What a Year for Whales

By Cloe Waterfield, Twentyfifty, for Conscious Breath Adventures
January 2011

As 2010 tip-toes contritely into the annals of history, none of us will forget living through our nation’s worst oil spill, witnessing devastation in Haiti and Pakistan and the political and economic unrest that now touch so many of us. But focusing for a few minutes on the world of whales, what an interesting and in many ways positive year! There is still much work to be done, but this selection of some of the most newsworthy cetacean stories of the year show that science, the media and politics at times do coalesce as a positive, change-driving force. We’re learning and educating, slowly but surely.

While also exposing the cruelty of the captive dolphin industry (and managing to make it entertaining) The Cove broke new ground.

The Cove wins an Oscar
Perhaps the best confirmation of this ambitious statement came when Louie Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society accepted an Academy Award for their documentary, The Cove. The film linked fossil fuels to human health via consumption (by school kids no less) of mercury contaminated dolphin meat from animals slaughtered in Japan. While also exposing the cruelty of the captive dolphin industry (and managing to make it entertaining) the film broke new ground. Dolphin drives sadly did recommence in Japan (and in the Faroe Islands) but this time; “the world is watching.”

Tilikum makes headlines
The world also watched as animal trainer Dawn Brancheau was grabbed by her ponytail, tumbled and drowned by Tilikum, a captive orca at SeaWorld, Orlando. Many more talking points on the controversial topic of cetacean captivity were brought to the world’s attention in 2010.

A bill of rights for cetaceans
Then, just ahead of the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission, scientists and conservationists crafted a declaration of rights for cetaceans. With “a sense of self that we used to think that only human beings have, they have the right to life, liberty and wellbeing” noted participants at the Helsinki meeting.

We are not whaling again (not legally anyway).
A 30 year world-wide ban on commercial whaling was dangerously close to being overturned this year. Conservationists breathed a collective sigh of relief but the flip side is continued unregulated take under the guise of scientific research by Japan in the Southern Ocean, and by Norway and Iceland who continue to object to the moratorium. The compromise agreement will be considered again in 2011, but for this year let’s be thankful that we did not take a giant step backwards.

A group of sperm whales call the vicinity of the oil spill home, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that one died, along with two melon-headed whales and over 90 dolphins.

The Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The eyes of the world were riveted to the Gulf of Mexico for three months as crude oil gushed unchecked into this semi-enclosed sea. It was a sad, scary summer especially for those on the Gulf Coast. A group of sperm whales call the vicinity of the oil spill home and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported (as of November 2nd) that one died, along with two melon-headed whales and over 90 dolphins.

Whales illustrate our toxic seas
Work on sperm whales in the Pacific focused attention on the ramifications of our chemical age. High levels of toxic contaminants such as oil and pesticide derivatives were found in animals within the supposedly pristine Galapagos marine reserve. The effects of pollutants on whales are poorly understood. High levels of exposure to poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), one of the chemicals measured; at early life stages might be important in how their sense of hearing develops.

And our noisy seas
Research published by a team in Florida showed that over half the stranded dolphins studied were found to have suffered severe to profound hearing loss. Sonar testing and seismic survey have previously been implicated as causes behind mass strandings. This work confirms that noise pollution – from increased shipping traffic, military activity and our pervasive search for new oil reserves, continues to be a critical issue.

Cetaceans and climate change
Whales are illustrating, ameliorating and even helping us understand climate change. Scientists reported that by fertilizing plankton growth, the poop of Southern Ocean sperm whales is the emission reducing equivalent of taking 40,000 cars off the road. Deep diving narwhals equipped with satellite-readable temperature sensors are helping researchers better understand warming seas in the Arctic. And there was the gray whale which stunned onlookers off the coast of Israel, the first of its kind (courtesy of an ice-free Northwest Passage) to be sighted outside of the Pacific Ocean since the 18th century. Wow!

Off South Africa, a southern right whale performed a series of breaches and finally landed right on top of a sailboat.

A long (LONG) swim
Epic also describes the 6,000 mile journey of a female humpback whale, recorded as the longest migration of any mammal, anywhere. Traveling unusually west to east, from Brazil to Madagascar, instead of the more typical north-south route, a photograph taken by a whale watching tourist allowed a match, and the discovery, to be made.

An eventful sail
Finally, who can forget the striking images from South Africa as a southern right whale performed a series of breaches and finally landed right on top of a sailboat. Not exactly a science or policy breakthrough but it did get our attention!