Which North American places became early centers of British colonial whaling?

Beginning in the 1690s, British colonial whaling in North America was centered in several key locations, most notably Cape Cod, Long Island, and Rhode Island.1

These areas served as hubs for bay whaling, a practice that involved hunting whales near the shore. By 1712, this industry evolved significantly when a vessel from Nantucket successfully caught the first sperm whale. This shift toward sperm whaling, which was more lucrative than traditional right whaling, eventually lured expeditions into the open ocean and warmer waters, marking a transition toward the pelagic whaling practices that would later define the industry.1