Whale Nation: challenges and opportunities in the search for sustainability in human-cetacean interactions

This dissertation is a qualitative analysis of the two most substantial landmarks that marked the relationship between humans and whales: whaling and the practice of keeping whales in captivity. By travelling through the history of whaling and of the orca breeding programme of SeaWorld, the analysis will show that these two events followed a similar pattern and that the commitment of animal welfare and environmental organisations has conditioned the end of whaling and has brought about a change in the perception of captive whales. Moreover, the analysis will provide evidence of the fact that there is room to guarantee the future sustainability of the relationship between humans and whales throughout better regulations for both whaling and captive whales. Whale watching and the activity of spotting whales from the land will be proposed as valid alternatives to the practice of keeping whales in aquaria. As the reality is changing fast and new updates on whaling and captive whales are released every day, the analysis suggests the need for future investigations to get a better understanding of both issues and of how to ensure the sustainability of future interactions between whales and humans