Weapon Found in Whale Dated From the 1800s

LABarr writes "AP and CNN are carrying a story that has forced scientists to re-evaluate the longevity of mammals. A bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt over a century ago. 'Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3½-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old. The bomb lance fragment, lodged in a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time. It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890.' "

Comments

caught?

[stoolpigeon]

do people catch whales a lot? and then they did neck surgery on it before they let it go? or maybe - instead of 'catching' a whale, it should read - killed a whale? I'm just wondering.

Am I the only one disgusted by this?

[Cadallin]

That a bunch of Yayhoo's killed an animal over a century old?

Re:Yay, Humans

[ageoffri]

So instead you would rather have the Native Americans in Alaska starve? Native Americans have a history of sustainable hunting and it wasn't until Europeans came that animals were over-hunted.

Another factor to keep in mind is the religious aspect.

Re:Longevity of whales

[C0rinthian]

Bush kills a baby whale with his bare hands (and a mulcher) every other Saturday. It's how they keep thw White House lawn so vibrant.

Re:Yay, Humans

[ultramk]

I've actually spent some time in Alaska, in predominantly Inuit communities.

Nobody "lives off the land" anymore. That culture, as it was, is dead and gone. There are remnants, sure, but they are mainly for the tourists. The kids go to school, the parents go to work, if they are lucky enough to have a job.

If they can muster up a factory killing ship with exploding harpoons and chainsaws, arrangements can be made to ship a few shipping containers of frozen chicken a couple times a year. There certainly seemed to be no shortage of new snowmobiles and satellite dishes when I was up there.

The "but they can't afford not to kill endangered species" argument has no pull with me. They do this because they can, not because they need to.

M-