move on as a global society, killing whales does not seem to be in our
best interest for ocean health.
We have the ability to generate oil more sustainably, and we have the ability for farm more sustainable
foods.
So that is the end of this video… it is hard to know how the world would be when something
like a background industry didn’t take place, but I am sure there would be subtle differences
in the way we approach consumption today.
What do you guys think the world would be like if we never killed whales?
Do you think we should stop?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below!
I am particularly interested in hearing from people from Iceland Norway and Japan because
I am sure you guys have a deeper cultural insight.
Also don’t forget everyone to let me know if you have ever seen a whale!
THANKS Comments from: What if We Shot Our Trash Into
Space: Good old Kim Jong Un was sliding into the
comments and said: What if the Pacific Ocean was clean
Cobraa said: Idea: Why dont we just burn our trash?
(not in a volcano but in burning factories) And yes we would pollute out air
I think you just answered your on question there!
David Jack said: What if YouTube’s servers went down for 1 month
Ahhh…anxiety!