Diana Arrowood BIOL-100 October 23, 2011 Nathan Varano The Extinction of the Grey Whale The overexploitation of a species is a factor that mankind is now growing a great concern. With advancing technology the fishing industry has catapulted its pace at capturing the treasures from our seas. With the high demand of the public consumers wanting shrimp and fresh seafood the supply of these species is diminishing. There are also fishing expeditions of fresh and saltwater that are being trapped for the aquarium trade and fished for sport.

The Grey whale weighs over twenty to thirty tons and can get up to thirty or forty foot. The grey whale travels in pods making trips of twelve thousand miles going from Mexico to Alaska and back. The grey whales feeding manner is different than most whales as they turn on their sides picking up sediment from the floor of the ocean taking in crustaceans and bottom dwelling creatures. They filter out the food by separating the water and the sediment through its sleeve like baleen. The change of the climate has created a concern for the grey whales.

Rise in the sea temperature has made the arctic feeding ground so small that what once fed ninety- thousand whales can now only feed twenty-two thousand. There are more reports from scientist now that have statements of dying calves and very thin adults. These are signs that the grey whales feeding grounds are less than substantial. The Atlantic grey whale was living in the North Atlantic Ocean, and in the eastern North Atlantic, Baltic and North seas and the English Channel. The Atlantic grey whale may have been the species hunted by whalers.

The grey whale migrates between feeding and breeding. Grey whales used to be called fighting fish. Their behavior was fierce when being hunted. The grey whale is the sole living species in the genus Eschrichtius, the mammal descended over thirty million years ago. With the feeding ground diminishing it seems as though the grey whales have sightings have been confirmed off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. Some scientist think they may have relocated to feeding grounds that they have not used for centuries.

The gray whale is part of the ecosystem in our aquatic waters and needs to be protected from becoming extinct. Mankind should be aware that the dangers involved of doing away with a species could endanger many more life cycles. References earthjustice. org/irreplaceable/gray_whale? gclid=CJ7g6rHl_6sCFRKn7Qodnycchw (n. d. ) Retrieved from http://earthjustice. org/irreplaceable/gray_whale? gclid=CJ7g6rHl_6sCFRKn7Qodnycchw en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gray Whale (n. d. ) Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gray_Whale