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therefore, a significant fact; and the statement just quoted does not lose force as evidence of the dearth of the larger whales at South Georgia in the season of 1913-14 by reason of the remarks of the Stipendiary cited above.
Seihval" is pro- It has already been stated (p. 149 above) that the southern “ bably a distinct species from the northern Balaenoptera borealis. In northern waters the latter is known to be very restless, and of uncertain and sporadic appearance in all localities; when it does arrive it frequently comes in thousands. Since finners apparently refuse to mix with B. borealis in our seas (see p. 128 above) the presence of an apparent representative of the "Seihval" might lead to a temporary scarcity of finners in southern localities. But we have no evidence of the presence of "sei whales" at South Georgia prior to February, 1914, and the decrease in the numbers of the larger whales of the district had become clearly apparent consider- ably before the month mentioned. Further, if the arrival of "sei whales" at South Georgia were admitted to be a partial cause of the scarcity of other whales noticed there during the season of 1913-14, the fact that a very serious diminution became visible in the season of 1912-13, as compared with 1911-12, would still demand explanation.
The greater question raised by the Stipendiary's observations, as to whether this decrease in the cetacean population of the seas off South Georgia is or is not evidence of a shrinkage of the entire stock of the South Atlantic, has been partially answered above. All that is known of the migrations of whales-not only the facts which have been set out above as to the movements of humpbacks, finners and blue whales, but those which relate to other species as well-leads to the conclusion that, on the whole, the migration of each species takes place at regular seasons and that it extends in a definite direction through an area, which, albeit vast, has definite limits. The precise course followed by the migrating schools and the precise time at which they arrive at or leave a given point are undoubtedly, at least as regards lit- toral neighbourhoods, subject, in most cases, to variations; these variations appear to depend, at least in part, upon meteorological conditions and upon the varying abundance of food; but in addition, there may be other factors which are at present not understood. It is known, however, that sometimes particular schools or indi- viduals are in the habit of visiting one locality year after year at about the same time.
Mörch suggested that the great ocean currents may play an important part as highways and feeding grounds for the plankton-eating whales; much evidence has been noticed above when describing the migrations of the humpbacks and blue whales in support of this view. But if such migratory whales be really dependent upon the great currents for their sustenance as well as for their highways, it follows that these currents must govern the distribution of each species. In this case few, if any, of the whales in question can inhabit the vast oceanic areas outside the limits of the currents in question, and it would, therefore, be entirely wrong to suppose, were we to exhaust the stock of whales migrating along or in any given current, that that stock could be replenished from such indefinite sources.
Professor Collett (Norges Pattedyr) has given an historical account of modern whaling in the European seas. The following translation of portions of this may be of interest and use when forming a judgment upon the facts relating to the industry as carried on in the South Atlantic.
Speaking of Svend Foyn's invention, he says:-
"But the invention was fatal (skaebnesvanger). Foyn's shell-harpoon still proceeds on its course of destruction through all seas and with unpre- cedented strength. For some time still great riches can with its help be won from the sea. But the enormous toll levied upon a group with such relatively small powers of multiplication as those of the whales will quickly reduce the stocks to such an extent that wholesale-whaling will automatically cease, and it will then depend upon circumstances whether the stock of whales will gain strength to increase again."
Nansen's researches have shown (1908) that an especially rich plank- ton-life develops in those areas of the northern ocean where the warm Atlantic water mingles with the cold polar current. Beneath the icy cover- ing of the polar sea this current is, especially by the Siberian rivers, richly
charged with nitrogenous compounds which are not used in this locality for the production of organic life. On the north coast of Norway, therefore, the conditions will be favourable for the nutrition of great whale-schools composed not only of true plankton-feeders (e.g., blue whales and sei whales) but of species (e.g., humpbacks and finners) which in any case partly feed upon plankton.
This great power of production possessed by the sea decreases in the colder eastern part of the European Arctic Ocean; the plankton whales are, therefore, more scanty eastwards of the Varangerfjord and on the Murman coast, and the stocks will be here more easily diminished or exterminated by too intense whaling.
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The first captures in the Varangerfjord were made in 1864; the catch was uncertain in the first years, but already in 1868 30 whales, mostly blue whales, were caught.
"In 1882, Foyn's patent expired; later about 20 new companies were formed, and stations were erected at different points on the Finmark and Tromsö coasts. For some time besides there were two Norwegian estab- lishments on the Murman coast.
"From these stations, which cost about 4,000,000 kroners to establish and equip, whaling has been conducted with as many as 35 (usually about 20) whaling boats.'
Professor Collett mentions the laws which from time to time were made regu- lating the season for whaling and that last law of 7th January, 1904, by which an end was put to whaling in Norwegian waters. This prohibition was a concession to the outcry of the fishermen against the "still unproved" injury which the fisher- men thought the whalers were doing to their craft.
"The whole number of whales caught during the forty years between 1864 and 1903 has amounted to about 15,000, or an average of about 375 whales per year. The number has, however, been considerably greater in the more recent years than in the beginning of the period, or about 900 whales per year. In 1898 the catch amounted to more than 1,100 whales." The four species regularly hunted were the seihval, finner, humpback and blue
whale.
"About three-fourths of the whole number have been finners, the catch of which has been relatively regular and annual; the catch of the three other The value of the catch has varied species has been very variable. between 500,000 and 1,300,000 kroners per year, about 1,000,000 kroners.
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"In the earlier years of the industry only blue whales were hunted; these could be brought into the factory at Vadso from the nearest part of the Varangerfjord. Little by little the accessibility of this species decreased; it had to be fetched from farther and further out, and then when later the number of companies was increased, humpbacks and finners and at last sei-whales also became the objects of the chase.
The whaling was carried on in the spring and summer months. blue whales could only be obtained during one-and-a-half months, viz., in July and the first half of August (occasionally as early as June); B. borealis was caught from the middle of June to the middle of August; the humpback was caught on two visits, in March and April, and from June to the middle of August, or in all during three months; only the finner was avail- able for four or five months, from March and April onwards to August.
"The majority of the rather more than 900 whales which were in recent times annually killed off Finmark were obtained within a distance of some few miles from the shore. Only exceptionally were they hunted at any greater distance from the land, but sometimes they were, however, fetched from such a remote locality as the banks below Bear Island.
"As a rule, only the adult animals were hunted; the young were left untouched as less valuable.
"At the end of the eighties the Norwegian whalers commenced whaling in the summer from other stations in the North Atlantic also. The first of these was erected at Iceland; afterwards came (in European waters) stations at the Faroes, Hebrides, west coast of Ireland, Shetlands, and Spitzbergen. In all 17 Norwegian companies, with 46 whaling boats, are at present (1911) stationed on the northern (European) whaling grounds.