Creating Sanctuaries

Governments focus on sanctuaries as places where they can address the ever-increasing list of threats to whale populations.

Threats to whales include ...
exposure to toxic chemicals, which threaten their health and reproduction ... fishing and shipping practices, which cause deaths due to entanglements in fishing gear, by-catch and collisions with ships ... noise pollution and irresponsible tourism practices, which can disturb migratory routes and natural behaviors ... and global warming and land-based marine pollution, which are changing marine habitats and food sources.

Another threat is large-scale commercial whaling.

Commercial whaling has devastated the planet’s whale populations, pushing some to the brink of extinction. Decades of uncontrolled and unsustainable whaling have resulted in the collapse of whale populations worldwide.

Unfortunately, Japan is currently undermining the status of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary by killing hundreds of minke whales there every year.
 
What Are the Benefits of Whale Sanctuaries?
Sanctuaries are an essential tool for the protection of whales and the entire marine environment. They not only provide protection for species that are threatened with extinction, but are an important management tool for marine resources and marine biodiversity in general. Whale sanctuaries benefit long-term whale conservation by:

• Enabling threatened and endangered species to recover in protected environments;
• Emphasizing the need for the restoration and protection of marine habitats;
• Highlighting the need for cooperative and informed management of the marine environment;
• Creating designated areas for non-lethal research into the behavior and biology of marine species;
• Providing an opportunity to develop non-lethal uses for marine species (such as ecotourism and whale watching);
• Increasing public awareness and appreciation of the value and vulnerability of marine ecosystems.