Conservation and Science

Why Military Bases Might Determine the Future of Whales

04 Nov 2025

Audio

Description

Is the resumption of commercial whaling inevitable? What hidden geopolitical forces are shaping international whale conservation efforts? Let's dive (pun not intended) into the complex world of whale conservation with marine scientist Dr Peter Corkeron. In our conversation, Peter uncovers the surprising connections between military bases, national security, and the fate of the world's largest mammals.From the history of industrial whaling to the current state of whale populations, our guest provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges facing whale conservation today. He explains how some whale species are making an impressive comeback while others teeter on the brink of extinction. But the real story goes beyond biology! Learn how US military interests in Japan may be influencing whaling policies, and why anti-whaling efforts that seemed successful for decades may now be faltering.As commercial whaling threatens to resume, we argue for a new approach to whale protection. We discuss the limitations of current conservation strategies, the complex motivations behind pro-whaling interests and why simply allowing whaling to "fizzle out" is no longer a viable option. Finally, Peter offers his perspective on potential solutions, addressing underlying geopolitical factors and advocating for policy changes to protect whale populations more effectively.Further reading:Losing the Whales: How the Anti-Whaling Narrative Has FailedThe Return of WhalingWhat US Militarism Has to Do With Japan's Quest to Slaughter More WhalesSubscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Recommended Books: tommysoutdoors.com/booksMerch: tommysoutdoors.com/shopFollow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and FacebookMentioned in this episode:This is the Conservation and Science podcast Replay series, a curated collection of best episodes from last year. If you are new to the show, this is an excellent opportunity to catch up with the most popular episodes from the back catalogue. And if you’re a regular listener, maybe you missed one of those or want to listen to one of them again. Don’t worry! The new episodes are being published on the regular fortnightly schedule, so keep tuning in for the new content every other Tuesday.

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes

🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Other recent transcribed episodes

Transcribed and ready to explore now

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.

Report any issue

Conservation and Science

Why Military Bases Might Determine the Future of Whales

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

Sign in to Audioscrape

Share this moment