EAS 1540 Lecture 27: Human Impact on Whales

• School: Cornell University
• Department: Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
• Course: EAS 1540
• Professor: Bruce Monger

Document Summary

1990: ~300 some stocks collapsed fossil fuels replaced whale products catch limits were established by mid 20th century. International whaling commission set a moratorium on all whale stocks. Japanese whaling: withdrew objection to moratorium, continues for. Scientific research, plans to continue whaling 2015 with reduced quotas. Iceland, norway, aboriginal in alaska, denmark, russia: aquarium harvest second worst way we"re impacting whales, especially killer whales. Sea world resident population off the coast of washington still hasn"t recovered domestic captures ended with 1972 us marine mammal. Protection act breeding programs supply killer whales to sea world, but tanks are too small, killer whales under stimulated, removed from community, exhibit aggressive behavior (tilikum) Urban whales especially vulnerable: fin whale in mediterranean injury and mortality rates nearly impossible to quantify. Iwc = 300,000 cetaceans die from entanglement each year drowning, laceration, infection, starvation. >75% of n atlantic right whales have entanglement scars.