Whales - Facts | Whaling

The History of Whaling

The hunting of whales began in prehistoric times dating back to about 6 000 BC. It began with organised fleets in the 17th century, competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries, to the introduction of factory ships and the introduction of the concept of whale ‘harvesting’ in the 20th century. Prehistoric whaling seemed to have a low ecological impact, however, early whaling in the Arctic altered freshwater ecology considerably. Whaling was spurred on by the increase in the demand for whale oil, margarine and whale meat.

The oldest known method of whaling was to drive them ashore by placing a few small boats amongst the animal to frighten them with noise and activity, herding them towards the shore to beach. This method was mostly used for small species, such as the Pilot Whale, Beluga, Porpoise and Narwhal. Next, they used an object called a drogue, such as a wooden drum or inflated sealskin which they tied to an arrow or harpoon, in the hope that the whale would tire enough to be approached and killed. Evidence suggests that this practice began as early as 6000 BC in South Korea. But whaling with drogues was especially practiced by the Ainu, Iniut, Native Americans and people of the Bay of Biscay. Rock carvings have also been unearthed showing several Sperm Whales, Humpback Whales and North Pacific Right Whales being surrounded by boats.

The first European Whalers were the Basques, from the Bay of Biscay. The Right Whale was very common there, and became favoured prey even through to the 18th and 19th centuries, as they were slow swimmers and their bodies floated. But during the 11th century, they found that these whales were very profitable to slaughter once they had beached. They realised the blubber could be used for lighting fuel and the meat could be eaten. These strandings became advantageous, but they eventually started driving them out the water. Basque whaling continued until the start of the Seven Years War in 1756.

This became a highly organised business by the 12th century. They built stone watchtowers and once a whale was sighted, an alarm was sounded and as many as 20 villages would head out after it. They would share the rewards, except for the tongue, which was given to the church as a favoured delicacy. Soon the British and Dutch began whaling. For many years they used Basques as expert whalers on their ships.

Whale oil is scarcely used today, so modern commercial whaling is mainly the hunting of whales for food, as well as for scientific research purposes. The primary species of whale that is hunted is the Common Minke Whale and the Antarctic Minke Whale.

Many countries began joining in whaling, with many species of whales being in danger of extinction. This caused the beginning of the global anti-whaling movement in the 1970’s. The United Nations Conference of the Human Environment at Stockholm adopted a proposal that recommended a ten year moratorium on commercial whaling to allow the whale stocks to recover.