First, whales are among the most intelligent of animals, and generally speaking, we don't like killing smart things, even if every whale killed spares 20 cows.
Second, whales have an extremely important part of the ecosystem, especially today, in the form of combating clime change. Yes, really. Every ton of whale poop is a giant chunk of carbon that sinks to the bottom of the ocean, which can take hundreds to thousands of years for that carbon to make its way back into the atmosphere. The more whales there are, the faster they transform fish and krill into poop to be sent to the abyss below.
Third, and an extension of the above, whales mix the oceans up a bit when they dive and surface, bringing nutrient rich waters up from below.
Fourth, as whales are generally apex predators, they tend to accumulate quite a bit of pollution in their meat; it's much safer to eat tuna than it is to eat whale.
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@Aquilinus
The problems with whaling are numerous
First, whales are among the most intelligent of animals, and generally speaking, we don't like killing smart things, even if every whale killed spares 20 cows.
Second, whales have an extremely important part of the ecosystem, especially today, in the form of combating clime change. Yes, really. Every ton of whale poop is a giant chunk of carbon that sinks to the bottom of the ocean, which can take hundreds to thousands of years for that carbon to make its way back into the atmosphere. The more whales there are, the faster they transform fish and krill into poop to be sent to the abyss below.
Third, and an extension of the above, whales mix the oceans up a bit when they dive and surface, bringing nutrient rich waters up from below.
Fourth, as whales are generally apex predators, they tend to accumulate quite a bit of pollution in their meat; it's much safer to eat tuna than it is to eat whale.