(Disclaimer: I’m not a scientist/professor by any means, use the information here at your own risk lol! I just want to share and educate a little!)

Weekend Science! No more TGIF! It’s time to study! Every weekend, I’ll post something that’ll hopefully teach you something. Enjoy!

If we save our wild places, we will ultimately save ourselves.

Steve Irwin

Today’s topic is about how to save the blue whale. The blue whale is currently marked as endangered, though recovering. In today and next week’s edition of Sci-Fri, you will learn about the blue whale, why it is endangered, what we humans can do to help protect them, the advantages and disadvantages of the solution, and also the implications of the solution based on two factors (Economic and Environmental).

What? – About the Blue Whale:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Cetacea
• Family: Balaenopteridae
• Genus: Balaenoptera
• Species: B. Musculus

Population: 10,000-25,000 (IUCN Status: Endangered)

Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are carnivorous marine mammals that live in all the world’s oceans except enclosed seas and the Arctic. Its size varies from 25 to 32 meters and it can weigh up to 200 tons. They are the largest animals known to have ever lived on the Earth. They look true blue underwater, however on the surface they look more of a mottled blue-grey.

Mottled: an irregular arrangement of spots or patches of colour.

Why? – Extinction Reasons:

Year	Global population	Reference
Before whaling	About 275,000	(Kemf & Phillips 1994)
1935	100,000	(Animal World 1972)
1962	930 – 2790	(IUCN 1966)
Late 1970s	4000 – 4500	(Burton & Pearson 1987)
1980	About 6500	(Nowak & Paradiso 1983)
1990	2500 – 3000	(Klinowska 1991)
2002	5000	(Pop 2002)

Table 1. Blue whale global population. Source: http://www.animalinfo.org/species/cetacean/balamusc.html

• Whaling: In the 20th century, whaling fleets killed about 360,000 blue whales in the Antarctic alone. Since then, the population has barely recovered, with the current population numbering between 10,000-25,0000 (Source: WWF).
• Chemical and Sound Pollution: Pollution disturbs the navigation of blue whales and can even harm them.
• Ship Strikes: Collisions with ships can cause bruises or even death for blue whales.
• Overfishing of Krill: Krill is the blue whale’s only diet, and its overfishing can cause difficulty for blue whales when looking for food.
• Climate Change: Global warming can cause blue whales to migrate during the summer to look for more food in colder climates. Because of this, blue whales may collide with ships or get stranded in coastal areas. Other problems caused by climate change that may damage blue whales include, but are not limited to, freshening of seawater, sea level rise, temperature changes, and ocean acidification.

How? – Solutions (5W+1H):

• What is the solution?
  • Conserve blue whales by letting them live, grow, and reproduce safely so eventually the population can naturally recover to its original numbers.
• How to save the blue whales?
  • The main problems that face blue whales right now are pollution, ship strikes, overfishing of krill, and most distressing of all, climate change.
    • Pollution: We have to make sure to properly dispose of harmful chemical substances because run-off may cause water pollution in the ocean. We can do this by taking our waste to a drop-off hazardous waste facility. We can also recycle our waste or take it to a place that will recycle it for you.
    • Climate Change: We can push for governments to make laws to reduce emissions of harmful gasses such as methane. We should also live a more eco-friendly life, one of the ways to do that being riding bicycles or driving electric/hybrid cars to reduce emissions. We can also invest in solar panels and conserve energy at home.
    • Whaling/Ship Strikes: We can support governments and organizations like WWF to create whale sanctuaries where whales can live and reproduce safely without the risk of ships strikes or commercial whaling.
• Why should we save the blue whales?
  • One of the reasons why blue whales are very special is that it is the largest animal in the world. Therefore, it is important to preserve it for the next generation. Moreover, blue whales can also be a source of information and . discovery.
• Who can help save the blue whale?
  • We can help fight against climate change and pollution by following the guide above while governments and organizations create whale sanctuaries.
    
• When should we help the blue whale?
  • My proposed solution involves the blue whale population growing naturally, so it will take some time for their population to return to its original numbers. Because of this, it is best to start as soon as possible.
    
• Where can we help the blue whale?
  • We can start at home, living an eco-friendly life while supporting and donating to organizations. We can also visit whale sanctuaries and take whale-watching tours to increase incentive to conserve blue whales.

Run-off: the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.

Whale sanctuaries: Loosely used term, can mean areas of the ocean where commercial whaling is banned or a facility that houses or protects whales.

Advantages/Disadvantages:

• Advantages:
  • Because the blue whale is the largest animal in the world, it is a very special creature and therefore is important to preserve.
  • They may also be useful for research.
  • Building whale sanctuaries can also help other marine animals, not only blue whales.
  • Whale sanctuaries can be made into tourist destinations as an incentive to build them and to finance them.
  • Whale watching tours are also popular and can be used to earn eco-tourism money.
• Disadvantages:
  • Whale sanctuaries may cost a lot of money to build and maintain.
  • This solution will take a long time, and over the decades a problem may pop out that will slow down the recovery.

Implications:

• Economic:
  • Although the investment in creating whale sanctuaries in the first place would be costly due to construction, maintenance, and many other factors involved in creating a facility this large. However, these whale sanctuaries can be made to earn eco-tourism money which will hopefully be enough to earn back the investment
• Environmental:

Conclusion:

Sources/Bibliography:

1. Blue Whale [Internet]. National Geographic. Available from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/blue-whale/ [Accessed 12 January 2019].
2. Blue Whale [Internet]. WWF. Available from: http://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/blue_whale/ [Accessed 12 January 2019].
3. Elliott, W. and Simmonds, M. (2007). Whales in Hot Water? The Impact of a Changing Climate on Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: A Call for Action. WWF-International, Gland Switzerland / WDCS, Chippenham, UK
4. How to Save Endangered Whales [Internet]. Sciencing. Available from: https://sciencing.com/save-endangered-whales-2063162.html [Accessed 12 January 2019].
5. Kemf, E. and Phillips, C. (1994). Whales in the Wild. Imprimerie Dupuis, World Wildlife Fund, Gland, Switzerland.
6. Top 10 Things You Can Do about Climate Change [Internet]. David Suzuki Foundation. Available from: https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/ [Accessed 31 January 2019]
7. Hazardous Waste [Internet]. BetterHealth. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/hazardous-waste [Accessed 31 January 2019]