World Marine Mammal Protection Day ( International Marine Mammal Protection Day ) or World Whale Day is celebrated in many countries on February 19.
This environmental date is considered the day of protection not only of whales, but also of all marine mammals and various other living things living in the seas and oceans of our planet. This Day was established in 1986, when the moratorium on whale fishing, introduced by the International Whale Commission ( MKK ) ( International Whaling Commission, IWC ), entered into force.
This moratorium is still valid and means that hunting whales, as well as trade in whale meat, is prohibited throughout the world. Currently, whale fishing is allowed exclusively to meet the needs of the indigenous population ( the so-called, indigenous ) and the removal of whales for scientific purposes with the special permits of the IWC member governments.
First of all, Whale Day – is to attract the attention of the public, government representatives and all of humanity to the protection of this unique species of animals and, in general, all marine mammals, of which to date, only 119 species have been preserved on Earth. The intensive and merciless extermination of marine mammals and, in particular, whales, which has been going on for more than 200 years, adversely affects their numbers – many representatives of this unit were on the verge of extinction.
But they are – the most sensitive indicators of the state of the planet’s marine systems and an important link in the food chains of the World Ocean, they create the stability of the biological cycle of substances in the ecological system. Therefore, a reduction in the number of whales and other marine animals leads to an imbalance in the biological balance in marine ecosystems. After all, every disappeared species – is an irreparable loss – everything that disappears in the animal world, – disappears forever.
Despite the fact that the moratorium on whale fishing is still valid and the extraction of whales is prohibited by the laws of most countries, the destruction of these animals does not stop. In addition, a person, unfortunately, is not always reasonable, has long negatively affected nature, changing it. For example, fishing tackle, as well as oil pollution of the oceans due to the expansion of the geography of oil production on the offshore shelf, cause large losses to marine mammals.
In Russia, the Day for the Protection of Marine Mammals has been celebrated since 2002 and is of particular importance, since several dozen species of whales, dolphins, fur seals and seals live in Russian seas, many of which are threatened with extinction and are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
For information
— The seas and oceans of the Earth were developed by marine mammals long before the appearance of people. The findings of paleontologists confirm the existence of whales and seals 26 million years ago.
— Cetaceans ( Cetacea ) — a detachment of aquatic mammals, which includes whales, dolphins and guinea pigs. Whales breathe air with the help of the lungs, are warm-blooded, feed the cubs with milk.
— Blue whale — the largest creature on Earth, its weight sometimes reaches 200 tons, and the length — is 33 meters.
— Whales gave a lot to people: whalebone and sperm, whale fat and bone meal. And recently, doctors have become seriously interested in studying whales.
— Kit — is a wonderful symbol of life in the sea, large and powerful, but at the same time very defenseless. And it’s important to remember this…
It should also be noted that there is another date for such events – World Whale and Dolphin Day.