Cetaceans are divided into two main categories: Baleen whales (like blue whales and humpbacks) and toothed whales (like sperm whales, narwhals, orcas, and all dolphins).
Orcas, often wrongly called “killer whales,” are actually the largest member of the dolphin family.
Whales are not just the giants of the sea; they are individuals with rich emotional lives, complex social relationships, and incredible intelligence. They sing, they grieve, they play, and they form lifelong bonds. Their role in maintaining ocean ecosystems is critical - even their movements help circulate nutrients that support life in the seas.
But humans treat whales as property, resources, and spectacles.
The Many Ways Humans Harm Whales
Captivity and Entertainment
Whales, especially orcas and dolphins, are imprisoned in tanks for marine parks and swim-with programmes. They are denied everything that makes life meaningful - space, family, freedom. Captivity shortens their lives, fractures social bonds, and reduces them to performers for profit.
Speak out against captivity. Never visit marine parks or swim-with-dolphin experiences. Support the phasing out of these facilities and the creation of sea sanctuaries.
🇪🇸 Spain: Ban Dolphin and Whale Captivity
Harassment
Unregulated tourism, jet skis, and boats harass whales in their natural homes. Constant noise and proximity stress them out, disrupt feeding and parenting, and sometimes cause injury or separation from their pods.
Avoid intrusive wildlife tours. Support regulations that keep boats and tourists at a respectful distance from whales.
Trophy and Souvenir Trade
Body parts like teeth, meat, and bones are sold as tourist trinkets or luxury food. Sperm whale vomit (ambergris) is even used in high-end perfumes. All of this depends on whales being seen not as someone, but as something.
Reject products made from whales - whether it’s jewellery, food, or perfume. Pressure brands and retailers to ban animal-derived ingredients.
Scientific Experimentation
From military sonar testing to captivity-based cognitive research, whales are still used as experimental tools. These practices ignore their autonomy, distress them deeply, and cause long-term harm.
Demand investment in non-invasive research. Push for a ban on the use of cetaceans in military and lab experiments.
Drive Hunts
In places like Taiji, dolphins and small whales are driven into coves, where some are sold to aquariums and the rest killed.
Call on governments and international bodies to ban drive hunts and block the sale and import of animals taken this way.
Commercial and “Scientific” Whaling
Japan, Norway, and Iceland continue to kill whales, bypassing international bans with loopholes and excuses.
Support global campaigns to enforce a full ban on whaling.
Demand that governments stop funding or defending it.
Fishing Industry Threats
Thousands of whales are killed in fishing nets every year. They are caught, crushed, or drowned as unwanted “bycatch” in a system designed to commodify other animals. In some regions, whales are deliberately targeted and killed for interfering with profits. The fishing industry doesn’t just exploit fish - it’s deadly for everyone caught in its machinery.
Reject the fishing industry entirely. No system that views sentient beings as units of production can ever be justified. Support plant-based food systems that respect marine life and leave the ocean in peace.
Ship Strikes
Large ships often collide with whales, especially in busy trade routes. These collisions cause broken bones, internal bleeding, and death. Slow zones and rerouted lanes could save lives - but profit still takes priority.
Support policies that reduce shipping speeds and redirect traffic away from whale migration routes.
Noise Pollution
Naval sonar, seismic blasts for oil exploration, and constant commercial shipping create an underwater world full of unbearable sound. Whales depend on sound to communicate and navigate - without it, they are lost.
Demand restrictions on sonar use and seismic testing. Call for quieter marine technologies and noise limits in key habitats.
Chemical Pollution
Plastics are swallowed. Chemicals accumulate in their bodies. Oil spills coat their skin and poison their food. We fill their home with waste and wonder why they’re dying.
Reduce plastic use. Support bans on ocean dumping and industrial pollution. Hold corporations accountable for spills and runoff.
Climate Breakdown
Rising temperatures and acidifying seas destroy whale food webs, scramble their migrations, and shrink their habitats.
The climate crisis doesn’t stop at the shoreline - it echoes through the deep.
Support bold climate action. Demand that oceans and marine life are included in environmental policies and treaties.
Habitat Destruction
Ports, mining, trawling, dredging - we rip apart their homes for profit. The ocean is not empty space. It is someone’s home.
Reject deep-sea mining and offshore drilling. Campaign for marine protected areas where whales can live without industrial interference.
Whales are not property. They are not exhibits, ingredients, or trade goods. They are individuals with lives of their own - not ours to control, confine, or consume.
The ocean is their home, not our playground, dumping ground, or pantry.
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