LIMIT IMPOSED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21837, 27 December 1932, Page 8

LIMIT IMPOSED

WHALING IN THE ANTARCTIC SUEPLUS OIL STOCKS. Whaling operations in the Antarctic are to be severely restricted this season, following upon a close season last year owing to the fact that the surplus stocks of oil produced from the previous intensive exploitation made further work unprofitable. Towards the end of last year 26 countries signed the International Whaling Convention at Geneva, New Zealand being one of the signatories. In addition to this, an agreement has been reached by practically all the companies operating in the Antarctic to restrict whaling operations there this season. Each company is to be restricted to a quota corresponding to the mean between its production in 1930-31 and the loading capacity of its floating factory or the productive capacity of its land station, less 38 per cent.

For the purpose of encouraging the fullest possible use of carcasses, quotas have been calculated on the basis of both barrels and whales, each blue whale, for instance, being calculated to yield 110 barrels of oil. As the result of the agreement, the catch of all companies subscribing to tics terms laid down will not exceed 1,031,000 barrels. A recent estimate stated that, including the catch of one company which had not entered into the agreement at that date, the total yield of oil would not exceed 2,000,000 barrels, or about 50 per cent, of the, present capacity. Any oil taken by a company in excess of its quota is to be sold for the benefit of all parties to the agreement, which also provides that until May 1, 1933, no company shall sell or rent out for the purpose of whaling, land stations, floating factories, or catchers to non-signa-tories, unless the latter accept the conditions imposed.

It is considered by those connected with the whale oil industry that these restrictions will ultimately be most beneficial, for, apart from the present commercial aspects relating to prices, it is held that the restricted catches will go a long way toward preserving the species. Much concern has been expressed in recent years owing to the- vast toll on whales taken by whalers in the Antarctic, and fears have been expressed that the numbers would be unduly depleted. The signing of the Geneva Convention will, it is believed, do much to rationalise whale catching and prevent indiscriminate operations which might ultimately destroy the source of supply.