PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
16
course of their ocean migration have they merely changed their course for the time being, to come back again? The general feeling is hopeful and inclined to take the latter view, although it is really hard to say. On more than one occasion ship- masters have reported to me schools of humpbacks three or four hundred miles off the land. A very reasonable contention is also held that the humpback whale this while foraging along his usual ocean track finds plenty of food all the way; will delay, if not altogether prevent, him from touching at his usual resorts in these latitudes. With regard to the blue and fin whales, they have been numerous throughout the past seasons and are to be found off the Dependency practically the whole year round; but it should be remembered that these whales have not been It hunted to any great extent previously to the past two seasons whereas the hump- back has been the most persecuted of whales in recent years all over the world. will be observed from Schedule A that quite a number of sei whales were captured during February and March. This is distinctly unusual for South Georgia. It is many years since a sei whale has been observed here, and certainly never in so It is thought that they have touched here large numbers as far as I am aware.
from the Falkland Islands. I do not know if the habits of the sei and the hump- back are alike, but the appearance in these waters of the former should, it would seem to me, give at least some idea of the wide and uncertain ocean areas resorted to by the whole cetacea family and the impossibility of anything approaching their extinction. The following shows the whales captured during the past four
Sei. Total. Right. Sperm. Blue. Fin. H'back. Btle-
5299 5100
seasons:
nose.
1910-11 1911-12
49
76 97
71.
3
208 299
1912-13
2
7
212 1724
2251
1
1913-14
63
15 651 1417
474
90
5521
5681
4197
2710
17
The following shows the total number and kind of whale captured during each month of the season 1913-14.
Month
Number and kind of Whale.
Bight.
Sperm.
Blue.
Fio.
H'back.
Sel
1918.
A
28
67
4
6
14
74
57
2
103
559
148
-11
October... November December
1914.
9
January February March
44
9
Totals
South Georgia,
26th May, 1914.
|
སྨཱཚཝ། སྒྱུ
111
122
1
97
151
808
850
12
986
78
418
474
90
2,710
242
874
222
176
117
86
99
226
68
16
661 1,417
J. INNES WILSON,
Stipendiary Magistrate.
In the middle of the past whaling season there were between twelve and fourteen hundred persons of all classes and nationalities (principally Scandinavian) engaged in the whale fishery of the Dependency, and I am glad to be able to say that throughout the whole of that period the industry was singularly free from any labour trouble.
SCHEDULE B.
The following statement shows the total production of oil, &c. (with approxi- mate values), as obtained from the whale catch (2,710 whales) at South Georgia during the half-year dating from the 1st October, 1913, to the 31st March, 1914.
Name of Company.
Production.
Oll.
Barrels
Value. £
Value Whalebone
Tops.
A
Guano. Bags.
Value Total Value
£
£
SCHEDULE A.
I have, &c.,
J. INNES WILSON,
Stipendiary Magistrate.
The following statement shows the total number and kind of whales taken by the various whaling companies at South Georgia, during the half-year dating from the 1st October, 1913, to the 31st March, 1914.
Shore Factories.
Sonth Georgia Company Tönsberg Company Sandefjord Company Cia. Argentina de Pesca Ocean Whaling Company
Floating Furtories.
Bryde & Dahl Southern W. & S. Company
"Ems Rollo Company *F/F
Totals
Name of Company.
Number and Description of Whales,
Shore Factories.
Right.
Sperm,
Bue.
Fin.
H'back.
Rei.
South Georgia Company, Limited
12
Tönsberg Whaling Company
15
Sandefjord Whaling Company
Cia. Argentina de Pesca
8
Ocean Whaling Company
Floating Factunies.
Messrs. Bryde & Dalil...
Southern Whaling & Sealing Company
1-
2 14 4 3 2
සහ
19
5
160
274
80
217
109
201
100
202
44
188
182328
28
559
21
418
8
970
21
467
30
K
205
South Georgia,
3853
212
50
874
26th May, 1914.
02
128
48
4
257
27,750 69,400 20,280 50,700
18,500
*****
21
700 21,060 8,420 1,950
78,520
15,925 5,573
58,225
40,659
84
605 850
46,605
11,500 5,250
87,408
40,659
18,464 46,000 12,728 81,808
15,500
48,000 22
180
48,180
10,500 81,500
1,400
2,740 7,585
-
4,500 1,850 84,250 7,100 4,250 11,785
126,457 820,602
661
5,185
60,085 24,848
350,630
* NOTE.--Arrangement with the Cia. Argentina de Pesca to utilize part of the flenched car- The above quantity of oil and guano (2,740 barrels and 7,100 bags) was taken casses of whales. from 378 such carcasses, thus averaging over seven barrels of oil and 18 bags of guano from each.
J. INNES WILSON,
Stipendiary Magistrate.
Totals
68
15
651
1,417
474
90
2,710