Whale oil: application. What is whale oil for?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Whales were hunted in the waters of the North American coast in the seventeenth century. Even then, these mammals began to interest people. The goal was to extract whale oil. A variety of types of these creatures were suitable for this.

Uses

Until the second half of the nineteenth century, whale oil played the role of a product that was the only one able to satisfy any need for fatty fibers. It has been used for many processes. Whale oil was abundantly used for making soap and for producing manganese. Certain breeds could be raw material suppliers for the chemical industry.

In general, at that time there was a fairly wide range of what whale oil was used for. It was extracted from animals that were caught in the expanses of the Arctic and Antarctic. The most favorable time for this was considered spring and summer.

At this time, whale oil is especially concentrated in the well-fed bodies of animals. If we consider the blue representative of the species, it can supply miners with 19 thousand liters of fatty fibers. If you manage to catch a sperm whale, you will become the proud owner of 7, 9thousand l.

Need to keep the view

Whale oil was mined with great intensity, the use of which found more and more interesting options. However, this did not have a positive effect on the population, because the number of blue, white and gray representatives of this species fell critically. They have almost completely disappeared. In view of the excitement that gave rise to whale oil, a special international commission was created to protect these animals.

Thus, it was possible to establish control over the population. Of course, there are many things for which whale oil is needed, but if you do not catch in moderation, then there will soon be no one to use.

The International Whaling Commission came into existence on December 2, 1946. At first, there was no effect, and the pace of hunting for mammals was just as deadly. The population of the blue, humpbacked species became ever smaller. The finned whale has almost completely ceased to exist.

Relevant today

In our time, to the question "why does a modern person need whale oil?" there are also many answers. It is still used in many industries today. The issue of limiting hunting is also acute. After all, over the centuries, animals became less and less. So that they do not become extinct, this issue needs to be regulated.

The importance of whaling is really difficult to overestimate. Many useful things can be learned from its products. If we look more closely, we will see that many valuable substances that are obtained from the resultswhale catches really matter a lot. For example, blubber (the so-called fat-containing subcutaneous tissue) is suitable for the extraction of excellent fat. It is used to light a lamp or to make soap.

Other useful substances

In addition to valuable fat, whale families are suppliers of delicious meat products. The bone of this animal is suitable for the manufacture of substances fertilizing the earth. Sperm whales are useful spermaceti - fat, which is located in the head. This substance is good to use for the preparation of ointments, cosmetics and candle products.

The sperm whale is an excellent supplier of such a useful material as ambergris, which is produced in these animals inside the intestines. It is used in the manufacture of perfumes. The tusks and tooth that the narwhal possesses are a very valuable bone, which is not inferior to that of an elephant. The skin worn by the white whale is suitable for making leather goods.

An interesting fact is that any cetacean creature is a mammal. The predecessors of these animals were terrestrial. Even the fins look like hands with five fingers. For many centuries, underwater life has contributed to the adaptation to this way of life.

Anti-poaching

As part of the fight against excessive killing of whales, it was forbidden to use their fat for cosmetic purposes.

The malls that fill the world market shouldcleanse yourself of cosmetics containing an effective and rare component called "spermaceti". It is very similar to the human sebaceous cover under the skin. His action is amazing. Wounds heal instantly, along with any sunburn. The skin is rejuvenated and fundamentally moisturized. As far back as the eighteenth century, it was mined to make cosmetics.

Today, a large number of animals are killed for the extraction of spermaceti. Fats of a whale are cooled and filtered, putting on a pressing. 1986 brought the adoption of a ban that did not allow the extraction of this substance. However, this did not stop the poachers, and they continued to hunt and illegally sell fat. Now there are organizations that are engaged in the fight against the criminal activities of hunters for a valuable substance.

Criminal hunting

Russia can confidently be called the main exporter of illegally harvested fat. Most of the forbidden products come from the Primorsky region. Aroma Jazz is a domestic brand that produces cosmetics that include spermaceti.

Cream manufacturers don't want to give up this substance, because synthetic analogues are not subject to such a striking effect. So say cosmetologists-dermatologists. The composition is so complex that scientists have not yet found a way to fully recreate it in the laboratory. Because of this, no one is in a hurry to exclude spermaceti from the composition of their beauty products. Of course, such an effective product is usedpopular with consumers.

Elixir of youth

If you want to study spermaceti in its pure form, you will see frozen bars of fat. Regrettably, the poachers do not seek to hide their intentions and actively post sale ads on the websites of the cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

This business is profitable and not cheap. For 1 kilogram you need to pay at least one hundred dollars. More than one merchant may try to assure you that his actions are legal and legitimate, but in the vast majority of cases this is just a banal lie for profit. They may also claim that these products are from old batches. There is a very small percentage of the likelihood that this is not a lie, because spermaceti makes it possible to store it for many years.

Damage does not occur in this case. Consider, however, that with such abundant demand and good prices, old stock would have been sold out long ago and smeared on the faces of consumers who want to preserve their own youth.

Such products are purchased both by companies that do not want to be responsible for their actions, and beauticians who make creams at home for their own use or personal small business. Some may simply smear the skin with spermaceti without any treatment, believing that this is more effective, and they will certainly be forever young.

In any case, carefully study everything when buying this product.