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  • In the 1600s, there were so many right whales in Cape Cod Bay

  • off the east coast of the U.S.

  • that apparently you could walk across their backs

  • from one end of the bay to the other.

  • Today, they number in the hundreds, and they're endangered.

  • Like them, many species of whales saw their numbers drastically reduced

  • by 200 years of whaling,

  • where they were hunted and killed for their whale meat, oil and whale bone.

  • We only have whales in our waters today

  • because of the Save the Whales movement of the '70s.

  • It was instrumental in stopping commercial whaling,

  • and was built on the idea that if we couldn't save whales,

  • what could we save?

  • It was ultimately a test of our political ability

  • to halt environmental destruction.

  • So in the early '80s, there was a ban on commercial whaling

  • that came into force as a result of this campaign.

  • Whales in our waters are still low in numbers, however,

  • because they do face a range of other human-induced threats.

  • Unfortunately, many people still think that whale conservationists like myself

  • do what we do only because these creatures are charismatic and beautiful.

  • This is actually a disservice,

  • because whales are ecosystem engineers.

  • They help maintain the stability and health of the oceans,

  • and even provide services to human society.

  • So let's talk about why saving whales is critical

  • to the resiliency of the oceans.

  • It boils down to two main things:

  • whale poop and rotting carcasses.

  • As whales dive to the depths to feed and come up to the surface to breathe,

  • they actually release these enormous fecal plumes.

  • This whale pump, as it's called,

  • actually brings essential limiting nutrients from the depths

  • to the surface waters where they stimulate the growth of phytoplankton,

  • which forms the base of all marine food chains.

  • So really, having more whales in the oceans pooping

  • is really beneficial to the entire ecosystem.

  • Whales are also known to undertake some of the longest migrations of all mammals.

  • Gray whales off America migrate 16,000 kilometers

  • between productive feeding areas and less productive calving, or birthing, areas

  • and back every year.

  • As they do so, they transport fertilizer in the form of their feces

  • from places that have it to places that need it.

  • So clearly, whales are really important in nutrient cycling,

  • both horizontally and vertically, through the oceans.

  • But what's really cool is that they're also really important after they're dead.

  • Whale carcasses are some of the largest form of detritus

  • to fall from the ocean's surface, and they're called whale fall.

  • As these carcasses sink,

  • they provide a feast to some 400-odd species,

  • including the eel-shaped, slime-producing hagfish.

  • So over the 200 years of whaling,

  • when we were busy killing and removing these carcasses from the oceans,

  • we likely altered the rate and geographic distribution of these whale falls

  • that would descend into deep oceans,

  • and as a result, probably led to a number of extinctions

  • of species that were most specialized

  • and dependent on these carcasses for their survival.

  • Whale carcasses are also known to transport about 190,000 tons of carbon,

  • which is the equivalent of that produced

  • by 80,000 cars per year

  • from the atmosphere to the deep oceans,

  • and the deep oceans are what we call "carbon sinks,"

  • because they trap and hold excess carbon from the atmosphere,

  • and therefore help to delay global warming.

  • Sometimes these carcasses also wash up on beaches

  • and provide a meal to a number of predatory species on land.

  • The 200 years of whaling was clearly detrimental

  • and caused a reduction in the populations of whales

  • between 60 to 90 percent.

  • Clearly, the Save the Whales movement

  • was instrumental in preventing commercial whaling from going on,

  • but we need to revise this.

  • We need to address the more modern, pressing problems that these whales face

  • in our waters today.

  • Amongst other things, we need to stop them

  • from getting plowed down by container ships when they're in their feeding areas,

  • and stop them from getting entangled in fishing nets

  • as they float around in the ocean.

  • We also need to learn to contextualize our conservation messages,

  • so people really understand the true ecosystem value of these creatures.

  • So, let's save the whales again,

  • but this time, let's not just do it for their sake.

  • Let's also do it for ours.

  • Thank you.

  • (Applause)

In the 1600s, there were so many right whales in Cape Cod Bay

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