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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
PETCO. 885
23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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23 January 1914.]
WBALING COMMITTEE:
Mr. STANLEY T. BURFIELD, B.A.
argument. Although it may not apply to the next season, surely if you kill an immature whale you are killing a potential father or mother P-Yes.
180. I thought your previous argument was rather this, that they went always for the largest P-Yes.
181. And that if it could be shown that there was a general reduction of the average size, it would be fairly obvious from that that they were actually killing down all mature whales and getting past the stage of maturity to the immature ones Yes
182. And simply that that was more precise evidence of the general diminution of the stock P-Yes; that is
what I meant.
183. Your argument from the start was merely an argument I understood in favour of the general view that the stock as a whole was being diminished --Yes. that is what I put it down for; that was the argument.
184. It was not so much to advocate that whales, only of a particular age, either mature or immature should be protected P-No, it was from the other line I put that particularly.
(Chairman.) I think that removes your difficulty, Mr. Vernon.
185. (Mr. Vernon.) That was the point I wanted to make clear. (To the Witness.) There is one other point I would like to ask: Supposing effective restric tions were placed on this particular fishery, would it result in it being closed down? I mean to say, are the profits made at present large enough to justify the continuance of the fishery if restrictions were imposed or would successful restriction mean the closing of the fishery-It depends how far the restriction went.
186. I only sak quite roughly. It occurred to me that very likely 30 whales per boat per season would be the minimum for commercial working, and that if one reduced it below that possibly the station might close ?-- Yes, that is what I believe to be the case for a northern station. The minimum would be higher for a southern station because of the cost of transport and so on. The cost of working would be greater.
187. (Mr. Holt.) I think you probably know that the Iniske Station has had fairly good catches ?—
Yes.
188. And yet it broke and the company had to be re-formed P-Ÿes.
189. (Chairman) Before we pass
to the next question, perhaps I might sum up what I think is the effect of the evidence you have given there, that as regards the particular stations to which you refer (you are not speaking in general terms), you think you see evidence of, shall I say, an undue depletion of the fisheries, but you do not, as I understand, see very clearly any measure of protection which could effectively be introduced-No. I mention at the end something about effective measures.
190. We will leave that point then; we are content simply to say for the present that, as regards those two stations, you do see a risk that the fishery may be unduly depleted P-Yen.
191. Would you go so far as to say that the whales might become exterminated? You will probably have something more to say about that later on?—Yes, but if the argument about maturity is really continued you cannot reach any other conclusion, because if you kill of all the mature individuals.
192. Unless it comes about that the fishery would naturally protect itself through the operation of com. mercial considerations ?—You.
193. The next point is "Areas of migration," and you mention first movements for food and for breeding. That is a point upon which we have been anxious to get light; that is to say, whether one can get definite evidence as to movements for any particular purpose and at any particular season. Have you got evidence of move- ments for food and for breeding P For food we have a good deal of evidence; there is a natural movement for food?-Yea.
194. But for breeding have you anything to tell us ? There were two cases of apparent migration for breeding which were given to me by Captain Bruun, and they both referred, I understood, to Humpbacks. In one case he said that a school of Humpbacks for some years regularly came from the White Sea across
[Continued.
Norway to Iceland in the autumn. They were gravid females; the young were born during the winter months off Iceland, and then they returned. That happened for several years, but apparently all those or practically all those have been killed off since. The other case referred to Humpbacks in California, where there are long inleta with fairly narrow mouths, and he said that there, in the autumn, gravid females swam into those inlets and the young were born during the winter months, and in the spring the bulls came to fetch the mothers with the young out again. Those were two definite cases I had of definite movements for breeding,
195. So that there movement for breeding means actually a movement for parturition ?--Yes.
196. It is not a movement of the two sexes, male and female ?--No. Apparently the females must come in shore for actual parturition, and there is a definite movement to apparently a very definite spot in those two cases for the purpose.
197. It sounds as if it would cover a comparatively short period ?--Yes. Apparently the birth takes place in the winter months.
One of the 198. What I am driving at is this. things we hate been rather anxious to discover is whether you could show that, at a particular period of the year, in which one would introduce protective measures, you might find the females generally calving? -Yes?
199. Because, so far, the evidence we have had is rather to the effect that there was no special season !-- I would not say there is any special month, but I think there is a special season.
•
200. Might I say a period of montha ?-I mention In those two cases there seemed to be, that later on. according to that information, a definite movement for parturition by the females.
201. That is a very important point from the point of view of protection P-Certainly.
202. Then in (b) you state the point you have already mentioned, that apparently they must come in ahore for breeding ?-For parturition.
203. Except in the case of sperme P-Yes; it is said that the sperms can have young anywhere, right out in the open sos.
204. When you say "in shore" do you mean that they ground I should not think so far as that-only shallow water.
205. Then (e) "For Irish stations most whales are "caught on or about a bank in north-west direction "apparently, except sperms." This is with regard to the areas of migration. What do you argue from that? -That is simply to find a feeding ground. That bank would be for finnere generally.
206. So that the idea in your mind is that what brings them up to the Irish fishing station, which I suppose is at a special fishing period, is simply a food movement as far as you can judge P-Well, they find in the particular movement north, which is occurring apparently during the earlier part of the season, that that is a particular feeding ground on their way perhaps to somewhere else. I would not say they come north only for that ground.
207. No, but as a matter of fact, the search for food does lead them along the same paths year after year more or less?—I would not perhaps say that they are moving along these paths in search for food, but they are feeding on the way; they have definite feeding stations on the way, and that is one of them.
208. I will put it to you in another way; they feed regularly in the same place, and at those periods they find the same food?—Yes. I mention that point again later with regard to Humpbacks. I was told they particularly come back again and again to the same feeding places, and that may be the reason why such a number of them were killed at some of the southern stations. The whalers get to know a particular plage where the whales are found feeding; they (the whales) continually return, and the whalers go there as well.
209. So that you think there is something like a definite movement after food, which is a traceable one year after year-Yes, but that will depend in the case of the fin whales on the movements of plankton, of which we know so little.
23 January 1914.]
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
Mr. STANLEY T. BUBFIELD, B.A.
210. And which are not to be relied upon?-No. The movements of fin-whales would depend upon
that.
211. But they come up approximately at the same place at the same season ?——All through the season, in the Irish stations from about May to the middle of September.
212. And they are not there at other times of the year? They do not fish at other times of the year, but that may be due simply to weather conditions. In the ourlier part of the season I believe the whales are moving generally in a northerly direction, when they see them. I believe in the latter part of the season they tend to be moving rather in the other direction; as winter comes on they tend to be moving in a southerly direc tion.
213. So that it might conceivably be that this northerly movement was a breeding movement, and that the food was incidental?—Yes.
214. You mention (6) that the Greenland Right whales keep far north on both sides of the Atlantic. That is merely on the point of area; they follow the edge of the ice, I understand P-Yes, they are fairly restricted, following the edge of the ios.
215. Then you mention that the north-west count of Australia is a probable breeding ground for Balaenopteridas-Yes, that information is obtained from report in one of the papers from a man who had evidently been there with them. He distinctly stated that the officials connected with the fishery there. although they did not catch the whales in that position (they caught them off New South Wales), believed the breeding ground was off the north-west of Australia.
216. That again is to be interpreted as the parturi- tion ground P-Yes. The next case was a similar one- A South Georgia case-and that was stated in an article written by Mr. Frank Bullen. That was about February last year, whereas the Australian case was stated in January of this your.
217. Have you a copy of that ?—Yes, I have a outting of both of them.
218. You will perhaps lend it to us afterwarde ? Then you mention "(g) South Georgis, a haunt." I imagine that by that you mean no more than that they frequent that neighbourhood ?—Yes, that is not neces- sarily a breeding ground.
219. Then you mention (h) the migration of the "Blue whale is proved by American harpoons found in "animals caught in Barentz Sen "?-Yeu.
220. You have evidence of that, have you, because we were discussing the point at our last meeting. I had heard stories to that effect P-That is definitely stated, that they were found in the years 1888 and 1898. That is stated by Dr. Hjort in the book "The Depths of the Ocean," written by Sir John Murray and him. self. He obtained the information in connection with a whaling captain whose name he mentioned. He also states there cannot be any doubt, in his opinion, na to the American origin of the harpoons, because that par- ticular sort were not used by men fishing on this side of the Atlantio, and they had the American patent- holder's stamp on them, and apparently he quite thinks there are two definite cases of a long movement of these particular whales. Both, I think, referred to the
same species.
221. You say here, Blue whales?—Yes.
222. In (1) you give the general distribution, but I imagine it is hardly necessary to discuss that; that is merely a general account?-It is perfectly general.
223. In (j) you say the Bottle-nose whale migrates into the Norwegian sea from the Atlantic in spring and summer?-Yea.
234. That is a regular traceable migration, is it P- I think so, for food. That is also given by Dr. Hjort, because the Bottle-nose whalese feed largely on squids, the same as the sperm whale. Dr. Hjort is more particularly interested in the squids and the plankton, and he merely gives the case in connection with that when he is discussing whales in connection with plank. ton.
225. He incidentally mentions that the presence of this plankton affects the Bottle-nose whale ?—Yes, he
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[Continued.
thinks there is a definite migration of Bottle-nose whales into the Norwegian sea.
228. In (k) you say "Whalea passing West Ireland move south in the latter part of the year." You have mentioned that already?—Yes.
227. They go first north and then south ?—Yes, they will be moving south as winter approaches.
228. Then (7) "for Irish stations Right whales follow "the seihvals and both go by the end of June. Blue **whales are said to appear only after the seihvals have "gone "P-Yee.
229. All that pointing in your estimation to the fact that there is a traceable migration ?--Yes, that is off the Irish coast.
230. "(m) Whsles off Irish count are said to be ** moving in a northerly direction in the earlier part of "the season." That is a point you have already men- tioned?--Yes.
231. (Mr. Holt.) You mentioned that the female Humpback whales are said to go into the fjords and creeks to breed P--- Yes.
232. And after a time the males join them there. I suppose that is a fair inference that when the males join them copulation takes place?—They only come in to fetch the fernales with the already horn young.
233. So that there may be an interval between the time the male comes and the time when the female is again gravid?—The copulation apparently-pairing— would take place during the summer on the high seas and then the gravid females are left: the males leave the gravid females. The gravid females are the par- ticular ones which make the movement, the young are born, and then the males come after their young are born.
234. Is it reasonably possible to say how long the period of gestation is even in these Humpbacks?—I come to that afterwards,
235. (Mr. Vernos.) I should like to ask is there any evidence as to the extent of this migration off the Irish coast, that is to say, the northern and southern limits of it. I suppose they are quite uncertain; you do not know how far north or south the whales go!- No, but I think we could say at any rate that for the ordinary finners they would not go farther north than the Right whale is driven south in the winter. Very probably they would not go farther north than just the north of Iceland, at Jan Mayen Island. I do not think we can say anything about the extent of the southern movement.
236. (Chairman,) Then we have Head III.-Periods of breeding. I see under Head (I.) it is not known with certainty for any species; there appears to be no fixed time, that is what we have already heard, but I am rather struck by the cases you have mentioned where apparently there is a definite period for par- turition P-When I say "fixed time" I do not mean that there need not ba a fixed season. By "fixed time" I mean a more limited time, within a month or some- thing like that. That is what I mean by no fixed time; but for parturition, from what I can make out, there is a fairly fixed season, that is to say, it takes place either in the winter or in the spring.
237. And you could, perhaps, locate it to a period of three months or something like that?-Perhaps three or four months.
238. Then you mention that the pairing for Balaenop- teridae and Humpbacks takes place probably during spring and in the early summer?—Yes, it is seen, of course, sometimes during the early spring. 239. The act of copulation ?—Yes.
240. You say that foetuses of various sizes are found throughout the earlier part of the season; that is again in accordance rather with the evidence we have heard? -Yea. I have some figures here. In 1911, the season I was there, on 12 July (this refers simply to the fetuses of the ordinary finner), 8 ft. 11 in.; on 16 July, 4ft. 11 in.; on 20 July, 8ft. 5 in.; and on 7 August, 5 ft. 6 in. There is great variation.
-241. That rather tends to contradict any ides of a regular copulating and a regular parturition period? Within two or three months. In 1913, this season,
on 15 July there was a very large fœtus 15 ft., sad