A mother humpback whale and calf are seen on the coast of Vitoria, Espirito Santo state, Brazil on August 22, 2023.A mother humpback whale and calf are seen on the coast of Vitoria, Espirito Santo state, Brazil on August 22, 2023.The indigenous leaders of New Zealand, Tahiti, Tonga and the Cook Islands have signed a treaty granting whales legal personhood.
She says the treaty lays the groundwork for legislation to be written to protect the whales, or, as the Māori call them, tohorā — the sacred ancestors of indigenous Polynesians.at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. She says that because whales are migratory, traversing vast areas of the ocean, they are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change – like the possibility of more marine heatwaves.
Thus, the goal, Chami says, is to mandate vessels to use anti-collision devices, and decrease the likelihood of hitting a whale in the first place.