Scientific Aids To Industry

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIV, Issue 6100, 10 September 1947, Page 5

Scientific Aids To Industry

WHALING IN COOK STRAIT

RADAR TO BE USED There is a possibility that when next winter comes round and the Antarctic whales leave their frozen retreat for the annual northern migration, they will find the waters of Cook Strait an even more periolous spot than hitherto. Investigations are to be made during the next jfew months by the Perano whaling party, which operates from Te Awaiti, just inside the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound, into the possibilities of using radar to detect the presence of whales in the Strait.

Recently the whalers were communicated with by an English wireless firm with a suggestion that depthsounding devices —presumably similar to the asdec equipment used so successfully during the war against submarines might be used in the whaling operations. Such scientific aids, it is understood, are now being used with outstanding results in the North Sea to locaie big shoals of fish.

Since the Cook Strait activities are shore-based, and the fast motor chasers are not being , sent out foi the kill until the whales are sighted by the look-outs on a hill adjacent to Tory Channel, it is not considered by Messrs Perano brothers that such apparatus could be adapted successfully.

It was stated that if technical difficulties did not render the use of radar impracticable, the whaling company had hopes of being able to secure radar equipment from England in time for next winter. If a radar screen would reveal the presence of whales “ running the Strait ” —and until, full inquiries were made the Perano brothers did not know whether it would—greatly in T creased catthes would become possible. At present, it was pointed out, many of the whales which chose a route through the Strait were never sighted. Unknown numbers of them went through at night, and others slipped past undetected in thick, foggy weather. Hitherto the “eyes” of the chasers have been the men who maintain a lonely vigil scanning every mile of Strait while daylight lasts,. with powerful field glasses.

Under reasonable weather conditions there is very little that goes on out/at sea of. which they are not aware, and not many of the whales which they report are lucky enough to make a get-away. A total of 160 were sighted during this season, and of these 110 were towed to the ren-dering-down works after explosive harpoons had interfered with their plans for a trip to warmer latitudes.