Whaling has been carried out by various groups of people around the world for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that primitive whaling, by Inuit and others in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, was practiced by 3000 BC. For most of this time the level of the fishery remained quite low, though became an important part of the folklore and traditions of many groups of indigenous peoples. For a family or community living in an impoverished environment, a caught whale meant ample food over a long period.

As a result of the invention of the exploding harpoon and fast steam- powered vessels, the whaling industry was able to focus on larger and more profitable species, beginning with the largest prizes of all - the Blue whale.

UNSUSTAINABLE YIELD

A single 90-foot blue whale could yield up to 120 barrels of oil, and blue whales were killed by the thousands from about 1900 onwards. The slaughter peaked in 1931 when over 29,000 were killed in one season. After that blue whales became so scarce that the whalers turned to other smaller species, first of all the Fin whales and then when these in turn became scarce, to Sei whales in the 1960's and then to the much smaller Minke whales in the 1980's. Minkes are currently the most hunted whales by whaling nations, especially Japan, but are not the only ones. Today, whales are killed primarily for their meat.

WHAT WERE WHALES USED FORIN THE PAST?

Oil from Whale’s Blubber

Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps.

When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil.

The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products.

Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope.

Spermaceti, Ambergris and Teeth from Sperm Whales

A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke.

Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World."

Spermaceti could also be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti.

Since sperm whales are not baleen whales, they have teeth that were used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks.

 Ambergris

This is a dark, waxy substance produced in the digestive tract of sperm whales. It is produced from the action of the stomach secretions on the hard "beaks" of the squid that sperm whales mainly feed on.

 It has been valued since ancient times. It might be vomited by a sperm whale during its death flurry, regurgitated (like a hairball), evacuated through the bowel or discovered when the carcass was processed. It also has been found floating at sea or washed up on a beach, with no whales in sight.

Ambergris (from the French amber gris, "grey amber") has been used in cosmetics, in love potions and wine, and as a headache remedy. In recent times it was used to enhance and lengthen the life of expensive perfumes. It frequently sold on the waterfront for $100 a pound.

 

Baleen, or "Whalebone"

The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.”

The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food.

As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone."

Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.”

Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters.

The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone.

As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone."

Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.”

Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters.

The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone.