Hi I'm MO Barrow with the
discovery files from NSF, the U.S.
National Science Foundation.
Ah beautifully haunting wail sound.
But did you know that between 1910 and
1970 man depleted the Antarctic whale
population by some 1.5 million baleen whales?
You might think that for crew,
the tiny shrimp like creatures,
on which baleen whales feast-- extermination
of whales would be a boost. Not so.
A team of NSF funded researchers led by
Stanford University have found that the
human cause decrease in whale population.
Is also causing depletion of krill
populations which impacts the health
and productivity of ocean ecosystems. By
using tagging and aerial drone surveys.
The research team is studying blue, fin,
humpback, and minke whales to
assess the amount of food they take
in in a single gargantuan gulp.
This helps us understand the impact
current populations have on the ecosystem.
A half a century after whaling was outlawed.
Scientists are still learning
the consequences
of such a devastating loss,
but are also researching ways to bring the
whales back and restore ocean ecosystems.
Perhaps we find whale sounds so haunting
because we were getting the message.