How did the Basques hunt northern right whales in the Bay of Biscay?

The Basques were the forerunners of commercial whaling, specifically targeting northern right whales as the animals gathered to breed in the Bay of Biscay.1

Because these whales were docile, slow-moving, and often slept on the surface, they were relatively accessible to hunters. The Basques pursued them using rowboats and struck them with a harpoon. Once struck, the whale was played like a fish until it was exhausted, at which point the whalers killed it with a lance.1

Following the kill, the whales—which naturally floated—were towed to shore. There, the Basques processed the catch by stripping and boiling the thick blubber and harvesting the baleen. This systematic approach to hunting and processing established the foundation for later commercial whaling practices.1