WEALTH FROM WHALES

Southland Times, Issue 23166, 6 April 1937, Page 12

WEALTH FROM WHALES

ANTARCTIC RICHES INTERNATIONAL SCRAMBLE SYDNEY, March 19. The news that the Japanese whalers operating in the Antarctic had secured 11,000 tons of oil in four months has revived interest in an industry which Australia has failed to develop, and has caused speculation on the possibility of serious depletion of whales because of the unrestricted killing by Japanese and by the fleets of some other nations. Prominent zoologists said this week that a wild, international scralnble had taken place. This was attributed to the absence at present of an international agreement. The fear was expressed that such great destruction would take place that it would be impossible to pursue the industry on a large scale for long. The Commonwealth Government, it was stated, still had an opportunity to develop the whale fisheries in the Antarctic and adjacent waters, while the industry was profitable. Apart from financial benefit, employment would be given on both land and sea. Mr D. G. Stead, president of the Wild Life Preservation Society, said that a crisis had been reached, because what geographically were Australian waters were being visited by whaling fleets. The Norwegians had made enormous sums of money in the Antarctic. An old Norwegian whaling ship, after making £1,500,000 for its owners in a few years, had been sold to the Japanese, who had now returned with 11,000 tons of oil.

“There is no immediate danger of extinction,” Mr Stead said. “Whales breed prolifically, and grow very large in one year. The blue whale grows to 60ft in one year, from the time of its birth, and the hump-back, the smallest of the whale family, grows to more than 30ft in the first year, and attains from 35ft to 45ft in length. Mr Stead said the Germans, the British, the Norwegians and the Japanese had entered the field. The Japanese had two factory ships operating last season; in the next season two. additional ships, capable of carrying 120,000 barrels, would be utilized and in the following season four others. That meant that in the 1938 season the Japanese would employ in the Antarctic something like 65 chasers, to feed the whaling ships in one of the most valuable primary industries in the world.

There was no quarrel with the Japanese, added Mr Stead; but it was not right that, without demur, Australia should allow riches to be taken out of Australian waters. It was a case of “now or never,” because the enormous destruction in the next few years would have a very serious effect on the value of the industry.