The hunting of large whales has shaped the lifeways of many coastal communities for millennia, yet its origins remain debated, often associated with postglacial cultures in Arctic and subarctic regions dating to approximately 3500-2500 years ago. Here, we present evidence that large baleen whales were likely hunted 5000 years ago by Indigenous groups in southern Brazil. We analysed museum collections of cetacean bones and artefacts from archaeological shellmounds, known as sambaquis, in the region of Babitonga Bay. Zooarchaeological, typological, and molecular analyses of bone remains and artefacts indicate that Sambaqui people exploited southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and dolphins in coastal waters. The abundance of whale bone remains, the presence of specialised marine hunting artefacts, and the importance of whales in funerary contexts are consistent with archaeological and ethnographic evidence of whaling societies. Our results also illuminate species distributions prior to commercial exploitation, providing insights for conservation strategies. Whale exploitation was an element of Indigenous maritime knowledge in southern Brazil long before European contact; an unwritten history preserved in museum collections and in the sambaquis that have survived the impacts of modern human activities.

Whale hunting trick is spread via social groups

Genetic diversity is declining globally, a trend that may particularly affect exploited populations that must adapt to rapid environmental change and other threats. Estimated genomic changes in effective population size mirrored known whaling history and shifts in technology. In the Southern Ocean, a comparison of genomes from historical and contemporary populations indicated that the contemporary genomes have less diversity and an elevated realized mutation load for moderately deleterious mutations, likely due to the effects of whaling. Our results demonstrate that the relatively recent, brief, and marked depletion of humpback whale populations by whaling likely had subtle but discernible, negative, and lasting effects on the whales’ genomes. Thus, even as some humpback whale populations are now recovering to pre-exploitation numbers, they likely do so with a diminished adaptive capacity in the face of future conditions and threats.

ABSTRACT Rice's whale ( Balaenoptera ricei ), recently classified as a species distinct from Bryde's whales, exemplifies the challenges in cetacean taxonomy arising from limited morphological divergence and an overreliance on restricted genetic datasets. Darwin's principle, that species represent “dominant varieties” within a continuum, underscores the inherent subjectivity in such taxonomic judgments. Genetic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes identify Rice's whale as a monophyletic lineage, yet its pronounced genetic homogeneity may reflect recent demographic bottlenecks, possibly caused by historical whaling, rather than deep evolutionary isolation. Morphological differentiation, although subtle, includes cranial features primarily involving nasal bones. Ecologically, Rice's whales occupy a restricted range in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, potentially representing a relict population that was historically more widespread before commercial whaling. Comparative cases, such as North Atlantic right whales and northern elephant seals, illustrate how severe population reductions can rapidly produce distinct genetic profiles. The issue is not the use of genetic evidence itself but its interpretation: genetic diagnosability, particularly when based on limited mtDNA data, is not equivalent to speciation and may simply reflect restricted gene flow or recent isolation without reproductive or ecological divergence. Recognizing Rice's whale as a species thus highlights the tension between taxonomy based primarily on molecular diagnosability and a more integrative approach, emphasizing the need for multiple, concordant lines of evidence before assigning full species status.

Abstract This article focuses on the role of customary knowledge, practice and cultural continuation associated with oral histories of Faroe Islands. Four thematic areas are analyzed– pilot whale hunting, household and artisanal fisheries, pollutants, and social practices. The research builds on a 20-year engagement with over 20 knowledge-holders to explore what elements of customary law may continue to the present using oral history, participant observations, field trips and community workshops as methods. Additionally, novel and important observations of marine and environmental change are reported. Whaling has a significance for the community in the Faroe Islands through the meaning individuals have associated with it. The article provides evidence that the continued practices are linked to traditional Scandinavian customary practices that have persisted through adaptation and change continued to present day.

Herman Melville's Moby-Dick or The White Whale is a literary classic and historical account of 19th-century American whaling. Depictions of New Bedford, Nantucket, and life aboard the Pequod capture the whaling industry. Readers experience the whale hunt from sighting atop the ship's masts with shouts of "Thar she blows!" to excision of blubber and extraction of oil. Relationships are described, such as Ishmael, the novel's narrator, and Queequeg, a Pacific Islander harpooner reared as a prince among idolatrous cannibals. Captain Ahab's monomaniacal pursuit of Moby Dick, his hated nemesis, is the book's major plot. The novel's story is interrupted with descriptions of Sperm Whale anatomy and scattered observations of its behavior. Sperm Whales are social mammals, possessing the largest brain of all mammalian species, and capable of complex socio-cognitive computations and social communication. Sperm Whales use socially learned vocalization codas to "identify" matrilineally-defined social groups and "non-identity codas" to communicate between different social units sharing overlapping ocean habitats. Interestingly, Sperm Whales possess neurons morphologically similar to von Economo neurons (VENs) found in humans and other hominids. In higher primates, VENs support social behavior, higher socio-cognitive functions, and social communication. Thus, questions arise as to whether these morphologically similar "von Economo-like" neurons in Sperm Whales represent convergent evolution supporting complex socio-cognitive computations and social communication. In summary, Sperm Whales are an ethological model of social behavior, socio-cognitive functioning and social communication with translational relevance for man.

On Spitsbergen in Barentsburg there is the Pomor Museum with finds of the Spitsbergen Archaeological Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of V. F. Starkov. The finds presented in the collection are divided into the following cultural and historical groups: objects from Pomor settlements, European whaling stations and the sea expedition of the Chichagov camp. However, the collection includes artifacts from the Barents house on Novaya Zemlya, left by Dutch seafarers at the end of the 16th century. In general, the museum collection dates from the 16th–19th centuries.

Abstract Despite the end of commercial whaling in 1972, the northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) remains endangered in Canada and faces multiple human threats. The effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) in safeguarding highly mobile species like these whales is still unclear. We examined 35 years (1988–2023) of population trends in the Gully submarine canyon, off Canada's east coast and assessed spatial changes in human activities within protected and unprotected habitat on the Scotian Shelf. We analysed population size and habitat use using sighting rates and photo‐identification mark‐recapture data. We also evaluated whether spatial protections implemented through the designation of the Gully MPA in 2004 were associated with changes in the spatial distribution of threats, including ship strikes, entanglement, pollution and military sonar. We found the northern bottlenose whale population declined from 1988 until the mid‐2000s. However, from 2004 to 2010, coinciding with the establishment of spatial protections, this trend reversed, with the population growing near its maximum biological potential (~4% per year). Our analysis indicates that the intensity of two serious threats—commercial fishing and vessel traffic—has decreased within the highly protected Zone 1 area of the Gully MPA, where approximately 42% of the population can be found at any time. However, these activities now occur relatively more often in important habitat areas outside the MPA, indicating a spatial shift in fishing effort that raises concerns about potential displacement effects. Synthesis and applications. Spatial protection of the Gully MPA in 2004 coincided with a shift in human activities and the first signs of population recovery for northern bottlenose whales. While this suggests that well‐designed MPAs can contribute to conservation outcomes even for highly mobile species, long‐term success likely depends on continued monitoring and effective threat reduction both within the MPA and across other important habitats. Coordinated management across fisheries, shipping, offshore energy and defence sectors is essential. The Gully stands out as a rare conservation success in the open ocean, but its gains are not guaranteed.

This research examines the failure of Japanese whale diplomacy following the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, with a focus on Japan’s attempts to change the conservationist view of whales to the one focused on consumption of whale meat. This article explains how Japanese whale diplomacy attempts to convince the international public that whaling is part of cultural preservation. The method used is a qualitative approach with analysis of official government documents and research related to Japanese diplomacy and whaling. The constructivism approach was used to analyze how international identities, norms, and discourses shape Japan’s diplomatic policies.The findings show that, despite Japan’s efforts to prove that whaling is safe and sustainable, it has failed to change international norms on whale conservation. The dominant international discourse continues to regard whaling as unethical and environmentally damaging. Significant resistance from other countries that support conservation was a major obstacle.This research reveals that the failure of Japanese diplomacy was not only due to international resistance, but also Japan’s inability to align their scientific and cultural arguments with a global narrative that prioritizes environmental ethics. The contribution of this research lies in understanding the dynamics of norms and identities in international relations and the importance of ethical narratives in environmental diplomacy.

ABSTRACTNorth Pacific humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have recovered rapidly following their depletion by commercial whaling. Diet studies are necessary to assess food web implications of their recovery. This study investigates the diet composition of humpback whales foraging in the northern Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada, an area experiencing a recent return of humpback whales. Humpback whale skin samples (n = 108), juvenile herring (n = 202), adult herring (n = 23), euphausiids (n = 63), and amphipods (n = 6) were collected in the summer months of 2022 and 2023 and analyzed for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes. Applying these isotope data, the Bayesian mixing model MixSIAR was used to estimate the contribution of each prey type to humpback whale diet. We found that, during the summer months, humpback whales primarily consumed euphausiids (85.3%, range: 76.4%–94.0%) and juvenile herring (10.2%, range: 0.8%–21.0%), with minimal contributions from adult herring and amphipods. Diet composition was consistent across months and years. These findings provide critical insights into humpback whale foraging ecology, informing conservation efforts for both predator and prey species in the region.

ABSTRACT Southern right whales ( Eubalaena australis ) have shown population recovery since protection from commercial whaling and are considered a flagship species for successful conservation management. However, recovery remains incomplete, with recent evidence suggesting slowed growth and variability in reproductive success. This project used 30 years of count data in Australia (1992–2022) to investigate long‐term trends in relative abundance at three key reproductive areas in South Australia. Varied rates of increase were observed, while recovery trends have moderated at the major aggregation area of Head of Bight (3.34%/year, 95% CI: 2.24, 4.44); higher growth rates were observed at Fowlers Bay, where recolonization has occurred (15.29%/year, 95% CI: 7.54, 24.33). Results support that recovery trends for the Australian population are dynamic and variable across decades. Drivers of variability may include saturation of certain areas, reoccupation of suitable habitats, spatio‐temporal disturbance, and changes to factors driving migration, including body condition, prey availability, and climate change. Decadal shifts in relative abundance indicate an expanding habitat range, highlighting the importance of suitable habitat and connective migration corridors, which are increasingly important during critical life stages. Adaptive conservation management and effective threat mitigation are essential to secure recovery of this threatened species in Australia.

Blue whales in the Indian Ocean have been severely depleted by previous extensive commercial whaling. A good understanding of their spatio-temporal distribution is crucial for conservation. The songs of three blue whale acoustic populations - Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia, ANT BW) and pygmy blue whales (B. musculus brevicauda) from the Southeast (SEIO PBW) and Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO PBW) - were analyzed using 13 years of passive acoustic recordings from 10 sites in the southwest Indian Ocean. Although blue whale vocalizations comprise both songs and non-song calls (e.g., D-calls), the present study concentrates on the examination of songs. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to relate acoustic presence, measured by the number of positive minutes per day (averaged weekly), to environmental drivers such as sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a concentrations, and sea ice extent. These models allowed predictions of blue whale acoustic presence across the region. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) were applied for dimensionality reduction to identify key habitats, including the Kerguelen Plateau and Madagascar Basin, which may serve as important feeding and resting zones based on acoustic presence and environmental data. Antarctic blue whales were predominantly detected in austral winter and spring, associated with lower SST and higher chlorophyll-a. In contrast, SEIO and SWIO pygmy blue whales were more frequent in summer and autumn, with some overlap suggesting ecological interactions. These findings lay the groundwork for targeted conservation efforts to protect critical blue whale habitats in a rapidly changing ocean.

The release of Songs of the Humpback Whale in 1970 helped galvanize a torrent of North American activism to save the whale from commercial whaling. Whale song quickly became a cornerstone of environmentalist and New Age political culture. This article places humpback whale song science in the larger context of acoustic science and technology, arguing that the history of whale song science is a history of the voice. Recovering and drawing on an array of sources—from sound recordings, to whaling narratives, to archived research notebooks, correspondence, and funding reports—this article seeks to place whale song science in an interdisciplinary context that binds acoustic and naval engineers, speech scientists, ornithologists, and cetologists together in a web of vocal technologies, techniques, and representational formats. Blending these stories into a single narrative, this article broadens the historiography of whale song science by placing it back into the hands, eyes, and ears of the diverse workers who generated the conditions of its possibilities and sustained its development–from academic scientists and sonar engineers to research assistants and whalemen.

This contribution is an analysis of documentary and empirical data on whale migrations in the Gabonese marine space, from the pre-colonial period to the present day. It shows that the diachronic issue of the socio-economic relationships of these cetaceans also contributes to the discovery and exploration of the marine waters of the country. From the polar Antarctic (feeding grounds) to the equatorial Atlantic (breeding grounds), these whale migrations reveal the favorable characteristics of Gabon’s marine space for the reproduction of cetaceans and help to understand the local seabed these cetaceans frequented. In the days of French Equatorial Africa (AEF), these migrations led to unbridled whaling campaigns in Gabon between 1910 and 1965, in search of whale oil, a highly prized commodity for a variety of uses, including the manufacture of soap, margarine, and many other food and cosmetic derivatives. Today, whale migrations still take place every year, from June to October, along the coast of Gabon, where they have become a major tourist attraction thanks to the preservation of marine ecosystems, such as the areas particularly frequented by whales. This challenge promotes a new relationship with whales in Gabon, and results from the country’s status as a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 2002. Whale-watching migrations have thus exposed the transition from commercial exploitation of whale populations to their observation by tourists in Gabon over the decades, while at the same time providing an opportunity to explore the marine environment.

As one of the most representative works of Herman Melville, Moby-Dick is of great magnitude in the history of American literature. Ahab’s paranoid pursuit of the whale forms the pivotal tension of this work, with numerous allusions and references to biblical knowledge and images. The debacle of the whale hunting, heralded by Ahab’s lost hat as an important image, echoes the theme of vanity in the Book of Ecclesiastes, which has barely been discussed in previous studies. This paper, taking the hat of Ahab as a clue, seeks to probe into the theme of vanity in Moby-Dick with reference to Ecclesiastes reflected in the null obsession and pursuit, feeble human will and power, and doomed vanity and judgment.

Baleen whales migrate from productive high-latitude feeding grounds to usually oligotrophic tropical and subtropical reproductive winter grounds, translocating limiting nutrients across ecosystem boundaries in their bodies. Here, we estimate the latitudinal movement of nutrients through carcasses, placentas, and urea for four species of baleen whales that exhibit clear annual migration, relying on spatial data from publicly available databases, present and past populations, and measurements of protein catabolism and other sources of nitrogen from baleen whales and other marine mammals. Migrating gray, humpback, and North Atlantic and southern right whales convey an estimated 3784 tons N yr−1 and 46,512 tons of biomass yr−1 to winter grounds, a flux also known as the “great whale conveyor belt”; these numbers might have been three times higher before commercial whaling. We discuss how species recovery might help restore nutrient movement by whales in global oceans and increase the resilience and adaptative capacity of recipient ecosystems.

ABSTRACTUnsustainable wildlife trade is a major driver of global biodiversity loss. Effective wildlife trade governance is critical for conservation and requires international cooperation and coordination to regulate an industry valued at hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Yet, due to increasing polarization over consumptive wildlife use, certain countries have become disenfranchised by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the primary mechanism for regulating international wildlife trade. Tensions within CITES are rising over the elephant ivory and rhino horn trade, where polarization has pushed ten Southern African Development Community countries to suggest an outright withdrawal from CITES. The denunciation of CITES by such a large and ecologically significant bloc would substantially weaken the integrity, credibility, and stature of the Convention. There is a contemporary precedent to reference: Japan left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 2019 due to polarization over commercial whaling. Here, we examine the common threads between these two cases: changing organizational ethos, polarization amongst members, influence of non‐state actors, and loss of decidability for dissenting nations. Taking critical lessons from Japan's IWC withdrawal, we propose various options for structural reforms in CITES to restore decidability, enable equitability, and implement inclusive decision‐making.

Inspired by killer whale hunting strategies, this study presents a biomimetic algorithm for controlled subgroup fission in swarms. The swarm agents adopt the classic social force model with some practical modifications. The proposed algorithm consists of three phases: cluster selection phase via a constrained K-means algorithm, driven phase with strategic agent movement, including center pushing, coordinated oscillation, and flank pushing by specialized driven agents, and judgment phase confirming subgroup separation using the Kruskal algorithm. Simulation results confirm the algorithm's high success rate and efficiency in subgroup division, demonstrating its potential for advancing swarm-based technologies.

Abstract Consideration of traditional practices of natural resource management in decision‐making is crucial to meet the challenges of the world’s intersecting sustainability crises. However, knowledge of the role that such practices play in developed societies is scant, especially in Europe. This study investigates the persistence of traditional hunting practices in the context of the Faroe Islands. Specifically, it explores the values, rules, and knowledge in relation to traditional hunting practices that shape human–nature relationships. Through 31 semi‐structured interviews with active participants in mountain hare hunting, pilot whale hunting, and fulmar fowling, the study employs thematic content analysis to identify key themes and interrelations grounded in participant perspectives. Utilising the values‐rules‐knowledge (v‐r‐k) framework, which integrates diverse values, rules, and knowledge types, the study addresses the complex social‐ecological challenges in the North Atlantic. These are characterized by rapid economic growth, geographic isolation, strong place attachment, and social‐ecological vulnerabilities. Our results show that while traditional practices are diminishing across Europe, they remain vibrant in the Faroe Islands. Yet, hunting has shifted from subsistence to a recreational activity, with relational values to nature and the local community becoming more important than instrumental values. Our study demonstrates the important influence of the transmission of specific values, rules, and knowledge over time on hunting and ecosystem management practices, which extends existing scholarship on the motivational basis of hunting. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Introduction: Greenland in Denmark, Siberia in Russia, Bequia in the island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Alaska in the United States, Canada and the Faroe Islands located in the North Atlantic Ocean are some of the countries that still practice traditional whaling. Unlike Japan, which conducts commercial whaling and uses modern tools. Indonesia is a country that recognizes indigenous peoples and their customary law in the constitution. The Leva Nuang tradition or Lewa tradition is a tradition of the Lamalera people in East Nusa Tenggara Province in carrying out whaling in a traditional way for their own needs. Whales themselves are protected animals in the Convention on International Trade In Endangerad Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 1973).Purposes of the Research: The issue discussed in this paper is how international legal instruments regulate whaling and how international law protects the right of indigenous peoples to carry out whaling traditions.Methods of the Research: The research method used is normative juridical, using a concept approach, a statutory approach and a case approach. The sources of legal materials used are primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials. Analysis of such legal materials uses qualitative analysis techniques.Results of the Research: The results showed that the Convention on International Trade In Endangerad Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 1973) regulates protected animals, one of which is whales. There is also an international legal instrument governing whaling, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW 1946). The Government of Indonesia ratified CITES 1973 on December 15, 1978 through Presidential Decree Number 43 of 1978. However, the 1946 ICRW Convention and ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous Peoples have not been ratified by the Indonesian government. Nevertheless, the Indonesian government recognizes and protects the rights of indigenous peoples, including the Leva Nuang tradition or Lewa tradition.