Minke Whale

Southern Elephant Seal

Whaling and sealing in Antarctica began soon after James Cook returned with news of his findings. Whales and seals have been hunted for thousands of years, but not at the voracity during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The whaling industry got underway in 1868 when Sven Foyn, a Norwegian, invented the exploding harpoon and the method to inflate the dead whale with air so it would not sink after being harpooned.

The main reason that whales started to be hunted on a large scale was for the oil that could be obtained from melting the thick layer of blubber that protects the whales from the cold temperatures of the Southern Ocean. The oil was used for lubricating machinery and cosmetic uses. The first whales to be exploited were the blue whales, which could reach up to 90 feet. After the blue whale stocks diminished, sei whales, followed by fin whales and minke whales were hunted. The International Whaling Commission was created and banned the killing of blue whales in 1966. This may have been too late, as the numbers of whales left were very low. The whaling industry is estimated to have accounted for killing 1.25 million whales.

Whaling stations were set up along the coast of Antarctica and in the sub-Antarctic islands. Boats would catch whales and bring them back to shore to be processed. An example of this is the whaling station in Whaler's Bay on Deception Island. As technology progressed, large boats were made that could process entire whales. Smaller boats would catch the whales and bring them back for processing and oil extraction. These boats were much more economical then the shore based stations.