Report on the Dominion Government Expedition to Hudson Bay and the Arctic Islands on board the D.G.S. Neptune, 1903-1904

by A. P. Low

CHAPTER X.
WHALING.

The pursuit of the Right whale in the Arctic seas calls into play all the instincts and resources of the hunter; the dangers of ice and climate add zest to the chase, while the value of the quarry is the incentive which has brought forth all the daring and ingenuity of the whaler in his efforts to capture this most valuable and wary animal, and has caused him to assume risks unequalled in any other calling. The capture of a single whale repays the expenditure incurred in outfitting a steam whaling ship, and if more than one is killed on the voyage, it means large dividends to the owners and small ones to the officers and crew of the ship.

Several species of whales are found in the waters of the northern ice-laden seas, but there is only one prize, known amongst other common names as the Greenland whale, Right whale and Bowhead whale, and scientifically called the Balaena mysticetus, L. From its mouth is obtained the precious whalebone. An average whale carries nearly a ton of this material, which at present is worth about $15,000 a ton, with the price rising from year to year. The principal uses of the whalebone are to stiffen the bodices of the better-made gowns, and to weave into expensive silk fabrics. The wealth of the world is increasing and the supply of whales is decreasing; no idea, therefore, can be formed of the value of whalebone in the future, as no good substitute has been discovered. An adult female whale will furnish blubber sufficient for nearly thirty tons of oil, while a male will supply about twenty tons; the value of oil also is on the increase, and may be taken at about $100 per ton. Thus, the total value of a large whale varies from $15,000 to $20,000, but even at that the chase is becoming unprofitable, owing to the few whales remaining, and to the frequent ‘empty’ voyages made of late years.

The whaling ‘grounds’ of the eastern side of America are situated in Davis strait and Baffin bay and in the northern parts of Hudson bay.

The memorable voyage of Baffin, in 1616, first showed the value of the whale fishery of Davis strait, and as early as 1619 the first Dutch whaler was fishing in those waters. A few years later they were joined by British whaling vessels, but their operations were confined to the waters off the south coast of Greenland for nearly two hundred years, until the voyages of Ross and Parry disclosed the more valuable waters of Baffin bay and of the western side of Davis strait.

These discoveries led to a rapid increase of the British whaling fleet, and vessels were fitted out from the ports of Hull, Dundee, Kirkcaldy, Peterhead, Fraserburg and Aberdeen.

The introduction of steamships in the early sixties, and the combination of the whale fishery with the sealing industry of Newfoundland and eastern Greenland, led to further increases in the fleet, which, in 1868, totalled thirty steam and sailing vessels as follows: Dundee, 13 steam and 1 sailing ship; Peterhead, 4 steam and 8 sailing ships; Fraserburg, 2 sailing ships; Aberdeen, 1 sailing ship; Hull, 1 steamship. This was the last year in which ships sailed from Hull; since then the British whaling fleet has been from Scotch ports only. Steam soon altogether replaced sails, so that in 1877 only the former was employed. The fleet at that time had been reduced to thirteen vessels, all sailing from the port of Dundee. No new ships have been built during the past twenty-five years, and the construction of these strong oak vessels, sheathed with greenheart or ironbark, is fast becoming a lost art in these days of steel and iron ships. The Dundee fleet is now reduced to five, without much prospect of their being replaced by British-built ships. The future ships of the whaling fleet will probably be Norwegian-built. Four of the above vessels were, in 1904, whaling in Baffin bay, the fifth was in Hudson bay.

The American whalers did not attempt Arctic whaling until 1846, and have since confined their operations to the waters on the west side of Davis strait (Cumberland gulf and southward) and to those of Hudson strait and Hudson bay.

The American ships have always been sailing vessels, and the American methods differ considerably from those of the Scotch whalers, the chief difference being that their ships are provisioned for two years, and remain one or two winters in the north on each voyage. Americans were the first to erect permanent stations in the eastern Arctics.