THE only read whales survived extinction is directly because Col Drake oil well proved that oil and kerosene were vastly superior lubricants and lighting oils vs whale blubber and sperm whale oils. Prior to that well in PN whake oils were the ONLY lubricants that worked in high speed spindles and steam engines of the industrial revolution. so in a very literal sense oil saved the whales.
And literally lead to billions of more people alive today, than had been possible in 1830. Probably 6 Billion more.