History of Whaling in Australia

History of whaling in Australia

Whaling in Australia commenced in the late 18th century. There is no known history of Aboriginal communities in Australia having hunted whales.

Early whaling was carried out using harpoons from small boats. Once caught the whales were towed behind the boats back to whaling stations on shore. Whale by-products were used for a number of things: whale blubber was melted down to be used as oil for lamp fuel, lubricants, candles and as a base for perfumes and soaps, Baleen (whalebone) was used for items such as corsets, whips and umbrellas.

Whaling and the export of whale by-products such as whale oil became Australia's first primary industry. One of the first commercial whaling operations in Australia was the Davidson Whaling Station located just outside of Eden on the South-East coast of New South Wales. Numerous other coastal whaling stations were established around Australia in the late 1820s to 1830s.

The development of harpoon guns, explosive harpoons and steam-driven whaling boats in the late 19th century made large-scale commercial whaling so efficient that many whale species were over-exploited and came very near to extinction. This over-exploitation eventually led to the demise of the whaling industry in Australia. As whale numbers dropped, laws were passed to protect a number of the species.

Demise of the whaling industry

Whale protection for certain whale species commenced in the 1930s after the effects of whaling on whale populations became more apparent. For example the southern right whale was protected in Australian waters as early as 1935, after more than 26 000 individuals had been taken in Australian and New Zealand waters between 1822 and 1930.

Whaling stations in Australia and New Zealand killed over 40 000 humpback whales on their migrations from the Antarctic Ocean to the warm tropical waters north of Australia. Whaling ceased on humpback whales in 1963, and they were protected worldwide in 1965 after recognition of a dramatic global decline in numbers.

Commercial whaling continued on sperm whales until 1978, with 16 000 taken from 1952 in Australian waters until the end of commercial whaling in 1978.

Commercial whaling in Australia ceased in 1978 with the closure of Australia's last whaling station, the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, in Western Australia. In 1979 Australia adopted an anti-whaling policy, putting a permanent end to whaling in Australian waters. At the same time Australia started to focus heavily on working towards the international protection and conservation of whales. The 25th Anniversary of Australia's anti-whaling policy was celebrated in 2004.

Whales today

Since the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling came in to place in 1986, many whale populations have begun to recover. The Southern Right Whale, which was nearly extinct by the middle of the nineteenth century, is now showing signs of recovery. In recent years, growing numbers appear off the southern Australian coast, where breeding and socializing behavior occurs before they head south to feed in the nutrient-rich Antarctic waters.