Kielende1

Kielende Isungu,Treacy
Professor Altman
English 101
15 December 2015
Blue Whale: Endangered and Current Threat
The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen wales and it is one of the
largest and heaviest animals known to have existed. They are very fascinating creatures that
roam the oceans but not many people know about this mammal. The blue whale is an endangered
species due to whales hunting and numerous other threats caused by humans. In order to prevent
these animals from extinction, people all around the world should be educated about these
amazing creatures and find ways to protect them. In the following paragraphs we will talk about
the blue whales, discuss the endangerment and the threat that they facing, and how we could
prevent them from being extinct.
Blue whales are one of the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. They can
grow up to 100 feet long, weigh more than 200 tons and their average life span in the wild is
between 80 to 90 years according to National Geographic( blue whale page #1). To understand
how enormous blue whales are we can note that their tongues alone can weigh as much as an
elephants and their heart as much as an automobile. Their diet consists mainly on shrimplike
animals called krill and an adult blue whale can consumes as much as four tons of krill a day.
The blue whale habitat ranges are from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere and
can be found in major oceans. During the summer, the blue whale feed in the cold waters of
South and North Pole, and then migrate to warmer ocean waters near the equator along the coast
of central and south America to make and reproduce calves in winter and spring. The blue whale

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in the Northern Indian Ocean prefer to stay year-round in the Indian Ocean and never migrate to
equator. Also according to Marine Biologist Asha De Vos who stated on an article to CNN titled
Saving the magnificent blue whale, she exemplifies that the blue whales prefers the depths of
polar waters to take advantage of the high concentration of krill pray and shallow coastal waters
to swim freely and they are not a threat to human life. Although the blue whale is harmless to
human life, it is listed as animals endangered and humans are the ones to blame for this dramatic
decrease of the blue whale population in the world.
For the longest, humans hunted and killed blue whales because of many reasons. One
reason that was used during the early 1900s was that their very large size was a deadly threat in
the sea. However, during the 1950 blue whales were a popular species to hunt due to their size
and especially their body parts. They were captured and killed for their oil to make lamp oil,
transmission fluids, soaps, perfumes, candles, and cosmetics. They were also killed for their meat
that provided food to humans as well as their skin to make items such as corsets and umbrellas.
Soon after, hunters came to realization that they can make lots of money with killing blue whales
and selling their parts, so it became a very competitive market and even expanded to
international whaling markets. This whaling competition increased the rate at which blue whales
were being killed and shrank considerably their population. Because blue whales have a very
slow rate of reproduction (female blue whale gives birth to one calf every two years) it is
difficult to see an increased in their population due to the fact that they are getting killed or
captured at a faster rate than they reproduced. In order to avoid the extinction of blue whales, the
International Whaling Commission banned in 1966, commercial whaling for blue whales in
oceans across the world. Although blue whale hunting is illegal according to National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries 4), there are still some countries

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that still hunt, kill, and capture blue whales. For example, very often blue whales meat shows up
in Japanese markets and is considered a delicacy.
Another reason for their disappearance might be ship collisions. In a recent article by Pat
Brennan in The Orange County Register, Brennan claimed that along the coast of California,
blue whales are dying from ship strikes every year. The blue whales migrate along the California
coast to feed on krill. The scientists have discovered that this feeding area overlaps with one of
the busiest shipping lanes in California. Ship strikes have been determined to be causing a
decline of the blue whale population. However, many believe that it is impossible to help the
blue whales from vessels strikes because they are spread so evenly along all shipping routes that
focusing shipping in any of the routes and are unlikely to reduce any risk (Brennan 1). Jessica
Redfern, a marine ecologist at the National Marine Fisheries Service on the other hand stated that
there is an easy fix. She said, Methods to reduce risk to blue whales might have to be
considered, including seasonal closures of some areas and reduction in ship speed.
In order to save blue whales from extinction it is key to conserve and restore their habitat.
It will be a long and complex process but we are the ones invading their habitat, and it is
unacceptable that they are dying due to ship strikes or ship collisions. According to researcher
Olsen, Erik Ship strikes are a leading cause of death among whales around the globe. To solve
this issue, marine life ecologist Jessica Redfern suggested seasonal closures of some areas and
reduction of speed for ships. Whale- watching is also factor preventing the blue whales
population from recuperating. For example, one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes is along
the coast of Sri Lanka; it is also the same area where blue whales regularly swim. Because of it,
scientists believe that whale- watching is forcing blue whales to search for food farther out and
that it is pushing them into the ships path (Olsen). Researcher Asha de Vos also added that

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whale-watching boats are disturbing and affecting their environment, and that although humans
enjoy whale-watching it is not worth striking and killing these magnificent animals.
In conclusion, blue whales are the largest and the loudest animal that ever lived on Earth.
They can be found worldwide and are an endangered species. To protect blue whales from
extinction we should raise awareness around the world, find ways to protect the environment of
these magnificent creatures, and enforce laws that protect blue whales. As a human being, I feel
awful and terrible that we are greatly responsible for the extinction of blue whales. Unlike
dinosaurs, blue whales were not endangered by asteroids, comets, or meteoroids but by the
human cupidity and pleasure in hunting. In my opinion, we as human have an obligation to
protect blue whales and to raise awareness among people to ensure that videos over the internet
and pictures in books are not our only option for seeing blue whales in the future.

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Works cited:
Brennan, Pat. Study: Blue whales at higher risk from ship strikes. The Orange County
March 25, 2013 and updated Aug.21, 2013. Web December 1st, 2015.
De Vos, Asha. Saving the magnificent blue whale. CNN.com Updated 12:04 AM ET,
Sun October 28, 2012. Web. November 30th, 2015.
National Geographic. Blue Whale. National geographic (2013).
Web. November 30th, 2015.
Olsen, Erik. Growing Ship Traffic Threatens Blue Whales. New York Times (2013).
Publishing July 2, 2012. Web December 1st, 2015.
WDCs Whale Adoption Project. Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) NOAA Fisheries
Web. December 1st, 2015.