Whales: LIA versus Whalers

[Ian Thomas]

Econazis on FB are circulating Greenpeace agitprop that claims credit for 'saving' Southern Right Whales.
So I had a look at the science lit.
Something I didn't know is that whales' genetic diversity was already greatly lowered BEFORE industrial-scale whaling in the 19th century.
Everyone knows the conventional story how whalers drove whales nearly extinct and it was only the heroic efforts of idealistic conservationists brought them back from the brink. Against all odds, like they say.
Ok the usual narrative is partway true. Commercial harvesting decimated whale numbers but they were already lacking genetic diversity. Genetics says there was a population bottleneck within the last 800 years.
800 years? That would be the Little Ice Age.

Evaluating the effects of historic bottleneck events: an assessment of microsatellite variability in the endangered, North Atlantic right whale
R. C. Waldick et al9 OCT 2008
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294X.2002.01605.x
Molecular Ecology
Volume 11, Issue 11, pages 2241–2249, November 2002
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-294X.2002.01605.x/abstract

The LIA was noted for increased storminess as well as expanded sea ice. It looks like adverse ocean conditions had a big effect on whales

Gene flow on ice: the role of sea ice and whaling in shaping Holarctic genetic diversity and population differentiation in bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus)
S. Elizabeth Alter et al
Ecology and Evolution, Volume 2, Issue 11, pages 2895–2911, November 2012
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.397/full
Significant genetic differences between ancient and modern populations suggest PRI harbored unique maternal lineages in the past that have been recently lost, possibly due to loss of habitat during the Little Ice Age and/or whaling.


Pre-Whaling Genetic Diversity and Population Ecology in Eastern Pacific Gray Whales: Insights from Ancient DNA and Stable Isotopes
S. Elizabeth Alter et al, PLOS
May 9, 2012
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035039
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0035039


Abundant mitochondrial DNA variation and world-wide population structure in humpback whales
Baker et al, 1993, PNAS, vol. 90 no. 17, 8239–8243
www.pnas.org/content/90/17/8239.short

Low worldwide genetic diversity in the killer whale (Orcinus orca): implications for demographic history
Hoelzel et al,22 July 2002.July 2002, Royal Society, v: 269 Issue: 1499, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2002.2033
rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/269/1499/1467.short


Genetic analysis of 16th-century whale bones prompts a revision of the impact of Basque whaling on right and bowhead whales in the western North Atlantic
Rastogi et al
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2004, 82(10): 1647-1654, 10.1139/z04-146
www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/z04-146#.VbU0Evla6Uk
preliminary microsatellite analyses of this specimen are not consistent with the hypothesis that whaling resulted in the low genetic variation found in this species today. These results differ from what would be expected based on any previous view of Basque whaling, and raise questions regarding the impact of Basque whaling on this species

Not only whales but also fish like cod suffered a population crash during the LIA

Historical DNA reveals the demographic history of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in medieval and early modern Iceland
Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir et al, 8 January 2014.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2976, R. Soc, Proc. B, February 2014, Volume: 281 Issue: 1777
rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1777/20132976.short
The models are consistent with an expanding population during the warm medieval period, large historical effective population size (NE), a marked bottleneck event at 1400–1500 and a decrease in NE in early modern times .... The population size crash coincides with a period of known cooling in the North Atlantic, and we conclude that the collapse may be related to climate or climate-induced ecosystem change.

There are other papers suggest elephant seals and albatross were also hit hard by the LIA.
Most research about the LIA emphasises its effect on land - on agriculture and human societies. But it impacted ecosystems worldwide both on land and in the sea.

[vincent]

Interesting. I never thought about the impact upon oceanic critters.

[dennisw]

Greenpeace was founded in 1971 but many whaling stations were closed by the 1950's, why? Because most of the products harvested from whales were being made cheaper by DuPont so if you want to put credit where it belongs celebrate our chemists. Who also reduced my earning capacity by making artificial tannin and stopped the need for tanneries to buy wattle bark.

The only people who continue to harvest whales are those who eat them, Japanese and Eskimos.

[johannes]

Medieval whaling is not very well researched; the Ibbenese were not the sort of people who talked much to strangers, and most whaling communities, as an obvious source of naval manpower, enjoyed the privilege of freedom from taxes, which was fine for the whalers, but is bad for historians, because there are few - if any records. Was the "Sarda" or "Sarde" a Northern Right Whale, a Bowhead Whale or maybe an Atlantic (sub)species of the Grey Whale ? Was the population in the bay of Biscay separate from the modern populations in the Arctic, or were "Sardes" - whatever they were - wandering between the Arctic and the Biscay? Anyway, IMHO, hunting pressure and the LIA are not mutually exclusive: The colder the climate, the higher the demand for whalebone; wooden and steel crossbow staves become prone to breaking at low temperatures, while composite staves actually become stronger when it gets cold; maybe the poor Sarda was caught in a classic downward spiral?

[Isengard]

On a linked note I have just come back from a cruise which took in the Faroe Islands. The people there were very keen to put across their side of the story about whaling. They felt put upon and unfairly treated by the world, denounced as cruel and barbaric for hunting pilot whales. The guide on the tour I did was passionate in telling us that the whales are killed humanely and quickly. He explained that the whales were necessary in the desolation of the Faroes, providing crucial food and blubber for the locals. Having been on a few of the islands now I would agree that it is a desolate and unfertile place, you can easily see how the sea provided the major source of food. As a link to Medieval whaling he explained how the whole thing was a communal experience in which people spotted pods of whales and reported them, they were then rounded up jointly by the community and killed jointly then the meat etc was divided up among the people, local hospitals and old people's homes, etc. No money was made except to cover repairs to boats when some was released for sale to pay the costs. I did not see any whaling but I did see a Danish naval vessel in a channel between the islands, presumably keeping watch for the eco types.

[dennisw]

Most small scale whaling by remote groups does little harm to whale populations the danger is in the large factory ships employed by Japanese firms. Rather than an all out ban IMHO quotas would be a simpler method of protecting whales as a resource.

[Ian J]

I'm sure there are plenty of medieval practices that were a 'communal experience', but that doesn't mean they need to be carried-out today - burning witches is one that springs to mind... :-)

But seriously...

Why is it that any species that's 'below' homo sapiens in the evolutionary pecking-order should be considered a resource?

Do we classify Sumatran tigers and white rhinos a resource? I'm sure there are cultural traditions in certain areas that would indicate that they are.

There comes a time when we (collectively) have to say "enough is enough". Is there any reason whales need to be killed for food?

Do we allow hunting until (once again) certain cetaceans are pushed to the very brink of extinction?

Ian.

[Ian Thomas]

Strong points.
Part of my answer would be that homo sapiens regard all other species either as a resource or a threat.
Live tigers and rhinos are a resource in the sense they bring in tourist $$$s, but then, Chinese value tiger penis and rhino horn as a 'resource'. Dunno why - these days there's viagra.

[Isengard]

In all honesty if we eat meat it seems odd to stipulate that one form of meat is better than another. As long as the animals are not placed in danger of extinction or are regularly checked to ensure the population is healthy I have no issue with hunting anything. Provided that no unnecessary cruelty is inflicted and the animals are used. I'm pretty confident it's natural human behaviour to hunt animals and eat meat. I don't see any moral distinction between killing and eating a whale or a cow, or anything else. So the reason not to kill rhinos is they are rare and need to be treated with care, if they were plentiful I'd have no issue with eating them. Hunting for sport, like the guy who killed the lion in Zimbabwe is another matter entirely, something I find inexplicable and I'm 100% behind you on that.

[dennisw]

Animals that are regarded as resources are rarely endangered, humans have eaten Sheep, cattle, goats, deer, pigs and poultry for aeons and none of these is in the least endangered; we tend to preserve that which we deem necessary. IMHO strict quotas would be more effective than bans, if the way to increase the harvest was to increase the population more research and effort would be put into the preservation.

[vincent]

Excessive numbers of game animals destroy vegetation, which makes it difficult for other non-game animals to find food. We would need to cull excessively large numbers of any animal, so why not take them for food while charging a license fee which helps pay for the government game management program?