Commercial Whaling
...ts meat and is also pressed into oil that was a major fuel for lighting. Another product was spermaceti - a liquid wax substance found in the huge head that was used in the manufacture of smokeless candles and as a lubricant for machines. Another kind of whale is the baleen whales, that feed on swarms of shrimp-like crustaceans called krill. Baleen provided a strong, flexible material which is like plastic, used to make horse whips and things of the like. These whales were hunted for their baleen as well as for their meat, which was either eaten or made into oil. The American whalers hunted the Sperm whale, first in the Atlantic from bases in New England, later in the Pacific from bases in Hawaii. Sperm whales feed on giant squid deep in the ocean, including species that have never been seen alive. The population estimates released in 2002 show only 360,000 sperm whales in the world's oceans, in contrast with previous estimates suggesting 1.5-2 million. (green peace.org) The California Gray whale was hunted almost to extinction in the late 1800's, then recovered, was hunted almost to extinction again by factory ships in the 1930's and 1940's, and recovered again. The whaling method is extremely cruel and unusual to these beautiful creatures. Whalers shoot at the whales with grenade-tipped harpoons, often times more than once. It can take minutes or up to an hour for the whale to die, which seems unnecessarily cruel. when the harpoon gun and explosive harpoon hit the whale it explodes inside the whale. The harpoon guns are mounted on fast steam-driven vessels, making it possible to catch the faster-swimming whales. The development of factory ships made it possible for the whalers to stay at sea for long periods, increasing the number of whales they could hunt. In my opinion, I think whaling is a horrible i...