Artificial whale poo could help restore ocean biodiversity - Natural History Museum
Suggestions that artificial whale poo could help restore marine biodiversity have been floated recently, ahead of trials set to begin later this year.
But while it could provide a useful stopgap while cetacean populations recover, there is no guarantee the technique, or whales, will ever fully restore what has been lost.
Artificial whale poo could be an unlikely way to restore the oceans of the world.
Rich in nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen, whale faeces help to fertilise the upper waters of the ocean and provide the starting point for marine food chains across the world. However, with whale populations reduced to as little as 5% of their historic levels by the impact of whaling, there simply isn't enough to go around.
To prevent the oceans from being caught short, an international team of researchers are set to release artificial whale poo into the Indian Ocean in the coming months, according to New Scientist. The scientists hope to assess whether or not marine biomass regeneration, as the procedure is technically known, is a realistic way to restore the biodiversity of the world's oceans.
Richard Sabin, the principal curator of mammals at the Museum and who is not involved in the trials, says, 'The idea that there could be an artificial way of seeding the ocean's surface is an interesting one. Replacing enough of the whale faeces artificially to be of benefit on a large scale is the issue and the calculations will need to be accurate. It requires careful research as it's a big step to release detritus of any kind, including nutrient-rich types, into the ocean to make sure that the balance of nutrients and penetration of sunlight isn't adversely affected. It will be a big job, as potentially hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of large whales have been removed from the oceans through whaling, so there's a huge amount of faecal matter that needs replacing. For now, we should let the scientists do their work, and see if they can produce a suitable synthetic replacement.'
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Posted On: 10/03/2022