• Food - Being such large animals, their meat was used as a major source of food that could feed a lot of people over a long period of time. Their meat was also used as food for animals. In 2006 Japan was actually accused of feeding the excess whale meat that they currently have to dogs.
• Oil - The oil found in the blubber was used to make cosmetics, candles, soap, perfume, and lamp oil. 
• Clothing - Baleen was used to make clothing such as corsets.
• Bones - Whale bones were used to make furniture and for other building

• For a complete rundown on the number of whales taken, here's a great link which breaks it down by year and species… http://luna.pos.to/whale/sta.htm

• Norway never really agreed with the international agreement to end whaling and they still hunt Minke Whales to this day in the North Atlantic.
• Japan is still whaling using a loop hole in the whaling moratorium which permits scientific whaling. Although, many people (myself included) see this 'scientific whaling' program is just a cover up to continue whaling. As of today, the Japanese hunt Minke Whales, Sei Whales, and Sperm Whales. They're also looking to increase their program to include Fin Whales and Humpback Whales, both species are listed as endangered.
• Iceland, like Japan although not at the same scale, uses the same ‘scientific research’ loop hole to conduct their whaling of Minke Whales.
• Aboriginal populations are allowed to hunt a small number of whales in order to sustain themselves.

• Japan hopes to catch 935 Minke Whales and (10) Fin Whales and within the next two years, they plan to slaughter an additional (40) Fin Whales and (50) Humpback Whales, both of which are still considered to be endangered and vulnerable. This is in addition to their 'drive hunts' in which they corrall several small whales (several different dolphin species, pilot whales, false killer whales, etc.) into shallow water where they are slaughtered one by one in the most inhumane way imagineable. They are killed by having their throats cut and/or by being stabbed by spears. Then they are left to die a slow and painful death as the water around them turns red because of the blood being lost. 

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• Here is a link to a great report written up about these drive hunts. Be warned that some of the images on this page are quite graphic and disturbing. [www.whales.org/pdf/DriveHunt_final.pdf]
• Norway slaughtered (639) Minkes in 2005 and are hoping to catch (1,052) in 2006.
• Iceland is hoping to kill roughly (39) Minke Whales

• It's cruel! Many whales that are harpooned (especially the larger species such as Fin, Sperm, Sei, etc) do not die instantly as the whalers clain that they do. In fact, some of the "lucky" ones (if you want to call them lucky) are able to escape only to suffer a lengthy painful death.
• It's Not Safe! Whale's live in polluted waters which in turns effects thier bodies. Eating whale meat poses threats to people's health.

• Pollution
• Fishing Gear Entanglements
• Ship Collisions
• Noise Pollution
• Shrinking Food Supply (caused by overfishing)
• Over Hunting (some species: With only an estimated 300 left in the world, Northern Right Whales haven't even recovered from the early days of whaling and unfortunately, it's possible that these whales will become extinct!

Smokers, please use your ashtrays - Belive it or not, cigarette butts take several years to decompose. If you smoke or if you know anyone who smokes, please use an ashtray to properly dispose of the butts. Many people don't realize that when they through a cigarette butt on the ground, often times it will end up in the ocean. Ashtrays were made for a reason, please use them!

Participate in a beach clean up - Unfortunately, pollution with probably always be a huge problem. It's sad to say, but most of it is due to pure human laziness. Volunteering to help with a beach clean up is a great way to elimate some of the threats to the wildlife. During a beach clean up, you'll basically be picking up the trash along the coast and it will later be brought to where it belongs. 

Pick up trash on the streets - I know that picking up after other people isn't the ideal way to enjoy a nice walk through your neighborhood, but it would really make a huge difference. Not only would it make the environment a much better and cleaner place, but it would also make it look much better!

Save Water - When you're at home showering or brushing your teeth, do whatever you can to save as much water as you can. Keep your showers relatively short and don't let the water run while you're brushing your teeth.

Save Electricity - When you leave a room in your house be sure to turn off the lights as well as the TV or radio to conserve electricity. When it's light out, don't be afraid to use the sunlight to fill the room instead of having the lights on.

Adopt or sponsor a wild animal - When you adopt an animal you're basically donating money to help research and conservation efforts. Most conservation organizations are non-profit which means that they rely a lot on donations to continue their hard work.

Think about what you're doing - Take a look at your daily routine and really think about whether or not there are any negative effects on the environment.

Do Research - There are many programs out there to list that are aiming to protect wildlife. By doing some research on your own you'll most likely be able to find a program or two that will supports a cause that you're passionate about.

Go on whale watches and encourage others to do the same. There's no experience quite like seeing these amazing animals in the wild! The more people that get to see these animals in the wild and learn how they can protect them the better!

• Adopt a Dolphin - Offers dophin adoption packages.
• Adopt a Finback Whale - Offers packages to adopt finback whales.
• American Cetacean Society - Offers programs to adopt several species of whales and porpoises.
• Blue Ocean Society - Adopt a Sea Creature.
• Blue Whale Adoption Program - Offers adoptions of blue whales.
• Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Adoption Program - Offers humpback whale adoptions.
• North Atlantic Right Whale Adoption Program - Adopt a highly endangered Northern Right Whale!
• Orca Adoption Program - Offers adoption packages for orcas (killer whales).
• Research Groups Adopt a Right Whale - Offering right whale adoptions.
• Whale Center of New England - Offers humpback whale adoptions.
• Whale Adoption Project - Offers adoption packages for humpback whales.
• Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program - Offers adoption packages for killer whales (orcas).