We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility

Whalers are often portrayed as violent and intentional harmers of whales, but the reality is that eating commercially caught seafood leads to whale entanglement and slow death. Marine scientist and veterinarian Michael J. Moore contends that we all are whalers, but we do not have to be. He has spent over forty years working with humpback, pilot, fin, and North Atlantic right whales, a species whose population has declined more than twenty percent since 2017. Moore's tale is an optimistic one, showing how technologies for rope-less fishing and acoustic tracking of whale migrations can make a dramatic difference. He looks ahead with hope as our growing understanding of these extraordinary creatures fuels an ever-stronger drive for change.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 12 November 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The image that most of us have of whalers involves harpoons and intentional trauma. However, consuming commercially caught seafood leads to whales becoming entangled in rope and nets, resulting in a slow and painful death. Moreover, the global shipping routes that transport us readily available goods often result in collisions, causing the death of these magnificent creatures. We, as humans, are all whalers, according to marine scientist and veterinarian Michael J. Moore. But we do not have to remain in this role.

Drawing on over forty years of fieldwork with humpback, pilot, fin, and, particularly, North Atlantic right whales, a species whose population has declined more than twenty percent since 2017, Moore takes us with him as he performs whale necropsies on animals stranded on beaches, conducts independent research alongside whalers using explosive harpoons, and tracks injured whales to deliver sedatives. The plight of whales is a complex, confounding, and distressing one. We learn about existing but poorly enforced conservation laws and the perennial (and often unsuccessful) efforts to balance the push for fisheries profit versus the protection of endangered species caught by accident.

Despite these challenges, Moore's tale is an optimistic one. He demonstrates how technologies for rope-less fishing and the acoustic tracking of whale migrations make a dramatic difference. He looks ahead with hope as our growing understanding of these extraordinary creatures fuels an ever-stronger drive for change.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 153 x 222 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226803043