Why whales? 

About two years back, while reading books about whales with my little brother, l discovered an animal that I could relate to on a whole other level. It was the whale. I felt like a lot of my various traits and thoughts were matched by the behavioral patterns and responses of whales. 

A few months later, a new Korean drama series was released. It was about an autistic lawyer with Savant syndrome who had a somewhat otherworldly obsession with whales. It is called “Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young Woo.” 

It follows Woo Young Woo in her life as a new attorney. She has an incredible photographic memory and uses her insight and passion to analyze cases in the best and most just way possible. However while being straightforward and blunt she is also empathetic and sensitive. Every time she has a new case or situation, she finds a way to connect it to whales. And this connection and empathy with whales seemingly helps her to empathize and understand her cases better.

Whales are known for their high intellect as well as their emotional intelligence. In countless situations they have shown high empathy towards other species. Over time I found myself moving away from thinking about whales as  animals and I began to see them as creatures similar to myself. 

As I learned about the whales who were torturously dying after months of pain because of human caused entanglement,  I knew that I should be involved in trying to save these creatures that mean so much to me. 

It’s a local issue: 

Many people have realized that the best way to change the world is to act locally. To take care of what is closest to yourself. In our own state there has been an uproar of conflict between two well known animals. Putting two important groups of people that both love nature in Massachusetts, against each other. These two groups are lobstermen and the people trying to protect the North Atlantic right whales.  The North Atlantic right whale is our very own state mammal. And our state mammal is close to extinction! According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “There are fewer than 350 remaining in the wild, with fewer than 70 breeding females.” This means there are also less right whales being born. There is no time to lose. 

Why is it the ‘Right Whale?

The North Atlantic right whale is a large creature reaching up to 52 feet in adulthood and 14 feet when they are born. Because of their size, it is easier for the creature to get entangled in ropes, especially because their eyesight is not as good as ours so they can’t see the ropes. Long ago there were so many right whales that there seemed to be no risk in hunting them. The right whale would swim slowly and provide valuable amounts of baleen and oil. They were named the ‘right whale’ because they were the right whale to hunt. They were hunted to near extinction. Laws were eventually put up to protect them from being hunted, however right whales then faced a new challenge that caused their population to never recover. In 2010, records show their numbers had dropped to only about 480 left in the world.  Now their population has plummeted to about 340.  Their population decreased by over 100 in only 13 years. 

The heart of tourism in the U.S. 

Vessel strikes and entanglement both lead us back to the lobster industry. Lobster traps are usually set up with ropes connecting everything in the system. These traps entangle right whales. According to scientific reports, 85% of right whales have been entangled during their life. The harder they try to escape the tighter the ropes cut into their skin. 

However, because the lobster industry provides money and jobs for so many, it would not be plausible to dismiss people and expect them to be able to survive. If we did this, we would be partially solving one problem but also causing a  larger problem.  Also, American lobster is one of the foods tourists always insist on eating before they return to where they came from, ranging from the ever popular lobster rolls to the simple but delicious steamed lobster. Around 9 million pounds of lobster are caught each year and about 360,000 traps are set up every year in Massachusetts. The industry cannot stop it all at once. 

Everything is connected

One thing is certain, if we don’t start executing solutions to this problem soon, our state mammal will soon be gone. I know why this matters to me. But why should this matter to others? 

The extinction of right whales means the ocean food chains will be affected. Right whales play an important role in keeping ocean ecosystems balanced. The carbon in the atmosphere will go up because it turns out that right whales reduce carbon.  They do this in multiple ways, but one way is that they capture the carbon right into their body and when they die their body removes that amount of carbon from the atmosphere for centuries. Taking on the same job as trees. Whales are like trees in the seas. 

Saving the right whales is not only about saving a species. If this species were to become extinct, many other species would die or overpopulate because of the changing ecosystems. It would cause problems to humans as well. Growing carbon in the atmosphere is a severe problem for all of us. Excess carbon leads to warmer temperatures and health problems. In fact research suggests that too much carbon emissions into the atmosphere is the cause of hundreds of deaths in the U.S. The carbon levels in the air are reaching record high points every year. This is happening even with our carbon reducing whales still on our planet. According to Defenders of Wildlife, half of the oxygen we breathe is possible through whales. So what happens when we lose one of the number one contributors in reducing carbon? 

Everything is connected in nature, this is why we have to play our part in saving these creatures.  These are hard times for the whales but there is good news too. There are ways to protect the whales and protect the lobstermen!

Hannah Lee is a student at the Driscoll School.