New Whaling Industry Should
pp. 151-152 · Read in the full issue
Give Norfolk Is. A Boost
Norfolk Whaling Co. Ltd. —which is at present establishing a haling station on Norfolk Island—anticipates that it will commence )erations late in July or early August. The company has offered eference shares to Norfolk Island residents.
E company is registered in Norfolk Island with a nominal capital of £200,000. the whole he ordinary capital being held Anderson Meat Industries, Ltd., icy. No public issue of shares be made. osing date for applications for srence shares an offer •icted to Norfolk Island resis —was May 30. However, i a FIM reporter interviewed A. W. Anderson, managing ;tor of Anderson Meat istries Ltd., the number of crence shares that will be ;d was undetermined at that , as it was not then known vhat extent NI residents had prepared to invest.
Iderson Meat Industries
LTD. commenced operations in :he whaling industry with the Dlishment of Byron Whaling Pty., Ltd. in 1954. early June the whaling on on Norfolk was 90 per cent.
Dlished; and the remaining 10 cent, to be done represents y equipment transported to the fi only recently; it will be tiled by end of June, it the operation of the station rds the end of the current ing season (May 1-October 31) nds largely on the completion he season’s operations at the n Bay station which, subject r eather conditions, is hoped to h about July 20. Thereupon, lical staff and a chasing vessel be transferred to Norfolk id. ie quota allotted to the Norfolk Ltd. is 150 for the approaching season, and it is anticipated this number will be taken in a range of approximately miles from the shore base on. For the 1956 season, the m will be using the Byron I, averted Fairmile, owned by the n Bay Station and operated r charter. A new 126-ft diesel :1, complete with oil tanks for in lighterage and transport , is under construction for NI, will not be available till 1957. rom observations made by msible executives, whales able to the Norfolk Island an more than equal those able on other stations through- Australia,” Mr. Anderson d. e Norfolk installation is jarable with any other similar jn and embodies the most ;rn equipment available in the
world, such machinery being supplied mainly from Norway.
The plant included a Kvaerner cooker, which has an approximate capacity of 25 tons of raw materials, and can comfortably handle three large-sized and four medium-sized Hump Back whales over a 24-hour period.
Oil from the cooker is pumped through to two 750-ton storage tanks, and the balance, representing oil solids, passes through a refining process, de-sludgers, oil separators, etc., until the oil is recovered, the remaining solids being processed and dried for use as meal, available for stock feed or fertiliser.
There is a strong demand for whale oil in Australia, but most of the station’s production will be exported abroad through Australian ports, or shipped direct to Continental ports from the island.
There is a fair local demand for meal on Norfolk Island, and the surplus will be exported to Australian and overseas ports.
An adjunct to the whale oil industry will be the saving of whale meat for use as pet food which, while a common practice on
overseas whaling stations, has never been adopted by other Australian enterprises. (A few months ago an American business man visited Australia to try to buy whale meat to feed mink bred for the fur trade on US fur-farm«).
Anderson Meat Industries recently sent a senior officer on a lightning visit to the US and UK to examine these markets.
The Byron Bay station will be saving whale meat for this purpose
during the forthcoming 1956 seas this being a dollar producing expd but shortage of time precludes ] implementation of this scheme Norfolk this year. contracts for pet food will obtained for both stations for 1! and 1958, and it is estimated tl the Norfolk station will earn in 1 vicinity of £50,000 additional ov all revenue from this alone.
The shipping of oil from Norf Island is presenting difficulties i present but, if necessary, i station can use a vessel now bei fitted out to transport oil to 1 mainland in economical quantit: However, the company would pre to have the whole production lif by overseas vessels or tankers a while no definite arrangements hj been made to date, several la: shipping organisations i interested.
The company is confident t] either directly or indirectly, 1 station will absorb the whole of 1 available labour on the island. 1 station will employ approximat 70 people directly, and for the fi season at least, a number of th will comprise technical staff a trained operators brought from 1 mainland.
The manaeer of the station Mr. T. Hamilton.
Whaling has been a subside industry at Norfolk Island on a off for years. From Ball Bay, the eastern side of Norfolk, 1 islanders used to harpoon whales hand from 30- f eet open boats. 1 in 1949 the South Seas Whaling a Sharking Co. introduced a laur and a whale-chaser with a harpo gun. However, the comnan activities were dogged by ill-li and were finally abandoned.