History of Whaling

Overview

• Whaling has been a crucial subsistence and economic activity throughout history.
• Dramatic reduction in commercial whaling importance in the 19th century due to alternatives to whale oil and population collapse.
• Some nations continue whaling despite the 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium.

Early History

• Evidence of whaling since prehistoric times (e.g., petroglyphs in Bangladesh, Korea).
• Dolphin drive hunting: oldest known method, still used for smaller species (pilot, beluga whales, etc.).
• Use of drogues by cultures like Inuit, Basque, and others to tire whales.

Whaling by Region

North America

• New England:
  • Preeminent whaling nation by 1830.
  • Originated in New York and New England.
  • Nantucket became a lucrative deep-sea industry.
  • Shift from right and humpback whales to sperm whales due to demand for spermaceti.
  • Decline due to economic competition and alternatives like kerosene.

Pacific Northwest

• Indigenous peoples and later commercial enterprises involved.
• Whaling integral to cultures like the Macaw and Clalum.
• Commercial whaling ended by the late 1960s.

Basque Country

• Whaling mentioned as early as 1059.
• Spread to English Channel, Southern Ireland, Terranova, Iceland, and Spitzbergen.
• Conflicts with other European powers over whaling rights.

Greenland and Spitzbergen

• Early 17th-century expeditions led by the English Muscovy Company.
• Conflicts over sovereignty and whaling grounds with several European nations.
• Use of shore stations to process blubber into oil.

Japan

• Whaling mentioned in ancient texts, widespread by 1570s.
• Transition to modern methods post-Meiji restoration.

Britain

• Three phases: Northern Whale Fishery (1611-1914), Southern Whale Fishery (1775-1859), modern phase (1904-1963).

France

• Whaling colonies established in Dunkirk, spread to the Pacific post-Napoleonic wars.

Iceland

• Whaling stations established in late 19th century.
• Whaling ban imposed in 1915, resumed briefly post-WWII.

Scandinavia

• Innovations in whaling technology, notably in Norway.

Faroe Islands

• Early 20th-century whaling stations established.
• Interest mainly for meat, oil profits went abroad.

20th Century Whaling

• Near extinction of key whale species by 1900.
• Expansion of whaling with modern technology (harpoon cannons, factory ships).
• IWC formed in 1946, established quotas and regulations.
• 1982 IWC moratorium on commercial whaling.

Current Status

• Continued catches by some countries, albeit reduced.
• IWC database records a mixture of legal and illegal whaling activities.

Key Legacies

• Whaling had significant cultural, economic, and technological impacts across the globe.
• Transition from essential resource to conservation focus due to declining whale populations.