Whaling was so important to the US economy that they had their own $bill as currency.

A 'Whaler' is the name for a ship that is specially fitted out for capturing and processing whales at sea. Their operators and owners should be ashamed of themselves. There are other ways of earning a living, without causing so much pain to these beautiful animals, let alone set out at great expense, to maim and butcher something so magnificent. That is surely perverse!

The only excuse for such barbarism is food shortages and starvation, where humans have been known to eat each other, resorting to cannibalism to survive. But surely, as an intelligent species, we should be able to plan ahead to avoid such inhuman protein intake. Though, there are plenty of us to go around and the population is growing. We are of course just making light of a serious problem. Though President Trump seems to be paving the way to make the unthinkable happen. Donald wants more houses and less animals, according to wildlife analysts. He also wants to keep burning petroleum derived fuels in US cars and factories. Perhaps we should strap him to a big white whale for his Ahab like obsession with putting money before lives.

Talking of light, we no longer need the oil from whales for lamps and candles. Thomas Edison gave us the electric light bulb and we now have LEDs. We don't need sperm oils for lubrication and we should be weaning ourselves off meat, where vegetarianism is far less damaging to the environment in lowering greenhouse gases.

THE OPERATORS

A Whaler or 'Whalers,' is the name give to the sailors and officers of such vessels and their owners, or the Whaling company that operates such sailing ships, now replaced by much larger automated diesel powered factory ships with haul up slipways, such as the Japanese Nisshin Maru.

As with poisoned shellfish, that have ingested micro fibers and plastics near rivers and around our shores, whale meat will also be contaminated via bioaccumulation, meaning than humans who eat whales and procreate are likely to miscarriage or may give birth to children affected by the toxins they have ingested, but it is unclear how this will manifest in life, if at all. But why take the risk!

Don't include whale meat or shellfish (shrimps, mussels, prawns and crabs) from contaminated regions in your diet. Fish too are potentially toxic if not fished from areas clear of plastics, especially bottom feeders, like plaice and sole.

Moby Dick, was an excellent anti-whaling novel, that unfortunately, cost Herman Melville a serious financial hit when he published in 1851.

Whalers were a hardy bunch of sailors, who sometimes got killed and often made very little from their years of voyaging away from their families. Then there were whales like Mocha Dick to contend with.

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