WHALE HUNTING IN COOK STRAIT

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 81

WHALE HUNTING IN COOK STRAIT

THE ANNUAL MIGRATION. NEW WHALING METHODS. (See Illustrations in this Issue.) Last week we published pictures of the whaling industry in the land of the midnight sun. To-day we devote a page showing the methods of chasing and capturing the whales during their annual migration to the north. The Dominion was the first country to adopt fast motor boats for shore whaling, and the men who man these are direct descendants of the original whalers who settled in Te Awaiti at the entrance to Tory Channel, Queen Charlotte Sound. Shore whaling was first started at Te Awaiti about 1829, and grew to a large industry, but when the right whale became scarce, a number gav up whaling as unprofitable. For the last 20 or 30 years the humpback has been the commonest whale caught. In the early days, whalers chased only the black or right whale, which is a larger and more valuable animal, much slower and much easier to kill, and in value equal to three humpbacks. A few years ago, J. Perano, a native of Port Chalmers, introduced motor boats. Many old-time whalers laughed at the idea of a noisy motor approaching close to a whale, while they always rowed with muffled cars, and still found it difficult. The first season the amateurs caught six. while rowboat men caught only two. That was the end of the rowboat days, and while rowfcoat men would not go more than a mile or so offshore, the motor boats are sometimes ten miles or more. At present two parties are in competition at Tory Channel, and there are many exciting chases witnessed. Competition has meant the increasing in speed of boat*, and each party has craft that m. n d-< better than 30 knots. It is a great to see five fast boats leaving together ar ’ racing out to sea. The management of these boats call for great skill, as the crew of each consists of onlv two men. The gunner in the bow fires the gun or throws the bombs. The engineer works with one hand on throttle to control the engine, the other holding a whale line round the loggerhead, his foot on the clutch, and his hack hard against the steering wheel to guide the boat. When close to a whale the gunner fastens the line to the whale. Only one boat is made fast. The other boats of the lucky party then kill the whale with bombs thrown bv band.

The bomb consists of a long, heavy iron pole with a lance-shaned head containing five sticks of gelignite. It is fired electrically. The gunner of the fastened boat tells how many fathoms of line have been let out, and stands in the bow facing the direction the whale is travelling under water. A bombing boat keeps on each side, running at the same speed, waiting for the whale to come up to breathe or spout. These boats run alongside, hurl the bomb into the whale, run with him till he submerges, make contact with the battery with wires attached to the bomb, and then go for their lives, a 3 a whale in flurry or death throes is a wonderful and terrible sight. Sometimes the huge creature breaches almost out of the water, or races round in circles. This is the most exciting time for the whalers, as one hit from fins or flukes would completely destroy the boat. Sometimes this struggle may last for hours, as it is impossible to go close enough to throw another bomb. .The humpbacks’ latitude is just south of Stewart Island, and every winter they navigate north as far as Tongan Islands, where whaling on a small scale is carried on. The lookout is situated on a high cliff near the entrance to Tory Channel, which commands a good view of Cook Strait at its narrowest part, through which many whales pass on their way north.

At daylight the whalers are at their post. The sun rising almost across the strait makes the spout from a whale so stand out from the water that it can be picked up many miles off shore. Sometimes, while whalers are out chasing, a school of porpoises will follow boats, but on the sighting of the whale they immediately take after him, and are of great assistance to whalers, as they follow on the surface the direction the whale is travelling under water. When they stop the whale is coming to the surface, and the boats having gathered round, lie becomes an easy prey. They seem to find great delight leaping over his back, doing somersaults and sundry gyrations, but when the first bomb is fired they scatter and are not seen again. > Every season, from the end of May till September, about fifty humpbacks are captured. Towards the end of that time, perhaps a stray right whale or two are caught, but they are becoming very scarce, although in the early days it is recorded that eighteen whaleships were working in Cloudy Bay at the same time. The blubber of the humpback is about eight inches thick, and a good animal will yield six tons of oil. The baleen or whalebone, which is got •from the mouth, is short and brittle, and of little commercial value, and is not saved. The value is all in the oil.

The whalebone of commerce is got from the right whale, and grows up to about nine feet in length. It is valued at about £l3O a ton on the average. About two and a-half whales will yield

a ton. This whale is coated with blubber, in thickness about eighteen inches, and a good right whale will yield about 18 tons of oil. Finback whales and sulphur-bottoms are also seen, but are rarely killed. The finback is called the greyhound of the seas on account of his great speed. He is hard to catch. The sulphur-bottom, or blue whale, the largest of these leviathans, sometimes attaining 100 ft or more in length, usually sink when killed, and do not yield anything in proportion to the amount of oil the others do. They are usually left alone. Whaling, like so many pursuits where man kills animals, has a pathetic side. Where a cow and a bull whale are together and the cow is struck, the bull will not leave, and consequently falls an easy prey. If the bull is first killed, the cow flees for its life and often escapes. Where a cow and calf are travelling together, however, the cow will do everything possible to protect her offspring, swimming between the boat and her calf, covering it with her fins or body, ar.d in every way endeavouring to save it from danger. The consequence is that in each circumstance the mother whale usually loses her life through lollowing her strohg maternal instincts. Motor boat whaling is also carried on at Kaikoura, and at Whangamunm, in North Auckland, a steam whale chaser similar to the Ross Sea type is used. At Te Kalia, in the Bay of Plenty, rowboat whaling is still carried on by the Maoris.