THE BIOLOGY OF WHALES.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20836, 21 April 1933, Page 6

THE BIOLOGY OF WHALES.

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. "As long as men have taken to the sea in open boats they have tackled whales. There is no sport known to man, we are informed, which demanded such courage and initiative and provided such excitement as whale-hunting as it was carried on forty years ago," stated Professor C. E. Percival in his address on "The Biology of Whales," before the Canterbury College Scientific Society last evening. Mr C. V. Fife presided over a large attendance. The speaker introduced his subject and said it was necessary to study living things in relation to their environment. The study of whales was a branch of oceanography, a subject with many aspects. It treated of the charting of oceans in every direction, and since 1830 the zoologist and the botanist were drawn into the study, and in recent year? the chemist and the physicist. "Once it was said that all flesh ia grass and so can we say that all fish is diatoms," said the speaker. Diatoms were varied small plant-animals which formed the staple food of fish in the sea and incidetrealty of whales. The amount of 'plant food available for whales varied in different oceans and at different seasons of the year, so it was necessary to consider sea conditions as had been done of recent years to gain the best results in whale fisheries. The diatoms were found in the northern hemisphere in such quantities that a ship might travel for a whole day through water coloured by these small living things. Again certain areas were found to be Darren deserts a b*--ause of the action ot the warm and tofi sea currents. It nad been found Uiat the amount of light energy present determined the rate at wmch these diatoms grew. Whaling In New Seas. In 1924 the British Government commenced investigations on the biology of whales. Until 30 years ago whales had been hunted in small boats with harpoons, and the North Atlantic 'Ocean lor 300 years remained the great whaling centre. At that time the "sperm whale" was sought for to obtain whale-bohe and oil, then having considerable commercial value. After a half century of halfhearted effort, a Norwegian invented the harpoon gun. and soon Larsen investigated the possibilities of fishing for the blue whales of the South Atlantic. He set up a factory on the island of South Georgia, and proceeded to amass a fortune on the profits. Old cargo ships proceeded south and soon the Norwegians decided to go in for floating factories, with the aid of whale-chasers, small, high-powered vessels capable of great speed. The fin whale and the blue whale were the two types found in the southern regions, the former averaging 70 feet in length, and the latter 100 feet. The investigations of these whale fisheries, commenced seriously in 1924, revealed some interesting biological facts. The whales migrated northwards in the autumn and breeding took place in the winter. It was found that the calf measured seven yards in length at birth, 16 yards at the time of weaning, and averaged 23 yards at the commencement of breeding In its third year of existence. These facts related to the blue whale, the fin whale being somewhat smaller in comparison. Value of Investigations. The lecturer gave many interesting details concerning the life of the southern whales, illustrating his points throughout with a varied selection Of interesting lantern slides. In conclusion, Professor Percival said that this subject was one of those which brought home to men the importance of apparently futile investigations. From the time when a man called Forbes on the Isle of Man became interested in living things in the ocean depths, great discoveries had ensued concerning life at apparently impossible regions, and new lines of investigation had been carried on, especially in the last 30 years which had led to the formation of organised knowledge, enabling men to predict fairly accurately what could take place in ocean life in given circumstances. The fisheries, therefore, were now being regulated upon proved ifacts gained by scientific methods. "When a committee for investigation and research sets out to test all jpaters on earth for the whaling trade's advantage, men may see tine usefulness of much biological study apparently futile to the man in the atrpet," concluded the speaker. A heirty vote of thanks was passed to the lecturer for his address.