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Where do whales go when they die: Part Two

This is a continuation of the original “Where do whales go when they die?” post. If you have not read it yet, you can find it here: http://on.fb.me/1AtyZVr

The Effects of Whaling on Whale Fall Communities

When the effects of whaling are discussed, subjects that tend to be of concern are those whose changes can be easily tracked. These include, but are not limited to, changes such as habitat destruction, trophic cascade, exploitation, etc.. After the discovery of these whale fall communities by Smith and colleagues in 1987, marine biologists began to wonder how whaling has affected these deep-sea communities. But, because of how recently these communities were discovered, there is no data to compare current diversity and richness to those before whale exploitation. Between 1920 and 1986, over a million whales were hunted, resulting in the extinction of the Atlantic grey whale, and a 95% reduction in humpback whales. The biggest issue in regards to whale fall communities is that after around 1910, very few carcasses are released back into the water.

Albarran Cabrera —– Instagram

The Mouth of Krishna