Wal und Mensch

Whale and Man The history of the interaction between man and whale is changeful. As in the past, also today, these gentle giants provide enough material for tales and modern mysteries. The excessive whaling of the past century almost led to extinction of several baleen whale species. Whaling distinguishs between commercial, aboriginal subsistence and scientific whaling. Since the whaling moratorium of the International Whaling Commission came into effect 1986, the stocks of the great whales developed differently. We deliver insight into the history of whaling and demonstrate the current threats to cetaceans, bycatch, entanglement, ship strike, accidents, marine pollution and climate change. Whale‐watching is a fast growing section of tourism industry, however, this form of wildlife watching may have negative consequences for the whales.