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WHALING COMMITTEE:
Of the 93 occurrences of Balaenoptera musculus (Blue whale) recorded:
35 were obeurved between 20 and 80° W.; and 43 were observed between 135° and 180° E. Racoritza at once points out, however, in this con- nection, that these facts are not sufficient in themselves to warrant the immediate conclusion that the stock of whales is only numerous in these two localities-the Various present field of operations, and the Ross Sea. other circumstances have here to be taken into con-
• sideration.
summer.
In the first place, there is, of course, the fact that the number of expeditions varies greatly for the different parts of the Antarctic, at any rate as regards the higher degrees of latitude. The object of most of these expeditions has been either to discover new land, or to reach a particularly high degree of latitude-if possible, the Pole itself. For both purposes, the two areas mentioned, between 20 and 80 W. and 160°- 180° E., have been regarded as especially favourable, and expeditions have, therefore, been particularly numerous between these degrees of longitude. True, there have been many instances of circumnavigation, i.e., round the whole of the Antarctic Ocean; these expeditions have, however, for the most part sought to avoid the ice, keeping to the north of those latitudes where the whales are to be found during the Antarctic According to Racovitza's table the Blue whales have been found to be distributed (during the Antarctic summer) between 61 and 71 8., with a maximal occurrence about 63, 64, or 66 S. The Humpback is found between 60′ and 67° S., with a maximum of occurrence between 63 and 64 8. The area above referred to are almost the only places in these latitudes visited by expeditions, or rather the only places where any expeditions have made a stay of any considerable duration. On account of the great masses of icebergs and pack ice, which are the occasion of so much difficulty and danger to explorers in these regions, it is rarely that any of them have ventured far to the south outside these two areas the Ross Sea, and the vicinity of Graham's Land. Some exceptions there are, however, and these of particular interest, the expeditions in question being those of the ablest and most reliable of all Antarctic explorers, I will here cite a few of these expeditions with the observation made. Along the range westward from Graham's Land to about the mouth of Ross Sea (80°-140° W.) some of the most reliable investigators have recorded the sight- ing of whales in high latitudes, as, for instance, Biscoe, Biscoe states Bellingshausen. Enderby, and Wilkes. (at 81° 50′ W.-66 27'S.) several Hump and Finlacked whales" Bellingshausen (at 114 15 W.-63° 26′ S.), **whales round about."
West of the Rosa Sea, between this and the longi. tude of South Georgia, whales have been seen by a number of expeditions; Biscoe, Enderby, McNab, D'Urville. Wilkes, the Challenger, Bellingshausen, and, in recent times, the German Gauss expedition. We find, for instance, the following statements :-
15′′ 51′ E.-69° 06′ S. A great number of whales
(Bellingshausen).
23 E.-68 508. Some Fin and Humpbacked
whales (Biscoe),
35° 03′ E.--67 15'8. Many whales (Cook). 41 26 E.-66 18 S. Many whales (Bellings-
hausen).
78° E.-66 407 S.
grampus (Challenger).
Numerous whales and
About 80 E. to about 65 S. A few whales
(Challenger).
Whales seen (Challenger),
Some whales (Challenger),
80 E.-822 30 S. 87 E.-63 45'8. .97 37' E.-64 - 01'S.
backs (Wilkes).
103 49 E61 15'8.
(McNab).
104 E.-64 06′S.
(Wilkes).
A large uumber of Fin-
Great number of whales
A vast number of whales
106 10′ E.-65° 28′ S. Many whales (Wilkes) 116 11' E-63- 56' S.
(Enderby).
Great many whales
134 50 E.-63 40′ S. Great many whales and
porpoises (Enderby).
We thus find that, even in those parts of the Ant. arctic where observations are few, many whales have yet in course of time been observed. It will be noticed that all the localities here recorded are in very high latitudes, 1e, near, in, or far up among the pack ice. This is explained by Racovitza, and by whalers no- quainted with the habits of the animals, as due to the fact that the most important, i.e., most numerous and valuable species, the Blue whale and the Humpback, The Blue whale is per- seek either the ios or the land. hape most frequent among the ios, the Humpback having possibly some preference for land. As regards this point, considerable experience has been obtained in the course of the whaling industry in northern waters. As I have previously pointed out, on the basis of in- formation from Norwegian whalers, these were either taken near the coast of Norway, Finmarken (especi- ally the Humpbacks, when these had moved over to the wastward) or northward in the vicinity of the ice. If it be permissible to draw conclusions from these facts with regard to conditions in the Antarotic, then this would explain why vessels sailing round the globe, as, for instance, the Terra Nova and Fram, and passing from the Atlantic to Ross Sen, would encounter but few whales in the sea far north of the ice, in lower latitudes. Not until they had penetrated far to the southward, and approached or reached the pack ice, were whales found in numbers. Racovitza, judging from his experience in the course of the Belgicu expedition, is able to assert that the two most important species, the Blue whale and the Humpback, both have a preference for localities in the neighbourhood of land, the former, however, in a lesser degree than the latter. He states as follows:- "These Fin whales (the Blue whales) are frequently "found to accompany the Humpbacks; their area of "distribution is the same. Widely distributed as they are around the whole extent of the Antarctic pack "ioe, they are still, however, far more numerous near
land than in the open pack ice."
NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE WHALES.
The question as to the numerical value of the whales is naturally a point of considerable difficulty. An observer on board a ship at sea is unable to see very far to either side. Nor can the distribution of the whales be supposed to be so regular that the comparatively few cruises which have been made in the Antarctic Ocean should suffice to give any quantitative idea. Little has been done, moreover, in the way of making any accurate record of the whales seen, or noting the definite number "few whales," of same observad. Many whales," "some whales," are after all but vague expressions. One thing, however, is certain: reports from all parts of the Antarctic mention the occurrence of great numbers of whales, both in former and in more recent times.
SOUTH GEORGIA-GRAHAM'S LAND.
No expedition has attempted to give such accurate information concerning the number of whales seen as that of the Belgica. An endeavour was here made to actually count the whales seen in the course of a day, and Racovitza states that in the Belgica Straits (off Graham's Land) over 100 Humpbacks and 50 Blue whales were sighted in one day. That the whales con- tinue to be found in great numbers in these waters up to the present day, the fact that the whole of the whaling industry in concentrated about this area, is borne out by the great catches made as late as last season both in the South Georgia and South Shetland waters. The three whaling vessels belonging to the Tönsberg Company, working in South Georgia, took in the course of the season 1912-13 no less than 313, 294, and 286 whales respectively.
The great catches made of late years in the waters between South Georgia and South Shetland render it superfluous to dwell further on these localities in this connection.
ROSS SEA.
Turning then to the second great area of the Ant- arctic where whales have been recorded from many localities, viz., the Rosa Sea and adjacent waters, between 140 W. and 160' E., we find very numerous proofe that all explorers, from the earliest until most recent times, have had a distinct impression of these
APPENDICES,
waters as being the haunt of a great stock of whales. In order to justify this assertion it will be necessary to quote the exact statements of various writers. I will commance with some of the earliest.
When Ross, in December 1840, started southward from Tasmania on his fixąt voyage towards the pack ice, he sighted, on the 29th December, lat. 63° 25′ S.. long. 174° 31' E., amongst numerous icebergs and much drift ice, a great many whalen, chiefly of the common black kind, greatly resembling, but said to be distinct from, the Greenland whale. They appeared to be of unusually large size.
On the 1st March 1841, at 69° 04′ 8., 167° 37′ E. (in Ross Ses), Ross writes: "We saw a great many whales whenever we came near the pack edge, chiefly of a very large size, and I have no doubt that before long this place will be the frequent resort of our "whaling ships," etc.
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M:Cormick, who accompanied Ross, says of the Antarctic Continent, and of Ross Sex in particular: "In open water whales were spouting in all directions, " chiefly the Finger, and a beautiful grampus, or small "whale." In Racovitza's list of localities where whales have been seen, he notes, between 140 W. and 16o E., in Ross Ses and among the pack ios outside, no less than 23 different spots where Ross or his com. panions, McCormick and Craig, have recorded the occur- rence of "many whales,” "great many whales." "numerous whales," etc. The places where "some whales," "overal whales," eta.. were seen are not included here. Although Ross, who had no independent knowledge of the different species, is here at fault, having mistaken the Rorquals (chiefly, no doubt, the Blue whales) for Right whales, the extracts from the logs of the expedition suffice to prove distinctly that Blue whales and Humpbacks were encountered in very great numbers.
I may mention that, in the course of an earlier expedition. ably conducted on board the schooner Eliza Scott, McNab's log-book records the occurrence of numerous whales in the same waters. Thus about 180 and 66 70 8., where we find many whales," "whales in all directions,” etc.
The erroneous statement made by Ross as to the occurrence of Right whales in Ross Sea led to the starting of an expedition by Kommandör Svend Foyn, at the investigation of H. J. Bull, a steamer, the Antarctic, being equipped for the purpose of ascertain- ing whether a Right whale industry could be established in those waters. The expedition penetrated into the Rosa Sea, and soon discovered that no Right whales were to be found. Blue whales and Humpbacked, however, were encountered in great numbers. Mr. Bull states that during the voyage down to the mouth of Ross Ses they saw on the 5th December 1893, at 65° 47′ B., 171 › 36′ E.. several Blue whales and Humpbacks. On the 12th December some Blue whales were seen, of which two were harpooned.
On the 22nd December, 25 miles from the Balleny Islands, at the entrance to Ross Sea, another Blue whale was harpooned.
On the 12th January, at 68° 7′ 8. (in the Ross Sem), "Blue whales in all directions ' were seen. On the following day we find a remark concerning the Blue whales: "We night a quantity of these animals both by day and night; as many as twenty may frequently be counted in quite a short space of time. With a whale. "boat and a big transport vessel it should be possible to "make good catches in the big open canals. The red shrimps, which form the whales" daily food, are found "hers in the same quantities as in northern waters."
**7th Feb. Steering towards Balleny, which we could just soe. Many whales around, all, however, of
the finned family."
Since the commencement of the Fin whaling industry in the Antarctic (1905), a number of important expedi- tions have been sont out to Ross Sea. Of these it will, in this connection, suffion to mention those of Shackle- ton, Scott, and Amundsen.
In Shackleton's book (" The Heart of the Antarctic,” London, 1909) James Murray, the biologist of the expedition, writes of the occurrence of whales in the Ross Sea as noted by the expedition (which covered the period from 1807-1909). Murray writes of the stay at the Great
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Barrier, and the bay in which the ship remained so long :-
**This bay, which we afterwards referred to by the appropriate name of the Bay of Whales, whi teeming with all the familiar kinds of Antarotic life. Hundreds of whales-Killers, Finners, and Humpbacks were rising and blowing all round." (Vol. II., p. 234.)
As regards the whales in general, he writes (Vol. II.,
):- p. 260, ff.
"In summer whales were locally abundant, though nowhere else in such numbers as we saw in the Bay of Whales at the Great Barrier. As long a there was open water small schools of Finners and larger ones of Killers were seen daily in McMurdo Sound. Even when the Sound was densely filled with pack they came to the little sex-pools,
For a long time in winter no whales were reported.
"The Finnner, with its little fin about half-way along the back, and its long, pointed head, came Tory near, and often grazed the ship. One came vertically up close by the ship's side, the snout ten or twelve feet out of the water. As usual, in such amergencies, none of the cameras was ready.
The Killera were often in family parties, or a few families together, some bulls of great size, with magnificent triangular fin, like a boat's sail, six or eight feet long, the cows with much smaller, often curved, fin, the calves following close by their mothers' tails to avoid getting lost. small calves were seen in January.
Some very
"The Humpback, with little rounded fin set far back, and the Bottle-nose, were rarely seen."
Scott's expedition from 1910-12("Scott's Imst Expedi tion," London, 1913) also gives a very distinct impres- sion of the great numbers in which the whales occurred. During the voyage southward towards the pack ice. Scott himself writes in his journal as follows:—
8th December 1910 (63° 20′ 8., 177° 22′ E.). We have seen a good many whales to-day, Rorquals with black spouts-Balaenoptera sibbaldi."
At 67° 35′ 8., 160° 16' E. "A number of whales (lesser Rorquals) were in this pack, and they soon discovered this clear water and took advantage of it to come and blow. As there was not room for them to come up in the ordinary way they had to thrust their heads up vertically and blow in sort of standing-on-their-tails position. Several times one rested its head on a floe, not twenty feet from the ship . .
etc.
"
D. G. Lillie writes: "It is true that only about three species of whalebone whales were recognised south of the pack, but the number of individuala seen daily round the ship was very great. The two commonest species seen were Balaenoptera sibbaldi, the Blue whale, and Balaenoptera rostrata, the Pike whale."
Amundsen's expedition, on board the Fram, which visited Ross Sea several times during the years 1910 and 1911, also encountered numerous whales there. Lieutenant Prestrud writes (in Amundsen's book, "Sydpolen "):—
"The name 'Bay of Whales' was given by Shackleton, and is well chosen. From the time when the sea ice breaks up, this big gap in the Barrier is a favourite haunt of whales, which were very often seen playing about for hours at a time in Books of some fifty strong."
Less numerous was the occurrence out in the Rose Sea itself (open water). The most common species was the Fin whale, the Blue whale (?) coming next." I have inquired of Mr. Amundsen as to which species of whales he encountered in great numbers in the Ross Sea, and he has informed me that he saw Blue whales, Fin whales, and Humpbacks in great numbers.
It would thus seem, from the extracts here givan, that Ross Sea, and the pack ice outside its mouth, is now, as in the days of Ross, frequented by great numbers of the different species of Rorquals, which are now the object of the whaling industry in the waters between South Georgia and Graham's Land.
THE OPEN Coasts of the Antarctic CONTINENT.
The great range from South Georgia to Ross Sen (from 30 W. to 140° E.) has, as already mentioned,