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In the 1600s, there were so many
right whales in Cape Cod Bay

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off the east coast of the U.S.

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that apparently you could
walk across their backs

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from one end of the bay to the other.

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Today, they number in the hundreds,
and they're endangered.

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Like them, many species of whales
saw their numbers drastically reduced

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by 200 years of whaling,

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where they were hunted and killed
for their whale meat, oil, and whale bone.

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We only have whales in our waters today

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because of the Save The Whales
movement of the '70s.

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It was instrumental in stopping
commercial whaling,

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and was built on the idea that
if we couldn't save whales,

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what could we save?

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It was ultimately a test
of our political ability

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to halt environmental destruction.

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So in the early '80s, there was
a ban on commercial whaling

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that came into force
as a result of this campaign.

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Whales in our waters are still
low in numbers, however,

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because they do face a range
of other human-induced threats.

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Unfortunately, many people still think
that whale conservationists like myself

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do what we do only because these creatures
are charismatic and beautiful.

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This is actually a disservice,

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because whales are ecosystem engineers.

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They help maintain the stability
and health of the oceans,

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and even provide services
to human society.

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So let's talk about why
saving whales is critical

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to the resiliency of the oceans.

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It boils down to two main things:

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whale poop and rotting carcasses.

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As whales dive to the depth to feed
and come up to the service to breathe,

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they actually release these
enormous fecal plumes.

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This whale pump, as it's called,


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actually brings essential limiting 
nutrients from the depths

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to the surface waters where they 
stimulate the growth of phytoplankton

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that forms the base
of all marine food chains.

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So really, having more whales
in the oceans pooping

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is really beneficial
to the entire ecosystem.

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Whales are also known to undertake 
some of the of the longest migrations

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of all mammals.

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Grey whales off America
migrate 16,000 kilometers

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between productive feeding areas and less
productive calving, or birthing, areas

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and back every year.

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As they do so, they transport

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fertilizer in the form of their feces

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from places that have it
to places that need it.

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So clearly, whales are really
important in nutrient cycling,

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both horizontally and vertically,
through the oceans.

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But what's really cool is that
they're also really important

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after they're dead.

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Whale carcasses are some of the largest

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form of detritus to fall from the ocean's 
surface, and they're called whale fall.

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As these carcasses sink,

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they provide a feast
to some 400-odd species

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including the eel-shaped, slime-producing 
hagfish.

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So over the 200 years of whaling,

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when we were busy killing and removing
these carcasses from the oceans,

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we likely altered the rate and geographic 
distribution of these whale falls

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that would descend into deep oceans,

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and as a result, probably led
to a number of extinctions

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of species that were most specialized

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and dependent on these carcasses

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for their survival.

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Whale carcasses are also known
to transport about 190,000 tons of carbon,

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which is the equivalent of that produced

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by 80,000 cars per year

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from the atmosphere to the deep oceans,

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and the deep oceans
are what we call "carbon sinks,"

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because they trap and hold
excess carbon from the atmosphere,

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and therefore help
to delay global warming.

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Sometimes these carcasses
also wash up on beaches

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and provide a meal to a number
of predatory species on land.

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The 200 years of whaling was clearly 
detrimental and caused a reduction


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and caused a reduction
in the populations of whales

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between 60 to 90 percent.

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Clearly, the Save The Whales movement

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was instrumental in preventing
commercial whaling from going on,

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but we need to revise this.

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We need to address the more modern,
pressing problem these whales face

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in our waters today.

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Amongst other things, we need to stop them

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from getting plowed down by container 
ships when they're in their feeding areas,

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and stop them from getting
entangled in fishing nets

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as they float around in the ocean.

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We also need to learn to contextualize
our conservation messages,

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so people really understand the true 
ecosystem value of these creatures.

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So, let's save the whales again,

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but this time, let's not just do it for 
their sake.

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Let's also do it for ours.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)