Plus, they look great, add to tourism in some places ($$$), etc.
but what about the whalers and those associated with whaling, esp coastal communities whose livelihood is almost, if not completely, dependent on it?
I don't think so. What exactly eats a whale?
great whites and orcas
smaller marine organisms, scavengers and whatnot feed on (and sometimes even inhabit) their carcass, whale fall etc
(i'm just going off memory here so woteva)
some populations of whale species are being being hunted at a rate more rapid than they can be replenished, while particular species are considered to be pests (eg minke whales) and are claimed to be the reason why other species of whales (eg baleen whales) are having difficulty increasing their population.
even if these whales do become extinct, the environment/ecosystem will be pretty fucked for a while but niches will fill and the balance will be restored over a long period of time... so it's not exactly the end of the world, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try to prevent this from occurring.
i don't necessarily have an issue with whaling, or the harvesting of any animal for that matter, so long as it's being conducted as humanely and sustainably as possible. and from what i've read (not much), this isn't exactly the case in many areas. so at the moment i'm against it until these methods are improved upon.
i mean, why should they be considered any different to the other (intelligent) animals we consume like pigs, squid and the good ol' octopus.
if people are gonna harvest them, just regulate the shit out of it. and i don't care how hard it would be.
ok i'm bored of this now