We Saved Humpback Whales. Now They’re Helping Us.

Unregulated whaling nearly wiped out the humpback whale by the mid 1900s. Songs of the Humpback Whales, a recording produced in 1970, changed the whale’s destiny. The recording was played during marine mammal protection hearings in Congress and the United Nations. Ten million copies were inserted into National Geographic magazine in 1979 and a global movement to Save The Whales grew big enough to actually save the whales. By 1986, the International Whaling Commission had instituted a global ban on all commercial whaling.

Now we’re learning just how important this popular animal is. Scientists have recently calculated that each humpback whale provides about $2 million worth of earth services during its lifetime.

Whales accumulate carbon in their bodies during their long lives. Each whale sequesters about 33 tons of CO2 during an 80-year life. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking that carbon out of the atmosphere for centuries and preventing even greater temperature increases. A tree, meanwhile, absorbs only about two tons of CO2 during the same time period.

Whales consume nutrients from the depth of the ocean and then defecate near the surface. This seeds the upper parts of the ocean with the nutrients necessary for plant life to grow. Their poo feeds the tiny phytoplankton which produce 50% of the world’s oxygen. The phytoplankton feed the krill, which in turn feed most other marine organisms including fish, seabirds, seals and whales.

But a happily-ever-after ending is far from guaranteed. While on the longest migration routes of any animal (from tropical breeding grounds near the equator to cold-water feeding grounds near the poles), whales are frequently killed by collisions with cargo ships or entanglement in fishing nets. And because of increased demand for omega-3 krill oil supplements and food for fish farms, whales now compete with humans for their main source of food. After years of challenging whalers, conservation groups are now taking on industrial krill fishers.

The Global Oceans Treaty creates a framework to protect 30% of the oceans, including key whale migration corridors, by 2030. Passed in the United Nations, only a handful of countries have ratified it thus far. Sixty countries must sign on for it to go into force. Conservationists are working with governments to take action.