The Biggest Are About to Become Bigger

Taken from itravel-cabo.com

The Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus
by Alex Degregori

Overview:

Taken from BBC

            One trivia question nearly everybody can answer correctly is: What is the largest living animal on Earth? The blue whale of course. Even though they can grow to the immense size of 110 feet and 200 tons, humans still have the ability to impact these beautiful creatures (COSEWIC). The blue whales feed primarily on euphausiids which are small crustaceans or krill, very similar to shrimp. On average, they will eat approximately 3 tons of food per day! Blue whales also have the largest acoustic power out of any other animal with sounds almost reaching 184 dB (COSEWIC). This loud of a noise has the power to destroy your hearing tissue, which would cause you to go deaf (GC Audio). I am sure glad blue whales don’t live on the mainland!

          The blue whale is found in almost all the oceans but is predominantly located from California to Central American Waters. Whalers nearly hunted the blue whale to extinction in the 19^th century but the whale became internationally protected in the 1966. Because of this intense whaling, sightings are very rare to this day so a recovery plan has been implemented bring the population numbers back up (COSEWIC). The blue whale has been listed as endangered since 1970. 

Restrictive Factors and Threats:

Taken from guardianlv.com

            The main threat to blue whales has been human interactions. Collisions with ships can easily kill a blue whale if the ship is large enough. Multiple dead blue whales were found to have deep gashes on their dorsal surface which are thought to have been caused by ships. Other interactions such as major shipping lanes and the noise that ships produce have a negative impact on the health of blue whales as it interferes with the whales’ ability to communicate with one another. Another factor is the plankton that the whales feed on also are accompanied with man-made contaminants that have been seen to alter blue whale behavior. And of course hinting of the whales by humans which almost depleted the whale population in the 20^th century.

Recovery Plan:

The Blue Whale Recovery Plan lists a stepdown outline of its objectives:

1. Determine Stock Structure of Blue Whale Populations Occurring in U.S. Waters and       Elsewhere.
2. Estimate the Size and Monitor Trends in Abundance of Blue Whale Populations.
3. Identify and Protect Habitat Essential to the Survival and Recovery of Blue Whale Populations.
4. Reduce or Eliminate Human-caused Injury and Mortality of Blue Whales.
5. Minimize Detrimental Effects of Directed Vessel Interactions with Blue Whales.
6. Maximize Efforts to Acquire Scientific Information from Dead, Stranded, and Entangled Blue Whales.
7. Coordinate State, Federal, and International Efforts to Implement Recovery Actions for Blue Whales.
8. Establish Criteria for Deciding Whether to Delist or Downlist Blue Whales.

               Overall, the recovery plan is difficult to implement and manage because the blue whale travels to most oceans. They reproduce at a very slow rate as well (once every 2-3 years) which makes it hard for the population to bounce back. The basis of the plan is to first obtain information on the blue whales because there is not enough research on them. Areas around the U.S. where blue whales are known to inhabit will be protected boats need to be designed so that impacts will be less harmful towards whales and the reduction of fishing lines and nets to reduce injury to the whales as well.

References

"Decibel (Loudness)." Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Edds, Peggy L. "Vocalizations of the Blue Whale, Balaenoptera Musculus, in the St. Lawrence                      River." Journal of Mammalogy 63.2 (1982): 345. Web.

"Endangered Species: Blue Whales Are the Largest Mammals That Ever Lived." Guardian Liberty                Voice. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.

Randall R. Reeves, Phillip J. Clapham,, Robert L. Brownell, Jr., And Gregory K. Silber.                                  RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE BLUE WHALE (n.d.): n. pag. Web.