How did shore stations process whales after they were brought ashore?

At shore stations, the processing of whales was a systematic operation designed for "total carcass utilization" to maximize economic output. Once a whale was brought to the station, it was winched up a slipway onto a platform for processing.1

The procedure typically involved the following steps:

• Flensing: The blubber was peeled off the carcass and cut into smaller pieces.1
• Rendering: The blubber was boiled to extract oil, which was a primary commodity for industries such as soap and margarine production.1
• Bone and Meat Processing: Bones were sawed into pieces and boiled alongside inedible meat to produce low-grade oil.1
• By-product Recovery: The remaining residue was dried and ground to be sold as fertilizer or animal feed.1

This rapid processing was essential to prevent the putrefaction of the carcass, ensuring that the products remained viable for commercial use. While early primitive whaling focused on stripping blubber and processing baleen, modern shore stations integrated these mechanical processes to ensure that nearly every part of the animal was utilized.12