Whales are some of the most magnificent, incredible and majestic creatures on Earth! Uncontrolled fishing is depleting the seas and eventually the whales will starve! The helium balloons that are released into the sky fall into the sea, where whales and dolphins mistake them for food, ruining their diet! Therefore you decide; do you want to remain inert or do you want go save some whales? Time to take action!
Steps
Step 1. Make a donation to some fish conservation organizations
Save your money to be able to donate it. Try to offer as much as possible. These associations, such as Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd and WDCS, know how to use money effectively to help save whales. Don't try to spend the money on your own to contribute to this project. They would just be wasted. Sea Shepherd, for example, has invested the money so efficiently that it saves hundreds of whales every year. So, put your savings aside!
Step 2. Ask the companies that organize whale watching excursions not to get the boat too close to the whale
Boats can easily scare off mammals which tend to avoid the shore in this way, even though this is where they usually feed. Research carried out by marine biologists shows that some whales avoid certain places where ships lurk due to noise pollution and collisions. Did you know that? So next time you go on a whale watching excursion, talk to your guide first.
Step 3. Volunteer in local associations that raise awareness of aquatic life, those that adopt a beach or monitor the water quality of local reservoirs
Organize your class, school club or organize a day to clean the bottom of rivers, inlets, estuaries and beaches. Know that urban discharges are the main cause of water pollution nationwide. Pollutants such as engine oil, antifreeze, detergents, waste in general, paints, pesticides, pet waste and copper (which comes from brake pads) end up in the manholes and arrive directly in the rivers, streams and finally in the oceans. This can damage many living things!
Step 4. Join the campaign to write a letter to save the whales with your class, association or church group
Invite friends over for a party and "write the letter". Print the letter from the "Action Alert" section of the site that you find in the Take Action window. A letter sent by a single person to a government official represents the opinion of hundreds of people. Letters are powerful tools of influence, as they express people's concerns. So, write a letter or two!
Step 5. Cut the plastic rings that are used as packaging for the six-can packs before recycling or disposing of them in the trash
Thousands of birds, fish and other marine creatures die unnecessarily from ingesting them, thus diminishing the food available for whales. In addition, even whales can eat these packages. Some people think that this is a minor problem, which has little effect, but in reality it is the most important aspect!
Step 6. Collect the trash when you walk in your neighborhood
Take part in the ever-numerous initiatives in many cities to prevent water and sewage pollution by cleaning beaches and cities. One of the biggest sources of beach pollution is caused by cigarette butts, which take up to seven years to dissolve. For example, last year, during a national coastal cleanup initiative organized in the US, volunteers collected over a million cigarette butts. So the next time you come across trash thrown on the floor, pick it up!
Step 7. Educate your children
If they grow up with the knowledge of cetaceans and with love for them, they can be of great help in saving whales. If they begin to sympathize with whales at a young age, as adults they will defend them and all marine life with them. The "Save the Whales" association has more than 250,000 registered children.
Step 8. Clean the rivers
Eventually the waste in rivers ends up in the ocean and pollutes the water. Fish cannot breathe through polluted water and eventually suffocate. Whales' food sources are greatly reduced, putting their very survival at risk. Over a hundred whales are expected to die from this in the next ten years if no one intervenes.
Step 9. Do good car maintenance to avoid leaks on roads and driveways that cause water pollution
When you can, rely on the shared use of the car or ride a bicycle. Recycle used engine oil. Take hazardous waste such as paints, pesticides and antifreeze to special hazardous waste landfills. Call the toll-free number in your area if there is any leakage of pollutants. Talk to your neighbors if you see them dumping material down the sewers. Let them know that in this way they have polluted thousands of liters of water and that they should change their behavior!
Step 10. Never throw used fishing lines, nets and hooks into the water
They could trap and kill birds, fish, turtles, dolphins, small whales, seals and otters. Even if the whales survive, their food source will still decline.
Step 11. Do not dump anything on the street because it ends up in manholes and goes directly into rivers, streams, and ultimately into the oceans, without the material having been purified
Know that one liter of engine oil can pollute 1 million liters of water. A dime-sized drop of oil that remains on a sea otter's skin can lead to fatal hypothermia. He dies of freezing. Keep this in mind, you definitely didn't know!
Step 12. Recycle, reuse and reduce
Landfills are filling up beyond belief with discarded items and rubbish. Hazardous waste thrown in the trash ends up in landfills from where it leaches contaminating the soil and groundwater. Reduce the amount of waste by recycling, reusing and composting. Grow an organic garden without the use of pesticides. Remember to let your neighbors know too! Promote this growing method as much as possible. In the US, the state of Ontario has banned pesticides in favor of the environment. Who knows that the initiative will not extend to other countries!
Step 13. Buy products that respect the environment and support organic farming
Pesticides can be really harmful to the environment!
Part 1 of 2: Whale hunting
Step 1. Whaling has been going on for thousands of years and if no action is taken soon the oceans will be lifeless
Step 2. Use the media to disseminate information
The more attention you get, the more people will help you save the whales. Let people know why it is so important to help this species.
Step 3. Write to the Japanese whaling companies
Write a letter to the CEOs of Nippon Suisan, Maruha and Kyokuyo. They are the main seafood holdings that have contributed to the continued whaling in Japan. Ask them to convince the government of Japan to permanently end the slaughter of whales for products that no one needs and no one wants.
Step 4. Register on the European IFAW site to receive mobile notifications
You will be constantly updated on news regarding whales if you join this free dedicated network. When the association needs your help to save the whales, you are notified directly by sending a notification to your mobile phone.
Step 5. Have a house party in support of the whales
Encourage other people to join the group and become an active member in the global campaign to end whaling by organizing a meeting to see documentaries or reports on the subject.
Step 6. Sign a petition to stop whaling
The more signatures the conservation and protection associations can collect, the faster the whale population will increase.
Step 7. Talk to other people to help protect these cetaceans
It only takes seconds to spread information about the cruelty of whaling and explain the efforts being made by associations to end it, yet the impact on the campaign is enormous. Invite your friends, family and colleagues to help save the whales.
Step 8. If you want more information on whaling, the internet offers many links and sites of associations and groups that fight against this terrible and cruel practice
Part 2 of 2: Ideas for Your Children
Step 1. Do you have children?
If their favorite animal is the whale, why not tell them to help them too? Here is a complete list of things children can do to help save whales.
Step 2. Protest against any balloon launches at school fairs or other events
Balloons often end up in the ocean, where whales and other marine animals mistake them for food and eat them, blocking their digestive system and causing death. A fourth grade class in Connecticut managed to get the approval of a law by the state that makes it illegal to throw balloons in the country!
Step 3. Turn off all possible lights, both at school and at home
This can help reduce the risk of oil spills killing tides of plankton which in turn feed the whales.
Step 4. Check for ingredients such as "fish oil" or "sea oil" in lipstick, margarine and shoe polish, as it can come from whales and other marine animals
This will discourage companies from using them.
Step 5. Invite the whole class to join you and write letters to the Japanese Embassy:
Via Quintino Sella, 60 - 00187 Rome, to ask that Japan free the whales.
If they don't answer you, tell the children in Japan why they should stop eating whale meat. Doing so will help protect these wonderful cetaceans.
Step 6. Recycle
Don't get tired of telling your friends, colleagues or classmates to recycle more; this is of great help.
Step 7. Adopt a whale
Visit the WWF website on the whales page, you will find a link where you can make a donation or adopt one.
Advice
- Bring some plastic bags with you. Always keep some when you go for a walk. This way, you can collect all the junk you find. Do not throw it away once cleaning is complete, as it is often more harmful to the environment.
- Always look for the "recycling" symbol on all the containers you want to throw away. Do not put them in the garbage if it is possible to recover them.
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Create a group with other people who love whales.
It might seem like a weak initiative at first, but it works. In this way, more and more people can follow these instructions and more and more whales will be saved.
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If you want to turn off the lights to reduce the risk of oil spills, get a good answer in case someone asks you why.
A good reason is that "germs reproduce 80 times faster in bright light." Or just tell them why you did it.
- While it may not seem very efficient at first, step 6 of the first part is very important. Beach clean-up initiatives can get a lot of media coverage. And the more we talk about it, the more we help save the whales.
- Don't try to create your own association. It is quite challenging. Instead, you can join or support others. This is much easier, as it is an already structured and already present reality.
Warnings
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Never force people to commit to saving whales.
Just tell them what can happen if they don't (Harpoons with grenades in the head, explosions, drowning). When you try to force them, they become touchy and will walk away.
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Don't think about imitating the Sea Shepherd.
Even if you think you can get away with it, you don't necessarily have to. It is extremely dangerous and you could easily compromise your criminal record. Pete Bethune was fined for piracy when he boarded the whaling ship called Shonan Maru 2.
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Do not insult or hate the Japanese people by letter.
Regardless of how badly they behave towards whales, respect is a must. Remember to keep your tone calm.
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Don't complain if your country doesn't hunt whales.
To save the whales, the only way forward is to raise people's awareness. Know that in some places or under certain circumstances, protesting can lead to prison.
