Maritime Whaling Research Paper

In the nineteenth century, commercial whalers began using whole fleets to hunt whales, with each ship given a specific role. The largest ship, found at the center of the fleet, was the factory ship. At the heart of these ships are many tanks. Christopher Ash worked as chief chemist on the factory ship Balaena, and in his book Whaler’s Eye, comments on the massive tanks found in these ships. “Balaena really is a tanker, and almost all of her hull…is subdivided into thirty-six tanks. It is rather like an egg crate with nine rows, each of four tanks extending across the ship, and each tank able to take some five hundred tons of fuel or Diesel oil, which will be replaced—after cleaning—by whale or sperm oil, or perhaps meat meal; sometimes they must be filled with sea water as ballast. These tanks are impressively large, being well over thirty feet deep; so that when standing on the bottom and looking up to the one small square of light far above, it is difficult to believe that we can produce enough oil to fill the whole of that volume in twenty hours (Ash, 1962, p.19).” Underneath the tanks is the bottom of the boat. Above the tanks is the tank deck. This holds the centrifuges used to separate oil and glue water, as well as driers and bagging machines

They used to spear whales and hope that they would wash up on shore (Sontella 22). They used this method until they made a new weapon for hunting whale. This new weapon is a spear attached to a rope (23-24). They now can spear the animal and drag it to shore using the rope. This weapon is similar to a harpoon.

They essentially believe that whale hunting was meant for them to honor the holy relationship of god and the beauty of this large beast. Whaling has always been the pivotal component that created the unique culture of the Makah. It was conducting on ritual and spiritual ceremony. For example, the elders usually found youngsters to be repulsive and disobedience. They basically discipline the children with the aggressive sense of whale hunting, so they can grow as a responsible adult who can surpass every obstacle. Whaling also tremendously boost the Indians’ pride. Archeologist Ruth Kirk found an artifact that was from the Makah whale tradition in 1970. He indicated that the Indians have sustained the culture for over 2,000 years. He found a part of “Chinook” canoe in his expedition which strengthen his report about the past life activities of Makah Indians. Chinook was specifically designed for the Makah to hunt whales at 40 miles off shores. Therefore, quality of the boat will determine fish caught successful rate. One boat should be solidly constructed that can carry approximately 8 people and strong enough to continue a 2-month sea voyage. Chinook “shovel-nose” model was the one with outstanding quality that could handle many possible sea waves. On the voyage, the Indians are well-prepared in weapon which was mussel-shape blade that sharp enough to penetrate the beast’s skin.

The debate surrounding Makah whaling is a heated one to say the least. There are valid points on both sides of the argument, but there is one side I find to be more valid once the facts have been looked at. I will examine and present my findings regarding past and current laws and regulations related to whaling, types of whaling, other countries that take an active part in whaling (and why), as well as the Makah culture – both past and present. In this paper I will argue why the Makah should not be allowed to resume whaling, as it is unnecessary and could potentially put the grey whale species back on the endangered list.

Whaling was very physical and economic business and the primary products were spermaceti, whale bones, sperm, and whale oil. The Native Americans used whaling for tribal purposes. The colonist in NEw ENgland hunted whales for baleen and oil. Whaling also gave them better burning candles. This is how the number of hales began to decrease as time went on.

What can have 48-52 teeth or no teeth at all? It is the gorgeous creature we call the whale? From Belugas, to Humpbacks, to Killer Whales, there is much to learn about these lovely gentle giants. Did you know that Beluga whales are the smallest species of whale? Belugas can reach weights of 3,000 pounds, adults are reported to be 14 feet long.

Did you know that roughly three million whales were slaughtered in the twentieth century alone? Or that there are only around four hundred North Atlantic right whales alive today because they never fully recovered from being hunted? These whales are known as “right” whales because they are large and slow, with thick blubber that yields lots of oil plus they remain afloat after they've been killed, this simplifies the whole hunting process for everyone . Furthermore, the hunters got more money for less work. I believe that whaling is a vile and pointless thing to do to such beautiful creatures and that the International Whaling Commission should look further into the use of whales for research.

They used harpoons to hunt seals, walruses, and the bowhead whale. They also ate fish and foraged for wild berries. A high percentage of their food was fatty, which gave them energy in the cold weather. In order to hunt larger prey like walruses and whales, the Inuit hunters would gather in a large group. To hunt a whale, typically at least 20 hunters would gather on a large boat armed with a number of harpoons.

Whales were peeled by vessels, conserved by the cold, and packed in barrels. 1719 Greenland whaling operation spread into Davis Strait. Davis Strait whaling operation was in the power of the Dutch and German until 1780. The Britain had to leave and service their industrial revolution. From the beginning of the 1690s the British had hunted down whales (have been fishing) in the Bay of North America colonies,also in Rhode Island, Long Island, Cape Cod. These were new centers of activity for (whaling) fishing. Then, during 1712 the Nantucket vessel capture the first sperm whale,these became a brand new center.

When whaling was first started in America it was because the Basques had started hunting and trading products made from whales. First it was the Dutch that had followed them in their whaling and then the British followed them. Finally, America followed the British and soon the huge expedition had started to hunt whales for the oil inside them.

The way I conducted my research was by using the Britannica School, Facts on File, and Abc-clo. On Britannica School I found many interesting things. In North America, the Inuits had already been hunting whales for some time when they were

Whaling was a very successful way to make a living if you were able to work well together and catch whales often. If you did catch

The whaling industry came to America in the early 1700s with shore whaling. Settlers whaled near shore, then sold the whale’s oil, ambergris, and spermaceti for considerable profit. The success of these sales prompted wealthy Quakers from New Bedford and Nantucket Island to invest in whaling ports stocked with efficient ships, equipment, and crews. These ports accumulated much money for the Massachusetts towns. Aided by the inventions of the tryworks and toggling harpoon, America fast became a prominent name in the whaling industry. By 1846, America owned almost 82% of the world’s total whaling ships (Barcott, “In the Shadow of Moby-Dick”). Unfortunate the American whaling industry declined 13 years later as the rising petroleum market and

Commercial whaling is a serious world issue that has always been difficult for those who are in support and those who are against it. Each group defends their side with convincing arguments. Morally, whaling is wrong, but do the reasons for whaling outweigh the reasons to cease the primitive hunts? By studying the effects of whaling,realizing how culture has changed over time, and taking note of the money that would be saved, it can clearly be seen that there is no longer a current need for whaling to continue. Efforts have been made to try to stop whaling, but with no help from any authoritative figure,nothing has been done to regulate the whaling. The famous sea shepherd, known for its strikes against whaling, can even be seen on

Before moratorium of whaling, there was a high demand of whale oil from blubber. In 1946, International