Exploring Whaling: Insights from Freakonomics Radio's Series
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Chapter 1: A Journey into Whaling History
The topic of whaling typically surfaces for me during my rare revisits to Herman Melville's classic, Moby Dick. Each decade, I find myself diving into the narrative, exploring the adventures with Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, Starbuck, and the formidable white whale.
This month, Freakonomics Radio embarks on a significant exploration titled "Everything You Never Knew About Whaling," taking listeners on a journey from New England to Japan and Norway.
In the first episode, "The First Great American Industry," host Stephen Dubner reveals a startling fact: whale hunting still occurs today. He notes that between 1900 and 1999, the whaling industry was responsible for the death of approximately 2.9 million whales, with 276,442 of those from the North Atlantic region alone. Alarmingly, over a thousand whales continue to be killed annually for their meat and various body parts, destined for commercial markets.
Whales often make headlines due to political narratives, particularly claims that offshore wind farms are significantly harming whale populations. Interestingly, many of these advocates seem oblivious to the ongoing destructive practices of the whaling industry.
Dubner elaborates, stating, "In contemporary times, when individuals venture out to spot whales, it's typically for whale-watching. Historically, however, whaling was a crucial economic activity for many around the globe. In the U.S., it played a pivotal role in both the economy and daily life, which can be difficult to comprehend today. Thus, the tale of the whale intertwines with our economic narrative."
As the series progresses, Dubner and his team will explore the last operational American whaling ship, examine the rise of environmental activism in the U.S. linked to the Save the Whales movement, and engage with various figures, including a scholar of Moby Dick, a journalist from a remote Japanese whaling community, and the well-known environmentalist Paul Watson, known for his confrontations with whaling vessels on the series Whale Wars.
The inaugural episode, "The First Great American Industry," is currently accessible on freakonomics.com, with subsequent episodes set to release on Wednesdays, July 19 and 26, at 11:00 PM ET.
The whaling series adds to the Freakonomics Radio Network's recent lineup of special content, which has included series on art repatriation, air travel, and the insights of Adam Smith, along with the launch of their latest show, The Economics of Everyday Things.