!
54
WHALING COMMITTEE:
been much less visited by expeditions; here also, how- ever, mention is made by some of the ablest explorers of the occurrence of whales in numbers; thus Cook, Bellingshausen, Biscoe, Weddell, Nares (Challenger), Wilkes. Many such statements will be found quoted in Racovitza's work. In recent times I have no knowledge of others beyond the Gauss expedition (1903-1903) under Erich v. Drygalski. This expedition is, however, in many respects of particular interest. In the first place it numbered among its members the able biologist 'Ernst Vanhoffen, who took charge of the methodical observations dealing with all biological phenomena, in- In the second place cluding the occurrence of whales.
the winter quarters of the expedition were situated at one of the points where the Antarctic Continent juta out into the Polar Sea along this long range, where there are no bays as in Ross Sea and between South Shetland and Graham's Land. The station chosen was on the lung open coast of the Antarctic Continent, and therefore in many respects representative of the same. In the course of the cruise down from Kerguelen to this land station, Vanhoffen states ® :—
. From the 5th of February onwards (about 55 S., 80 E.) we had icebergs ahend every day, and nearly every day we could hear whales blowing. Of these, we could distinguish, from the position and shape of the dorsal fin, a whalebone whale and a toothed whale us Megaptera and Globicephalus."
On the night of the 13th-14th February, the big net. 7 m. diameter, was dragged for some hours. When it was drawn up, badly torn, it had taken some 20 litres of beautiful Ephausidae (E. superba, E. Murrayi, and some of the small E. Antarctica), etc."
At the land station (66) V′ S., 848 E.) the whales comprised two to three species (Megaptera, Orca, and On account of the ice the Globicephalus forms). whales could not remain after the 2nd of March near the station, and were not seen again until the spring of 1903, 40 km. west of the station, on a sledge trip. On the 8th of February 1903 the ship emerged suddenly from the ice, in which cracks appeared. As the ship then steamed, or slowly drifted, out towards deeper water, whales were seen almost daily from the middle of February to the middle of March, as soon as the openings between the floes were large enough to permit Whales are also of whales rising close to the ship. found in among the pack ice, also off the open coasts of the Antarctie Continent.
In this area (between South Georgia and Ross Sea) lies also, it will be remembered, the Kerguelen Island group (at 70 E., i.e., about the same longitude as the German land station, but in a lower latitude, about 50 S.) The occurrence of whales in these waters is proved first and foremost by the catches which have been made, although the islands lie much farther to the north than the general haunts of the whales. The Blue whale, especially, is but rarely seen so far north, and in lesser uumbers. According to one of the whaling loge before me a single whaleboat took, in 1909, 110 Humpbacks. 5 Finners, 2 Blue whales, and 1 Right whale. This also shows that whales are numerous in longitudes between the two rich whaling areas of South Georgia and Ross Sea.
SEASONAL VABIATION IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE WHALES.
When speaking, as in the present instance, and in the works on the subject referred to, of the occurrence of whales at a certain place (latitude and longitude), it must be remembered that all the statements quoted only apply to a certain season. In the great majority of cases the records refer only to the Antarctic summer, i.e.. the period from November to March or April. During the winter season, from May to October, the ice moves forward, reaching as far as, or even beyond, the The fiftieth degree of latitude (ride chart. Fig. 2). whales must then shift their ground, partly because they cannot then find open water in which to rise to the surface. and partly because the Antarctic animal life dies out in those latitudes where it is so richly abundant in summer. Many statements are also on record from
* Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition, Heft 5, 1903. des lust. für Meereskunde, etc.
Veröff.
expeditions which have wintered in these regions, to the effect that the whales disappeared in the winter (e.g.. the Belgica and Gauss expeditions, vide supra). Moat instructive of all in this respect, however, are the entries in the whalers' logs. By the courtesy of Nor- wegian whalers I have been enabled to study a number of these logs, from different parts of the globe where whaling is carried on, including the Antarctic. Up to the present I have only been able to deal with a part of this material. I will, however, quote a number of examples showing the catches of the various species in different months of the year, which alone will suffice to give an idea of the movements of the whales to and I have from the frozen regions of the true Antarctic. selected for the purpose some extracts from logs refer- ring to different Autarctic waters :--
South Shetland, Season 1912-1913.
backs.
Hump. Fin Blue
Whales. Whales.
Total.
November
3
December January. February
17
4
11
11
1
9
Total
7
32
24.
59
115
The season bere embraces, as will be seen, only the four best months, November-February, and is at its best in December-January. The catch consisted of Humpbacks, Finners, and Blue whales.
July August September
November
South Georgia, Season 1912–1913.
Hump.
backs.
October -
38
December January - February Marchi April May
June
| | | | | | | | ∞ | ||
Fin
Whales.
Blue
Whales.
Sperm
Whales.
Right
Whales.
Total.
4
Total.
124 143
22
3
2
~12888369
294
At South Georgia the season is much longer, some whales even being found the whole year round. Here also, however, the main portion of the catch falls in the Antarctic summer months, most being taken in Decem- ber-January. Besides the three species, Humpback, Fin whale, and Blue whale, an occasional Sperm whale or Right whale may also be taken, which proves that these grounds lie on the boundary line of the true Ant- arctic Ocean. Of the different whales represented, the Humpback exhibits the most distinct seasonal occur. rence, being taken in numbers only during the months from November to January, as at South Shetland. The Fin whale and the Blue whale are apparently to be found, at any rate single, all the year round.
At Kerguelen and Falkland Islands the prevailing conditions are very similar to those of South Georgia, whales being taken as late as April, May, and June. Closer consideration of this area must, however, be postponed to a later date, when all the available logs have been gone through.
OCCURRENCE OF WHALES OUTSIDE (NORTH OF) THE ANTARCTIC OCEAN. The question now arises as to whither the whales of the Antarctic move during the winter of the southern
SOUTH
POLAR
Fig. 2.
CHART
AFRICA
search groups
Orkney's 1.
Belvet L.
SOUTH AMERICA
Draugherty 5.
ROSS SEA
La
KAISER MIHELM
звать
Marguerie 1.
ATAMANIA
AUST
Ordinuman Survey Ollan Smithangram. 1918.
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