Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1938, Page 122
LE NORD
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This constantly increasing production had the effect that the
price of whale oil fell from about £ 30 to £ 25 per ton, and
the enormous production in 1930/31 completely shattered the
market, so that the price of whale oil fell in the course of a few
months from £ 25 to £ 10 per ton in the spring of 1931. This
price was not profitable, and in the season 1931/32 the whole
of the Norwegian and British-Norwegian (British-Norwegian
capital) whaling fleet remained idle. Only Compania Argentina
de Pesca and the purely British companies belonging to Unilever
and Chr. Salvesen in Leith operated in the Antarctic in 1931/32.
Year: World Catch: Norwegian Share in World Catch:
1930/31 3,686,967 barrels oíl 2,316,962 barrels oil
1931/32 915,842 » » 28,590 » »
In the season 1932/33 the Norwegian and Norwegian-British
fleet recommenced operations in the Antarctic.
In Norway we had already from 2ist June 1929 a Whaling
Act, which prohibited all catching of Right whales in all waters.
It was forbidden, further, to kill young whales, or whales giving
suck, or female whales accompanied by young ones. Fin whales
of less than 50 feet and Blue whales of less than 60 feet were
not to be hunted. All whales caught were to be utilized as much
as possible. The Act also drew up rules for more reliable inter-
national whaling statistics and imposed a royalty of 20 öre per
barrel on all Norwegian produced oil, also a royalty to cover
the expense of carrying the Act into effect and the expense
connected with the whaling statistics. Further, on i9th September
1929 a Whaling Board was appointed to act as a mediating
body between the whalers and the Norwegian Government.
This Whaling Act laid down the general lines which all
other whaling legislation has since followed, including the Inter-
national Whaling Convention of 24th September 1931 in Geneva.
This convention was ratified by Norway on i8th July 1932,
by U.S.A. on 7th August 1934, by the South African Union
on nth January 1933 and by Great Britain on i8th October
1934. More stringent regulations were adopted by Australia in
the Acts of 24A August and 9th December 1935, and a number
of other states in course of time joined the Geneva Convention.
The Norwegian 'Whaling Act was by parliamentary resolu-
tions made more stringent in 1934, 1935 and 1936. The govern-