Should Whales Be Culled to Improve Commercial Fisheries in the Tropics?

Culling whales will not increase fisheries catches in tropical waters, according to a paper supported by the Lenfest Ocean Program and published in the journal Science.

The current worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling is being hotly debated among member countries of the International Whaling Commission. Pro-whaling countries suggest that commercial whaling should resume because whales are competing with humans for limited fisheries resources.

But the scientists found that baleen whales in these tropical breeding grounds do not compete for fish with commercial fisheries. The study showed that even a complete eradication of whales would not lead to increased fisheries catches. 

This fact sheet provides background information.

Read the related press release Scientists Conclude That Culling Whales Will Not Help Fisheries in Tropical Regions.