COOK STRAIT WHALING

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 149, 27 June 1938, Page 10

COOK STRAIT WHALING

CHASERS KEPT BUSY RECORD SEASON LIKELY (Special to the "Evening Post.") BLENHEIM, This Day. What-promises to be a record season is being experienced at the whaling station at Te Awaite, Tory Channel, operated by Perano and Sons. Operations commenced early in May, and to date 23 whales have been captured. This compares more than favourably with last year, when the season's "bag" t amounted to 51 whales, and with the best month for the industry—Julystill ahead it is apparent that the chaser fleet will be kept extremely busy., At the height of the "run," when the whales are heading northward through Cook Strait in the greatest number, it is rarely that one at least is not captured each day. After July, however, there Is a slackening, for all but the stragglers have by then made the annual migration from the Arctic waters. It is then that the excitement of the work gives place to monotony, for the look-outs on a rocky hilltop adjacent to the entrance of Tory Channel may wait a week or more before the telltale blowing of a whale is seen out in the Strait. „

The season commenced with a singular good fortune, the first whale j secured being a sperm. It was one of a school of about twelve which was sighted earlier than anticipated, and this fact undoubtedly saved some of the mammals their lives, as the gear used was not quite in readiness, otherwise more would have been captured. The oil from the sperm whale is most valuable, for. it is used for the lubricating of delicate machinery. UsuaUy the sperxrt whale travels well to the east of New Zealand, and does not often fall a victim to shore whalers. This was the first occasion since the Peranos commenced operations about 1910 thjat they have secured one.

All Hands at Te Awaite have been exceptionally busy during the past few days, for between last Saturday and Wednesday nine captures were made. Two of the whales were actually encountered well over towards the Wellington coast line, and three boats engaged in the chase succeeded in shepherding them right across to and through Tory Channel before killing commenced. One of them was harpooned less than 200 yards from the landing skids. It is rarely that whales wiU consent to be deviated to any extent from their route northwards, which they follow instinctively, but the unusual tractability of the pair saved much time and expense in towing.