Darryl FearsThe Washington Post
What's the Best Way to Save Whales?
10/8/2016
What do you do when you know that you are in some way causing negative effects in a major way and that entire systems of living are disrupted and ruined? Do you stop what you are doing? Or do you simply continue under the guise that while you are causing such disruption, you are studying to see what your long-term effects are? While one answer could be as simple as "I just pull out and stop what I'm doing," others could be as complicated as "I acknowledge that what I am doing is wrong, but in the meantime that I prove what I am doing is wrong, I will continue to just cause disruption and chaos to those that are affected by my actions."
While the harvesting of whales has created some protection for them, they are still hunted and endangered creatures, in order to secure their place on the planet there has been little advocacy in relation to other methods of disruption to this group. And while there has been the acknowledgement that overfishing, climate change, pollution, and human created ocean noise have all affected whales negatively, there is no proof on which is worse and which one should be given the priority.
The article looks at the issue of sound, and that while there is an acknowledgement that manmade ocean noise is an issue, scientists cannot determine if by shutting the sound off they will be providing benefit. Marine life has had years to evolve, but the surge in ocean noise has altered their environment and there is not enough evidence that proves that they have not been affected by this (besides the obvious answer of YES it has affected them and all other ocean life).
Expansion in manufacturing has allowed for ocean traffic to grow, military ships are on rotation, and pollution has increased the amount of carbon dioxide that the ocean absorbs. So the answer is, yes, there has been a change to their environment and while there is little study on the subject matter, there is also proof that marine life has been negatively affected by mans manipulation of their environment. So what is needed? What can be done about this? As of now there is going to be very little change, but an area of research that is suggested is to focus more on the promotion of resilience for the marine life in the current underwater environment they live in- one that is filled with a multitude of stressors.
Link to Article: LINK
When our marine life starts dying, that is a bad sign for all of us. Whales are some of the most magnificent creatures on our Earth, and yet they are dying because of us. Because of the human consumption and destruction that have forced are oceans into. Trash, pollution in both the water and the air, CO2 production, chemical spills and many other factors are causing our oceans to go into crisis, which means the living creatures in the water, in the oceans, are dying as a result of it. The price of war on the seas is costing us the lives of not only humans but also whales, dolphins and other creatures that once they are extinct, we won't be able to bring back, which will destroy our ocean's ecology. We need to realize that we are doing more harm than good. We need to stop spending on military and war and start spending on our Earth to preserve it.
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