THE PASSING OF THE ANTARCTIC WHALE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18019, 6 November 1920, Page 6

THE PASSING OF THE ANTARCTIC WHALE

The publication of a recent Blue Book discloses the fact that a great whaling industry is now being carried on in southern waters, and that, although the harbours, without which it cannot be prosecuted, are British, the industry is entirely in the hands of the Norwegians. Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters have long been known to be the abode of large numbers of whales. The sperm whale and the southern right whale have long been sought after and captured in southern waters. The capture of these valuable animals has in the past largely been carried on by American whalers operating in the open sea. Although numbers of these whales may still exist, they are probably far less numerous than they once were. The fin whales, partly tin account of their inferior value and partly on account of the greater difficulty in effecting their capture, have remained until recently unmolested. The Norwegians were the first to address themselves seriously to the capture of the fin whales. Unsuccessful attempts had been made with the hand or gun harpoon to capture these large and active animals, and it was not until the invention and perfection of the explosive harpoon that their capture became easy. Owing to its weight a gun of large size is required to throw the harpoon, and in turn a craft of considerable size is required to carry the gun. The harpoon bears a shell containing %lb of powder, and weighs x23lb. The gun, 4% inches thick at the muzzle and 3 inches bore, weighs 15 cwt. The vessel answering the purpose Of a whale boat is a steamer 100 feet in length and with a speed of 12 to 15 knots. It is used not only for carrying the gun and pursuing the whales, but also for towing the bodies of the animals when dead to the factory on shore, where the ■operation of “flensing” is performed. The use of a vessel too large to be lowered from a ship’s side, and too small to operate independently, restricts the use of the explosive harpoon, as above described t 0 inshore waters.

Having used this method for a number of years against the whales frequenting the waters of their own fiords, the Norwegians began about the year 1890 to find the number of whales decreasing. Moreover, the Storthing in 1903 passed a law prohibiting whaling in Norwegian waters altogether. Unable to carry on this method of whaling in the open sea. except near shore bases, the Norwegians began to look for other fields, and especially for anchorages in the vicinity of waters frequented by the whales. Suitable bases were found in Iceland, the Faroes, the Shetlands, the Hebrides, the west coast of Ireland, Newfoundland, South Africa, and in other parts of the world. Of these by far the most important ar e those situated in South Georgia and the South Shetlands— British possessions and dependencies of the Falkland Islands.

In South Georgia factories have ben erected on the shore, where the whales are “flensed,” and where the oil is extracted from the blubber. In the South Shetlands, which are icebound except during the summer months, large steamers with the necessary apparatus on board are anchored in the harbours. During the nine seasons ended 1917-18 44,800 whales were killed at South Georgia, and during the seven seasons ended 1917-18 27,000 were killed at South .Shetland. The oil obtained amounted to 3,200.000 barrels, valued at £10,500,000.