IV.

Yankee Whaling

“Yankee” or American whaling began about the same time that colonists began to settle in America in the 1600s. Early colonial whaling, however, was limited to processing whale carcasses that were found afloat or stranded on beaches. “Yankee” whalers soon progressed to killing whales near the shore. By the 18th century they were hunting in the ocean. Harvesting of sperm whales began in New England around 1712 and spread to all oceans. (“Yankee” whalers also continued hunting for right whales.) Sperm whale oil was used in the finest lamps and candles. Whalers targeted bowhead whales in the northern areas of the North Pacific Ocean and in the Atlantic, while humpback whales were taken in all oceans.

Nantucket Island, Cape Cod, and eastern Long Island were the original centers of early American whaling. Nantucket became the most important of the three and retained the leadership until about 1830, when New Bedford, Massachusetts, became the world's most important whaling port. Other American ports with large fleets were Provincetown, Massachusetts; New London, Connecticut; San Francisco; and Sag Harbor, New York. In all, more than 70 American ports sent out whalers.

The peak year for American whaling activity was 1846, when 736 vessels and 70,000 people were engaged in the industry. In terms of production, however, sperm oil peaked in 1843, at 19,910,000 liters (5,260,000 gallons), whale oil at 43,884,000 liters (11,593,000 gallons) in 1845, and whalebone at 2,564,000 kg (5,652,000 lb) in 1853.

A gradual decline in whaling activity, which began in 1847, was hastened by the reduction in the numbers of whales of many species, including right whales, gray whales, and humpback whales. This reduction was due to significant overhunting. The decline was also hastened by the introduction of kerosene as a cheap illuminating fuel, the sinking of numerous whaling vessels by Confederate commerce raiders during the American Civil War (1861-1865), and two disasters that destroyed nearly 50 vessels in the Arctic Ocean. The last American whaling vessel sailed in 1928. Throughout this period, with few exceptions, whaling was unregulated, limited only by the number of whales and the demand for whale products. Even today, the North Atlantic right whale remains the most endangered species of the great whales, numbering about 300 animals, despite almost no catching for 100 years.