Whales became victims of hunting in the waters of the North American coast in the seventeenth century. Even then, these mammals began to interest people. The goal was to extract whale fat. For this, a variety of types of these creatures were suitable.
Application methods
Until the second half of the nineteenth century, whale fat played the role of a product that was the only one able to satisfy any need for fatty fibers. It was used for many processes. Abundantly, whale fat was used to make soap and to produce manganese. Certain breeds could be suppliers of raw materials for the chemical industry.
In general, at that time there was a fairly wide range of what the whale oil was used for. It was extracted from animals that were caught in the vast Arctic and Antarctic. The most favorable time for this was considered spring and summer.
At this time, whale fat is especially concentrated in the well-fed bodies of animals. If we consider the blue representative of the species, it can supply the producers with 19 thousand liters of fatty fibers. If you manage to catch a sperm whale, you will become the proud owner of 7.9 thousand liters.
The need to keep the view
Whale fat was extracted with great intensity, the use of which found ever new interesting options. However, this did not positively affect the population, because the number of blue, white and gray representatives of this species critically fell. They have almost completely disappeared. In view of the hype that gave rise to whale fat, a special international commission was created to protect these animals.
Thus, it was possible to establish control over the number. Of course, there are many things for which you need whale oil, but if you do not engage in capture in moderation, then there will be nobody to use in the near future.
The International Whaling Commission appeared on December 2, 1946. At first, there was no effect, and the pace of hunting for mammals was just as deadly. The population of a blue, humpbacked species became more and more small. The fin whale has almost completely ceased to exist.
Relevant today
Nowadays, the question "why is whale fat for modern man?" there are also a ton of answers. It is still used in many industries. The issue of hunting restrictions is also acute. After all, over the course of centuries, animals became less and less. That they did not die out, it is necessary to regulate this question.
The importance of whaling is really hard to overestimate. Many useful things can be extracted from its products. If you look more closely, we will see that many of the valuable substances that are obtained from the results of a whale catch are really of great importance. For example, blubber (the so-called fat-containing subcutaneous tissue) is suitable for producing excellent fat. It is used to make the lamp work or when soap is made.
Other beneficial substances
In addition to valuable fat, cetaceans are suppliers of delicious meat products. The bone of this animal is suitable for the manufacture of earth-fertilizing substances. Sperm whales are useful spermaceti - fat, which is located in the head. This substance is good to use for the preparation of ointments, cosmetics and candle products.
Sperm whale is an excellent supplier of such useful material as ambergris, which is produced in these animals inside the intestines. It is used in the manufacture of perfumes. The tusks and tooth that the narwhal possesses are very valuable bone, which is not inferior to the elephant. The skin worn by a white whale is suitable for the manufacture of leather goods.
An interesting fact is that any whale creature is a mammal. The precursors of these animals were land. Even in fins, their appearance is similar to five-finger hands. Over many centuries of underwater life, the environment has facilitated adaptation to a similar mode of existence.
Anti-poaching
As part of the fight against over-extermination of whales, it was forbidden to use their fat for cosmetic purposes.
The malls that fill the global market should clear themselves a bit of cosmetics containing an effective and rare component called spermaceti. It is very similar to the human sebum under the skin. Its action is simply amazing. Wounds instantly heal along with any sunburn. The skin is rejuvenated and fundamentally moisturized. Back in the eighteenth century, it was mined to make cosmetics.
Nowadays, a large number of animals are killed for spermaceti. Whale fats are cooled and filtered by laying on a compact. The year 1986 brought a ban prohibiting the extraction of this substance. However, this did not stop the poachers, and they continued to hunt and illegally sell fat. Now organizations are working that are engaged in the fight against the criminal activity of hunters for valuable substances.
Criminal hunt
Russia can be confidently called the main exporter of illegally obtained fat. Most prohibited products come from the Primorsky region. Aroma Jazz is a domestic brand producing cosmetics that includes spermaceti.
Manufacturers of creams do not want to abandon this substance, because synthetic analogues are not subject to such an amazing effect. So say cosmetologists-dermatologists. The composition is so complex that scientists have not yet found a way to fully recreate it in the laboratory. Because of this, no one is in a hurry to exclude spermaceti from the composition of their cosmetic products. Of course, such an effective product is popular with the consumer.
Youth elixir
If you want to study spermaceti in its pure form, you will see frozen bars of fat. Regrettably, poachers do not seek to hide their intentions and actively post ads for sale on the websites of the cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.
This is a profitable and expensive business. For 1 kilogram you need to pay at least a hundred dollars. Not one merchant can try to assure you that his actions are legal and legal, but in most cases this is simply a banal lie for the sake of profit. They may also claim that these products are from old batches. There is a very small percentage of the probability that this is not a lie, because spermaceti makes it possible to store it for many years.
Damage in this case does not occur. However, think about it, because with such abundant demand and good prices, old stocks would have long been sold out and smeared on the faces of consumers who want to keep their own youth.
Similar products are acquired by companies that do not want to be responsible for their actions, and cosmetologists who make creams at home for their own use or personal small business. Some can simply smear their skin with sperm without any treatment, believing that it is more effective, and they will certainly be forever young.
In any case, when buying this product, carefully study everything.