the history of the almost-extermination of the biggest animal, that lived in per this earth, is a devastating proof of the unreasonableness of the human being. Blue whales still lived in large numbers in the wideness of the Atlantic and Pacific few years ago. However, the antarctic waters were its main-spread-area: Over 97 percent of all ever killed animals was shot there.
One still estimates the total-stock of blue whales at approximately 210 000 animals in the twenties of this century. However we first look at the shape and the habits of the blue whale before we turn to the causes and consequences of its annihilation.
Physique The body of the blue whale resembles in its long-stretched streamlining with the very small back-fin (15-45 cm) of the shape of other furrow-whales. The colors are gray until blue-green, with a lighter stain-pattern on the stomach-side, that is coated by 80-110 Kehlfurchen. In the plankton-hands polar waters Diatomeen (shingle-algae) coat the stomach-skin with a yellow film soon, why also "Sulphur Bottom" the blue whale with the whalers, therefore "sulphur-stomach" was called.
Size, weight Magnificent copies of the blue whale could gain lengths of more than 30 m. Animals of this size might become heavy over 150 000 kg well. The blood-quantity of a blue whale may include 10 000 l approximately, the heart weighs approximately 500 kg. The tail fluke or fluke can gain spans of 4,50 m, and the artery has a diameter like a canal-tube. An animal of 24,7 m of length had only one 5216 g heavy brain on that occasion.
Exact values rarely were determined for blue whales, since one was interested long only in the oil-profit of a Wales, and before one had realized the necessity of exact knowledge, the oldest and biggest blue whales lived no more.
Way of life It already was over 95 percent of all blue whales, who lived in per the seas, dead before one certainly knew 1952 that the females at the earliest with 5 years, that males become sexually mature with 4-5 years. At this time, the females have a length of 23,8 m in the average, that male on the other hand from 22,6 m.
Reproduction Blue whales live in monogamy, the female brings only 1 young to the world probably without exception since usually only 1 fetuses were found with pregnant animals. Also over the boards, the most knowledge comes from scientific examinations on board of the factory-ships since no human being ever with-experienced the birth of a blue whale. The combination-time probably is in June and August, that Tragzeit lasts, 10-12 months. One suspects that the boys come to the world in warm Meeresgebieten since no whale-bacon (bubble) yet keeps away it from the cold of polar waters. In its birth, the 7-8,2 m long blue whale-child weighs already 3 t. After seven months for example, it is cured, then weighs 23 t and is long over 16 m. This fast growth requires a gigantic quantity of mother's milk. How much milk a whale-mother produces daily, is not known, estimates are enough from 100-600 l. The higher values probably must apply, however, since besides the growth, also the energy needs must be covered with the wide hikes to the polar feed-places. The milk is with 50 percent of fat and 10-14 percent of protein ten times more concentrated than cow's milk.
The "water-problem" of the whales is one of the reasons for the high fat content of the whale-milk. Because as pure Meeresbewohner, whales cannot drink any freshwater; they therefore meet its water-demand from the fat-metabolism.
Nutrition, hikes Blue whales don't find enough food in the restrained widths so that they immediately move again into the antarctic regions after calving, where it itself at the Krill amicably from December to March does. At its arrival, they lost a lot of weight very much, against end of the antarctic summer, however, they got themselves a thick bacon-layer again. its "joy" during the meal must be very big, frequently, blue whales swam completely "world-forgets" through a Krillfeld, without to take care of the catch-boats, whose easy prey they became. In the stomach of a 26 m long animal, 2 t Krill, that are, were found 5 million these 3-6 cm big cancers roughly itself.
During the summery feed-period, the blue whales didn't mingle among each other but formed solid continuances in 6 independent sectors of the zirkumpolaren waters. Maybe an inferior exchange took place, never however, an empty-shot area of the neighboring population was replenished. By 1924-1964, over 900 blue whales were marked, one recovered however only 80 brands, none of it outside the Antarctica. So, the footpaths and residences are not known outside the most southern widths. However, one knows that the male blue whales accompany its pregnant females on the hike into the warm areas. Probably, they hike on open sea into the wideness of the seas between the pack-ice and the tropics, into an area, directly northwards, that one third of the entire Erdoberfläche amounts approximately. How they advance against the equator far, remains unknown, only certainly is that very few blue whales the winter over in the Antarctica remains.
This is, in broad outline reports, everything, which one knows about the habits.
Whale-catch How little one knows about the life of the blue whales, over its dying, rather exact numbers are available.
North-Atlantic: In the year 1883, Iceland began with the hunt for the fast furrow-whales (1 catch-boats carried off 8 whales). in 1893, it were 15 catchers, who killed 500 big whales, while the season of 1902 brought a profit of 1305 animals. However, the big whales became so rare after it that the hunt was worthwhile no more soon. in 1915, 4 catchers could only find 54 whales, in 1916, the hunt was discontinued completely, although produced the highest price for whale-oil, that at all ever was achieved (32 £ per ton), this year. Iceland is only an example; for the other coast-countries of the North-Atlantic, it went similarly. The accounting of the then time doesn't say exactly, like many this carried off big whales blue whales was, but one can as certainly assume that blue whales were hunted preferentially since it doubles as much oil (on average 12 t / animal) as a Finnwal delivered. in 1939, all whale-catch-nations agreed on a catch-prohibition of blue whales as far as on Iceland and Denmark, in 1960, also these countries agreed after they could carry off only 31 blue whales (from 2370 big whales altogether) in the four gone ahead years. One agreed on sparing a type of animal, that already - in this area - was wiped out.
North-Pacific: Only 1966, the involved countries agreed on the protection of the blue whale here after it became so rare that the hunt for it was worthwhile no more. In the 5 years before, country-stations caught 22 707 big whales, among them only 138 blue whales, who killed pelagischen catch-stations, 1965 (last season) 16 051 whales, among them only 121 blue whales.
Antarctica: in 1904, the first country-station was built, later, factory-ships, that anchored at the coast, added on top of this. Soon however, the whales became rare in the coast-regions so that the whalers had to follow them on high sea. By 1910-1925, as the first seafaring factory-ship with a ramp recorded the service at the stern, 134 026 big whales were slaughtered. Further 26 800 killed animals got lost since a catcher after the shooting down of a whale let this driven for the moment in order to carry off further animals and later (still without radar) often didn't recover it. Although only it became abgeflenst bubbles from the back and stomach outboard, these whales delivered 1 083 128 t oils. 47 200 blue whales were under them. However, first the pelagischen factories produced "record-harvests": in 1926-1930, 49 800 blue whales died, the season holds 1930/31 the absolute record with 29 400 blue whales. On the stern-catchers, the entire blue whale was dismantled and was boiled in order to win the oil.
For Japanese, a blue whale is three times as useful as for European whalers since they prepare the muscle-meat as food. This probably is a reason why Japan still made 1963 and 1964 the total protection of the blue whale through its veto of the international whale-catch-commission impossible. As reason, the Japanese didn't lead any actual blue whales at, that in the controversial hunt-area lived but "dwarf-blue whales." However, the existence of such a subtype is since its first-description through Japanese whalers (1960) expresses been questioned. Probably, it was only about young blue whales.
By 1909-1965, 328 177 killed blue whales were registered altogether, how many died "informally", nobody can probably appraise.
Consequences of the whale-catch 65 were for country-stations ft. (19,8 m, for pelagische catchers against it 70 ft. (21,3 m, the stipulated minimum-length, under which no blue whale should be killed. Since this type becomes sexually mature however only with more severe length, is dead already since 1935 over half of all female blue whales, before they could raise one single calf. One estimates, that 10 000 animals live originally over 200 000 blue whales on this on the southern hemisphere still today at most, on the northern hemisphere, approximately 3000 animals still should live according to newest estimates. One considers, so the low increase-installment of these animals, whose females rear a calf only every 2-3 years, is debatable whether these numbers are enough so that the continuances can recover once again.
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