Whale Hunting
Should whale and dolphin hunting be outlawed?
By Daniel McGlynn

For hundreds of years, the United States and countries around the world relentlessly hunted whales and other marine mammals for their oil, blubber and other byproducts. But today whales, dolphins and porpoises are widely viewed as intelligent creatures worthy of conservation and protection from commercial hunters. Scientists describe marine mammals as social animals that share characteristics with. . . .

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• Should whaling be banned?
• Can cetacean populations be managed internationally?
• Is aboriginal subsistence whaling acceptable?

Should the IWC revise its whaling moratorium?

Monica Medina U.S. Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission and Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From testimony before House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight and Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, May 6, 2010.	Patrick R. Ramage Global Whale Program Director, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). From testimony before House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight and Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, May 6, 2010.

‘Goddess of the Yangtze’ Goes Extinct

Before it was declared extinct during the past decade, the Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, was among the planet's rarest mammals. One of the world's four freshwater cetaceans, the so-called “Goddess of the Yangtze” was the first aquatic mammal to go extinct in the last 50 years.

The 3,900-mile-long Yangtze River is one of the longest rivers in the world and the longest in China. It is home to the controversial Three Gorges Dam and vital for irrigation, transportation and fresh water.

Several unique or rare species are found only in the Yangtze, such as the Yangtze sturgeon and the Chinese alligator. But they are endangered, slowly succumbing to the same environmental pressures that may have claimed the baiji, including industrial pollution, agricultural run-off and loss of buffer wetlands. Overfishing has also been a major factor.

In 1997, when researchers mounted an expedition to count baiji, only 14 were left in the river. By December 2006, researchers couldn't find any after a six-week 2,000-mile survey.

“The main reason is overfishing,” said August Pfluger, head of the Baiji Foundation, which co-sponsored the expeditions. “The Chinese still use unsustainable fishing methods like dynamite. There's still a lot of illegal fishing, so the dolphins were competing with humans for food.”

Increased development and river traffic also likely contributed to the demise of the dolphins, which had poor eyesight and relied on echolocation to forage for food in the shallows. Samples of pollution levels, however, turned out not to be high enough to cause the death of multiple individuals.

Also facing survival pressures are other river dolphins: the Amazon River dolphin, the La Plata River dolphin (South America) and the Indian River dolphin, in India's Ganges River.

“Globally, a pattern has emerged,” said researcher Zeb Hogan, a National Geographic fellow and TV personality known for his efforts to protect the world's biggest fish. “These large aquatic animals are disappearing.”

— Daniel McGlynn

[1] Ian Sample, “Yangtze river dolphin driven to extinction,” The Guardian, Aug. 7, 2007, www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/aug/08/endangeredspecies.conservation.

Footnote: 1. Ian Sample, “Yangtze river dolphin driven to extinction,” The Guardian, Aug. 7, 2007, www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/aug/08/endangeredspecies.conservation.

[2] Peter Ritter, “Farewell to the Yangtze river dolphin,” Time, Aug. 10, 2007, www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1651819,00.html.

Footnote: 2. Peter Ritter, “Farewell to the Yangtze river dolphin,” Time, Aug. 10, 2007, www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1651819,00.html.

[3] Ibid.

Footnote: 3. Ibid.

[4] Sample, op. cit.

Footnote: 4. Sample, op. cit.

[5] “Chinese River Dolphin, Baiji, Yangtze river dolphin,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/chineseriverdolphin.htm.

Footnote: 5. “Chinese River Dolphin, Baiji, Yangtze river dolphin,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/chineseriverdolphin.htm.

[6] Stefan Lovgren, “China's rare river dolphin now extinct, experts announce,” National Geographic, Dec. 14, 2006, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061214-dolphin-extinct_2.html.

Footnote: 6. Stefan Lovgren, “China's rare river dolphin now extinct, experts announce,” National Geographic, Dec. 14, 2006, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061214-dolphin-extinct_2.html.