The Baleen Whales’ Saving Grace: The Introduction of Petroleum Based Products in the Market and Its Impact on the Whaling Industry

Sustainability

John McCollough¹ 

关键词: sustainable yield;    whaling;    sperm whales;    baleen whales;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su2103142

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This paper presents empirical evidence which indicates that the introduction of petroleum based products on the American markets was a significant factor in reducing the demand for whale oil. As a result, the whaling industry, America’s 5th largest industry at the time, soon collapsed. A counterfactual study is then presented which suggests that if the introduction of petroleum based products had been delayed, then the increase in demand as a result of rising GDP per capita, as well as rapid industrialization, would have given whalers incentive to continue chasing after a diminishing whale population. This could have resulted in the baleen whale population being subject to unsustainable harvest levels.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2010 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.