Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.11.1971, Blaðsíða 2

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LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 4. NÓVEMBER 1971
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Högberg-l;eimðkrinsla
®rlls tt ttt ízmjliiili
WHALING
By MARGRÉT R. BJARNASON
In former days the Iceland-
ers often had to watch the
n a t u r a 1 resources around
their country being seriously
depleted because of the un-
controlled inroads of foreign-
ers. They have however seen
few more glaring examples
of over-exploitation than the
treatment of the whale stocks
off Iceland in the years just
before and after the tum of
the last century. Such plun-
dering went on in adjacent
waters to the country that the
whale stocks there, were al-
most completely destroyed in
the space of about twenty-five
years
It w a s the Norwegians
friends and cousins of the Ice-
landers who f i r s t started
whaling off Iceland in 1883.
and they set up the first
whale station in Álftafjördur
on Iceland’s west coast. There
were various reasons for this,
one of them being the pro-
gressive decline of the Nor-
wegian whale catches off Fin-
mark (North Norway), while
the whaling was also much
criticized by ordinary fisher-
men. The Norwegians knew,
however, that the stocks off
Iceland were then untouched
and that whaling there would
be very profitable.
The manager of the first
whaling station was Thomas
Amlie, an enterprising and
determined man who had to
overcome m a n y difficulties
and who did much pioneer-
ing work that proved of great
help to his successors. In the
following years many more
whaling stations were opened
on the west coast, but the big-
gest operated by Norwegians
was set up in 1889 at Önund-
arfjördur. This was owned by
two brothers. Hans and And-
reas Ellefsen, who operated
five catchers.
AIl these whaling stations
flourished for many years,
and the catches were enor-
mous. Detailed information
on the size of the catchers and
the whale species for that
period are not available. It is
known, that in the early years
bhiewhale figured prominent-
ly in the catch, but it was
caught in such quantities that
it almost disappeared and it
is now completely protected.
For example, between 1889
and 1900 a total of 1296 blue-
whales was brought to the
Ellefsen station in Önundar-
fjördur, representing about
60% of the entire catch in
actual numbers but much
more iTi value, as one blue-
whale is considered to be the
equivalent of two finwhales
or six seiwhales from this
point of view. Towards the
end of the last centmy the
whaleboats had to go farther
out to sea to find the whales.
In 1900 the Ellefsen station
was moved from Önundar-
fjördur to Mjóifjördur on Ice-
land’s east coast, folowed by
several others in that direc-
tion. The catches increased
considerably, reaching a peak
in 1902, when 1305 whales
were caught during the sea-
son. In that year thirty boats
w e r e operating, compared
with only eight in 1891.
From this time a great de-
pletion of the stocks became
apparent. The catch steadily
diminished until in 1912 it had
dropped to as lbw as 152
whales. There is no doubt that
whaling off Iceland would, as
matters stood, have ceased
automatically, but to be on
the safe side it was fo-rbidden
by law after 1915. Then there
was an interval until the Nor-
wegians commenced in 1929
whale-catching from floating
factory ships in the North
Atlantic, including the old
areas off Iceland. They were
active until 1934 and during
this period the totál catch was
243 bluewhales and 2348 fin-
whales.
In 1935 whaling based on
Iceland began again, this time
from Tálknafjördur in the
westem fiords. Two or three
boaits w e r e operated, the
catch being about 40 whales
per boat. This indicated that
the stock had to some extent
been replbnished since the
banning of whaling some
twenty years earlier. During
the Second World War the
whaling was suspended, but
it was resumed in 1948 with
the opening of the whaling
station in Hvalfjördur, near
Reykjavik, by the limited com-
pany known as Hvalur. Since
then it has been under the
direction of Loftur Bjamason
who has operated it in every
way with restraint. He has
enjoyed good and extensive
cooperation with the Icel'and-
ic marine Research Institute
in order to ensure as far as
possible that the stock of
w h a 1 e s are not taxed too
heavily.
During the first summer of
the Hvallfjördur station’s op-
eration three boats were used,
but these were increased to
four the foHowing year. This
figure has r e m a i n e d un-
changed ever since, but the
whöle fleet has been renewed
during the last ten years. The
This interesting feature is taken from a
1969 issue of ATLANTICA & ICELAND RE-
VIEW. It gives the historic background of whal-
ing in lceland and describes it as the efficient
modern industry it has become. As all features
in this fine quarterly magazine, the article is
illustrated by attractive and enlightening black
and white and colour photographs.
ATLANTICA & ICELAND REVIEW has
taken over the distribution of Logberg-Heims-
kringla in lceland and, Logb.-Hskr. handles sub-
scriptions for the magazine. Subscription is
$6.65 a year in Canada, $6.50 in the U.S. Those
who are interested in modern lceland and its
people could not satisfy intelligent curiosity
more effectively and pleasantly than through
Atlantica & lceland Review. Logberg-Heims-
kringla hopes to take some of the spirit of the
lcelandic community on the Western Continent
to lceland, and so join with lceland Review in
opening up a two-way street of enlightening and
understanding. Cheques covering subscriptions
to ATLANTICA & ICELAND REVIEW may be
sent to Logberg-Heimskringla, 303 Kennedy St.,
Winnipeg, Man., R3B 2M7, accompanied by
the subscriber's name and oddress.
oldest vessels, Hvalur I-IV,
were about 250 tons in size,
while the next one to be ac-
quired, Hvalur V, was 387
tons. At the present the four
whalers, Hvalur VI-IX, are of
b e t w e e n 430 „and 630 tons.
Eaáh boat has * trew of 15,
and the skippers themselves
are skilled gunners. With the
acquisition of larger vessels
the whaling conditions have
improved enormously, but are
stiH subject to strict control.
For instance, each boat is for-
bidden to catch more than
two finwhales on each trip,
and no more than thirty hours
may elapse from the time a
whale is harpooned until it
arrives at the processing sta-
tion.
The catch has varied con-
siderably, partly according to
weather conditions It was
smallest in 1948: 60 whales
per boat and biggest in 1957:
129 whales per boat. The big-
gest catches have been of fin-
whale, about 64%, followed
by superwhale 21%, seiwhale
13%, the last-named having
been proteeted since 1960. At
first few humpbacked whales
were also caught, but this
species has been protected
since 1955.
About a hundred persons
are today employed ashore at
the Hvalfjöldur whaling sta-
tion. The whaling season lasts
for four months, from the end
of May to the latter half of
September. The catches are
processed into whale oil,
meat, sour blubber, meal and
meat extract.
Some of the meat is sold for
human consumption and, to-
gether with the blubber, is
used exclusively on the home '
market. Both these products
a r e becoming increaöingly
popular, and the station is un-
able to meet the demand.
Otherwise, the meatt is sold
as animal fodder, mainly to
Britain and some to America.
The oil is exported to Europe,
as is also the meal, which is
used for fodder concentrates,
but some is also sold in Ice-
land. The meat extract has
been exported to Europe and
America.
So far the Hvalfjördur whal-
ing station has been operated
fairly profitably and is has
not reeeived any subsidies or
grants from public fimds. On
the öther hand, during the
past two years the price of
whale-oil on foreign markets
has dropped by 50%, which
is of course a serious blow to
the firm. The catch has aiso
decreased somewhat, though
in the opinion of the Director
of the Icelandic Marine Re-
search Institute, Jón Jónsson,
this is mainly due to unfav-
ourable weaither conditions.
He does not believe the stocks
are overexploited and thinks
therefore that reasonbly good
whaling can alSo be expected
in the future, provided that
the Icelanders can operate in
peace and continued care is
taken to prevent over-exploi-
tation.
A committee known as the
Marine Mammals Committee
is now operating under the
auspices of the Intemational
Council for the Exploration of
the Sea, through which there
is intemational co-operation
on whale and seal research
in the North Atlantic. The
Chairman of the committee is
at p r e s e n t the above-men-
Preporing to flensc the whole
tioned Jón Jónsson, and its
members are extremely inter-
ested in stepping up their in-
vestigations into the whale-
stocks off Icelaind and else-
where in the North Atlantic.
There are some indioations
that there are different stocks
of finwhalle in the North
Atlantic. The marking of
whales was commenced in
1965 off Iceland, with a view
to ascertaining if a special
stock of finwhaile exists there.
- ' r ■ > ■ w-_ r- >' S
The Hvalfjördur whaling
station lent free of charge a
catcher for thait purpose in
the summer of 1965. Twenty
whales were marked, four-
teen being finwhales and six
spermwhales: four finwhales
have already been caught
near Iceland in areas similar
to those where they were
marked, but none of the
spermwhales has been re-
found. Last summer the Nor-
wegian scientist, Dr. Age
Jonsgard, m a r k e d some
whales off East Greenland,
and one of the finwhales he
had marked was caught a
week later near Iceland. It
is probable that there is some
connevion between the stocks
in these waters, and this is
one of the questions to be in-
vestigated in the near future.
Iceland cooperates in whale
research w i t h scientists of
various nations bordering the
North Atlantic. For example,
studies of whales’ blood are
now being undertaken off
Norway, Iceland and Canada
in colllaboration with the In-
stitute of Marine Research in
Bergen, Norway. E x p e r t s
from the British Institute of
Whale Research have also co-
operated with the Icelanders
in this field and wiH continue
to do so.
It is imperative for the ju-
ture of whaling that it be
closely watched and that the
m
Framhald á bls. 3.