Why did early Antarctic sealers keep their routes and hunting locations secret?

Early Antarctic sealers kept their routes and hunting locations secret primarily to protect their commercial interests and maintain exclusive access to their hunting grounds. By concealing this information, they prevented competitors from discovering and exploiting the same lucrative areas.1

These sealers, who primarily hailed from Britain and the United States, were driven by the high demand for fur seal skins in Europe and China. While their activities led to the near extinction of southern fur seals, their secretive voyages also contributed to the early charting of various island and sea routes in the sub-Antarctic region.21