Fossil Fuels Saved the Whales

For centuries, whales were hunted relentlessly to fuel the world’s growing demand for light. Whale oil, extracted from massive species like the sperm whale and bowhead whale, was the premier source of illumination in homes and industries. This relentless hunting pushed many whale populations to the brink of extinction. Yet, ironically, it wasn’t conservation efforts that first saved these magnificent creatures—it was the rise of fossil fuels.

The Rise and Peak of Whale Oil (1600s–1800s)

Whale oil was used as early as the 1600s for lighting and lubrication, but by the 18th and 19th centuries, it had become a major global industry. The first American whaling ships set sail in the early 1700s, and by the early 1800s, the industry was booming. Whale oil lamps lit homes, fueled factories, and even lubricated machinery during the Industrial Revolution.

The golden age of whaling lasted from approximately 1820 to 1850, with the United States leading the world in whale oil production. In 1846, U.S. whalers produced nearly 15 million gallons of whale oil, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, was known as “the city that lit the world.”

However, this prosperity came at a cost. By the mid-19th century, some whale species, such as the North Atlantic right whale and sperm whale, were already on the verge of collapse due to overhunting. With each passing year, fewer whales remained, making the industry increasingly unsustainable.

The Discovery of Petroleum (1859) and the Fall of Whaling

The turning point came with the discovery of petroleum. In 1859, Edwin Drake successfully drilled the first commercial oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, producing crude oil that could be refined into kerosene. Almost overnight, kerosene became a cheaper and more efficient alternative to whale oil for lighting homes and fueling industry.

The impact on the whaling industry was swift. By the 1860s, kerosene lamps were replacing whale oil lamps across the U.S. and Europe. By 1870, the demand for whale oil had plummeted, forcing many whaling ships out of business. The rise of petroleum didn’t just change energy production—it unintentionally saved countless whale species from extinction.

The End of the Whaling Era and Conservation Efforts (1900s–Present)

Though some countries continued whaling into the early 20th century, the industry never recovered to its former dominance. By the 1920s, most major whaling ports in the U.S. had shut down, and by 1930, global whale oil production was a fraction of what it had been in the 19th century.

Fossil fuels are often criticized for their role in environmental harm; however history shows that they also played an unexpected role in preserving one of Earth’s most majestic creatures. If petroleum hadn’t emerged in the mid-1800s, it’s likely that many whale species would have gone extinct before conservation efforts could save them.

Of course, left-leaning Google, Bing, and Wikipedia claim that petroleum didn’t save the whales, that idea is just a “misconception”. Wikipedia wants you to believe that providing a cheaper fuel somehow increased demand for expensive whale oil and that its production “peaked in the 1960s.”

Whale oil – Wikipedia

The truth is that by the 1960s, petroleum-powered cars, trucks, and planes were everywhere, and whale oil had completely vanished from everyday use. You won’t find a single appliance or vehicle running on whale oil during that time. Despite what Wikipedia and Google suggest, old photographs from the 1960s clearly show massive amounts of petroleum being used—but not a trace of whale oil.