whaling

Introduction
The history of whaling
- Primitive whaling
- Early commercial whaling
- Modern whaling
Regulation
Whale products

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Infographic titled A Brief History of Whaling, showing illustrated ships and whales to depict key periods in whaling history from early Inuit and Basque hunting, through the 17th century, the 1850s sailing era, the industrial modern era with factory ships, and present-day practices. Text and images highlight technological advances, whale species targeted, and the shift to limited whaling by a few countries and aboriginal groups.

After being killed by whaleboat crews, the whale was secured alongside the ship and cut into pieces, which were cooked in the try-pots. The resulting oil was casked and stored below the decks.

The whaleboat was towed by a harpooned whale until the animal tired. Lances were then used for the kill.

The powerful engines of mid-20th-century catcher boats allowed these vessels to overtake even the fastest whales.

A moratorium on commercial whaling was finally imposed in 1986 after decades of overhunting had already depleted the populations of many whale species.

At a Glance

whaling summary

Related Questions

How did Foyn’s harpoon cannon kill whales?
How did Inuit communities hunt large whales with Stone Age tools?
How did Svend Foyn’s steam-powered whale catcher transform modern whaling?
How did a stern slipway help factory ships process large rorqual whales?
How did airplanes and helicopters help whaling fleets locate whales?
How did floating factory ships allow whalers to reach previously inaccessible waters?
How did hand-thrown harpoons and lances work in early commercial whaling?
How did petroleum discovered in Pennsylvania in 1859 affect American whaling?
How did shore stations process whales after they were brought ashore?
How did steamships and exploding harpoons make blue and fin whales easier to hunt?
How did the Basques hunt northern right whales in the Bay of Biscay?
How did the International Whaling Commission’s goals differ between conservationists and preservationists?
How did the invention of the rocket harpoon change whale hunting in the 1860s?
How long could a sperm-whaling voyage in the Pacific last?
How long have people hunted whales?
How many blue whales were killed by whalers in 1931?
How many whales were killed in Antarctic whaling operations?
How quickly could a floating factory ship process a 100-ton blue whale?
Where did Basque whalers establish whaling operations across the Atlantic?
Which North American places became early centers of British colonial whaling?
Which whale products were replaced by petroleum, vegetable oils, steel, and gas lamps?
Which whale species were nearly exterminated by early uncontrolled hunting?
Which whales were most often hunted in early coastal whaling?
Why did Blue Whale Units fail to protect whale populations effectively?
Why did World War II temporarily reduce whale hunting?
Why did commercial whaling move from Antarctica to the North Pacific?
Why did demand for whale oil increase around the start of the 20th century?
Why did the League of Nations’ 1931 International Whaling Convention have limited success?
Why did whaling expand into Antarctic waters in the early 1900s?
Why was enforcing International Whaling Commission regulations difficult?
Why was the first Nantucket sperm whale catch in 1712 important?
Why were blue and fin whales once considered too difficult for whalers to catch?
Why were compressed-air pumps used on whale carcasses?
Why were sperm oil and spermaceti more valuable than right whale oil?

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External Websites

NOAA Fisheries - Scientific Publications Office - Emptying the Oceans: A Summary of Industrial Whaling Catches in the 20th Century (PDF)
Canadian Encyclopedia - Whaling
BBC Newsround - What is whaling and why's it controversial?
National Science and Media Museum - A history of whaling
PBS - American Experience - The History of Whaling in America
Australian Government - Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water - Whaling
Environmental Investigation Agency - Commercial whaling: Unsustainable, inhumane, unnecessary
WWF - The History of Whaling and the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
National Museum of Australia - Start of whaling
Natural Resources Defense Council - Commercial Whaling 101

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

whaling - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

whaling

human predation

Written by

Gordon Jackson

Reader in Economic History, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Author of The British Whaling Trade and others.

Gordon Jackson

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

whaling, the hunting of whales for food and oil. Whaling was once conducted around the world by seafaring nations in pursuit of the giant animals that seemed as limitless as the oceans in which they swam. However, since the mid-20th century, when whale populations began to drop catastrophically, whaling has been conducted on a very limited scale. It is now the subject of great scrutiny, both by formal regulatory bodies and by nongovernmental organizations. Whaling...

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