Australian
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This clip shows a whale swimming in the ocean. This is followed by an interview with whale biologist Vassili Papastavrou from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Vassili explains the variety of whale species from the largest, blue whale, so large an elephant could stand on its tongue; to the right and sperm whales, through to the smallest, the minke whale. Vassili’s impassioned summary highlights the complex social behaviour of these great whales against the 'floating barrels of oil’ they are reduced to by commercial harvesting. He also expresses concern for the survival of the minke, whose current large numbers make it attractive to commercial whaling.

Educational value points

• The Last Whale is a documentary that seeks public support for whale conservation. As the title suggests, the film was made as a passionate plea to save whales from extinction, in response to concerns about the Japanese and Norwegian governments attempting to overturn the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling at the 1994 International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. Director David Bradbury decided to make the film because he saw the whale issue as part of the broader environmental crisis facing the planet. He wanted the film to inspire viewers to get involved and force positive change. The film is credited as being influential in the IWC’s decision in 1994 to create the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

• The clip presents a view of whale species as unique cetaceans that deserve our respect and protection. Research has revealed whales to be highly intelligent mammals with complex social behaviours and sophisticated vocal communication. Research has also revealed the extent of stock depletion from previously unregulated commercial whaling, with some species, especially the blue, fin and right whales, still on the brink of extinction. Concerns in 2006 included the effects of ocean pollution (chemicals, oil spills and noise, including high-intensity naval sonar testing), entanglement in fishing nets, collisions with ships, climate change and the reintroduction of commercial whaling.

• A history of over-exploitation of whales by commercial whalers is implied in the clip. Until the 1850s, the techniques of whaling had changed relatively little for 700 years. With the development of the exploding harpoon, steam-powered ships and, in 1905, the use of factory ships, modern commercial whaling saw the mass slaughter of whales for oil and baleen. By 1946, in response to critically declining whale numbers across species, the IWC was created to manage whale stocks and in 1986 a moratorium on commercial whaling was introduced. Australia’s whaling industry was active until 1979 when the Australian government banned whaling. Australia is currently one of the 66 members of the IWC that supports an ongoing moratorium on commercial whaling.

• Issues concerning the continued survival of all species of whale, particularly the minke, are raised. Until the 1920s, the minke whale was considered too small to be economically viable for harvesting commercially and consequently its population has remained at healthy levels. Over the past 20 years, despite the current moratorium on commercial whaling, the minke has become the principal target for pro-whaling nations, such as Norway and Japan. Since 1993, in defiance of the moratorium, Norway has been hunting minke commercially in the north-east Atlantic, while in 2006 Japan continued to hunt them under a permit for scientific whaling that it has held since 1987.

• The Last Whale is an example of a documentary by Australian filmmaker David Bradbury, one of Australia’s most prolific and important documentary-makers. Initially working in television journalism, Bradbury began making challenging political documentaries in the 1970s, and with Frontline and Chile: Hasta Cuando? (both nominated for Academy Awards), Public Enemy Number One, Nicaragua: No Pasaran, State of Shock and Nazi Supergrass, he earned a reputation for his courageously independent stances. His later films reflect his interest in environmental issues, and include Shoalwater, Up for Grabs, Jabiluka and Blowin’ in the Wind. In 2005 Bradbury was awarded the Chauvel Award at the Brisbane International Film Festival for his contribution to Australian filmmaking.

This clip starts approximately 28 minutes into the documentary.

This clip shows a whale swimming in the ocean, followed by an interview with whale biologist Vassili Papastavrou from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Vassili Papastavrou When we talk about whales, we should be aware that we’re talking about quite a number of different species, from the blue whale which is an animal so large that its blowholes are this big, so large in fact that an elephant could stand on its tongue, to the right whales, so called because they were the right whales to hunt, an animal that has a fantastic social behavior, a of complex social relationships reduced today simply floating barrels of oil, and then to the sperm whale, an animal which uses the entire globe for its social behavior, an animal which can dive for 45 minutes to 1,000 metres, right down to the minke whale, an animal that’s so small, it’s only as large as this boat, an animal which previously was considered too small to be worth hunting and is now the only species of whale present in substantial numbers. But how long will it be before this too is exterminated?