Freakonomics Radio

For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. (Part 2 of “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.”) SOURCES:Jay Alabaster, doctoral student at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.Bjorn Basberg, professor emeritus of economic history at the Norwegian School of Economics.Eric Hilt, professor of economics at Wellesley College.Kate O’Connell, senior policy consultant for the marine life program at the Animal Welfare Institute.Paul Watson, environmental activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. RESOURCES:“The Soviet Union Killed an Appalling Number of Whales. I Wanted to Know Why,” by Ryan Tucker Jones (Slate, 2022).“Behind the Smile: The Multi-Billion Dollar Dolphin Entertainment Industry,” by World Animal Protection (2019).“Japan to