I'm a student doing a project about humpback whales. Thank you very much for your help.
Whale conservation is a huge area of study, and a politically sensitive one at that.
These opinions set the stage for serious conflict and struggle between the parties that have an interest in whales, whaling and environmental conservation. I am involved primarily in the study of humpback whale behavior, and prefer not to comment too much on conservation and saving the whales. Your question has to do with what value we place on whales, and also what value whales have in and of themselves without regard to human feelings about them. Your question is more about philosophy, ethics, conservation and sustainability, so rather than try to answer it myself I will point you to a few web sites that may help.