Bio. 109R- Intro. to Marine MammalsJohn F. Corbett, III

Keystone College 2011

IntroductionWhaling has been practiced since prehistoric

timesOldest known method; place many small boats

off shore and herd whales towards shore in attempt to beach them

Additionally, Drogue- floatable device made of wooden drum or inflated sealskin, secured to arrow or harpoon, would tire the whale enough to approach and kill

Earliest accounts- 6000 B.C.- South Korean hunters used harpoons and drogues

Drogue

Tools for HarvestHarpoon- hand held or fired

from gun, long spear-like instrument, impales target animal

Two-flue harpoon- used for over 8,000 yrs.

Explosive Harpoon- 1870’s, had a single barb that pivoted on an iron pin, cavity in the single barb opened to the rear, and accepted a small glass vial of explosive

Explosive tip

Products HarvestedSperm oil- blubber cooked and reduced; oil used for

lamps and lubricantSpermaceti- found in head of sperm whale; used to

make candles that burned brighter than oil lampsAmbergris- found in intestines of few whales, used

in manufacturing of perfumesBaleen- a filtering structure in the mouths of baleen

whales; not composed of bone, but of the protein keratin. Products manufactured; collar stiffeners, buggy whips, parasol ribs, and corset stays

Scrimshaw- carvings on baleen and sperm whale teeth

Manufactured Products

Corset stays

Baleen basket

Scrimshaw

Baleen, candle and perfume

Harvesting Baleen

Early Whaling CulturesPetroglyphs suggest whaling began approx. 6000

B.C. in South KoreaInuits (Eskimos) whaling for past 2,500 yrs.;

relied on harvest for food, heat, light, clothing tools and shelter

Japanese- earliest documented from 7th century, Emperor Jimmu ate whale meat

Kakuemon Taiji invented net whaling, approx. 1675 A.D.; hunted right, humpback, fin and gray whale

Basque- people of Spain and France border; 1st hunted N. Atlantic right whale in 1059 A.D., using watch towers to locate whales from shore

Early Whaling Cultures-Inuit

Inuit with kayak

Inuit harvesting bowhead whale

Early Whaling Cultures-BasqueSuccessful hunting in Red Bay, Canada; 1530-

1600 A.D.Followed migration of whales; right whales migrate

in June and bowhead whales migrate in October50 years of hunting, 20,000 whales harvested14th century; seasonal trips to English Channel, fishery declined because of conflicts with European powers and declining whale populations English, Dutch and Danish relied on Basque whalers expertise, 1612 A.D.

Early Whaling CulturesColonial America- New England, 1770;

hunted off shore from six-man boats, (shallops) for right and humpback whales

Shallop

Colonial America

Early Whaling Cultures- Colonial America1830’s- competitive whaling nation; hunted

sperm whales in South Pacific, voyages lasted 1 year

1870’s- schooner ships hunt humpbacks off Gulf of Maine

Used bomb lances, 100 whales harvested in most yrs., fishery ended in 1890’s

Whaling Cultures- Colonial America19th century- Hunting sperm whales across the globe

because of competition and declining populationsSeveral whaling expeditions in the Arctic abandoned

because ships trapped in ice, millions of dollars in product lost

Civil War- Confederate raiders targeted American whalers

Industry pressures from loses, crippling economy and competition of kerosene; far more superior fuel for lighting

Port of New Bedford, Mass. gave up whaling in 1925

Referenceswww.crystallinks.com/inuitswww.smithtrail.net/captain-john

smith/shallop.aspxwww.marinebio.net/marinesceince/spermacetiwww.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/basquehttp://wikipedia.org/harpoonhttp://wikipedia.org/History_of_whaling