The El Ni o factor Greenpeace, along with other green groups like the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, will be there in Oman this month. The majority of people in the world want to see an end to commercial whaling. His organisation believes that no amount of whaling is tolerable, not only because of public opinion but also because of environmental factors. Whales, along with dolphins and porpoises, are also at risk from fishing nets, chemical and persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs and changing weather patterns caused by the El Ni o effect. Unusual movements in ocean currents have left some waters in the Antarctic devoid of plankton and other species.
Whales tend to feed around the ice edge.
With its food source diminishing, the whales of the southern ocean are in danger of starving to death. Making a killing from eco-tourism All is not doom and gloom for this ancient and mysterious ocean nomad. Many countries, like South Africa, New Zealand and more recently Scotland, have switched from whale killing to whale watching. Iceland has developed a thriving industry in eco-tourism. The number of passengers booked on whale-watching trips shot up from 1,500 in 1995 to 20,500 last year.