Most of the great whale species became endangered due to whaling, which doesn’t seem to be a threat anymore. Nevertheless, today whales are exposed to other hazards associated with human activity: entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris, vessel strikes, impacts from climate change, and ocean noise from oil and gas development.

There is something everyone of us can do to lessen the overall impact on these kind and graceful warm-blooded mammals.

There are other wild animals that face extinction because of trapping and trade. You can make your personal impact and influence the state of the environment. Sign the petition by Greenpeace to end the global wildlife trade (rus).

• Adopt a whale at an organization like WDC: symbolic adoption of an endangered animal helps in the cause of their conservation.

• Trash in the ocean and marine debris poses a major threat to whales. Leave the ocean cleaner than you found it.

• Ditch single-use plastics such as plastic straws and bags: it accidentally ends up in whales’ bellies and they die of starvation and dehydration.

• Say “No” to plastic bags, they are estimated to kill over 100,000 birds, turtles and marine mammals each year. Invest in reusable bags.

• Oil and gas development produce noise and pollution in the ocean that disturb whales and other marine life, so try and look into renewable energy options.

• Cut the car: use more of bikes, skateboards, public transport and you feet!

• Cut on the seafood: heavy fishing limits the amount of food available for the whales to eat and leaves tons of fishing gear in the ocean (300,000 cetaceans die every year by entanglement).

• Report an entangled whale if you see one in the ocean: entanglements may be life-threatening, hampering mobility, imbedding in the skin, causing infections and affecting populations.

• Stop whaling in Russia, Japan, Norway and Iceland (where over 1000 whales a year are killed for commercial hunting in Iceland, including fin whales).

• Stop ‘scientific’ whaling: around 1,000 whales are killed for “scientific research” annually, and their meat goes straight to the supermarkets.

• Collisions between whales and shipping vessels are major causes of whale fatalities. Look into buying local to avoid excessive shipping.

• Wherever you live, do your part to reduce climate change and rising sea surface temperatures. Rising temperatures in the ocean change where whales’ feeding grounds occur.

• All drains lead to the ocean. Choose eco-friendly cleaning products so that whales can have clean water.

• Support bans on trade in endangered species products and be sure to not purchase products made with endangered species.

• Education is how we influence the next generation of ocean advocates. Share what you’ve learned.

• Support those who are already making a good impact. This might be a conservation program or an ocean clean-up movement.