Australian (mainland

Survey Of 1957 Whaling

Tally Of Oil From

Southern S[?]

REPORTS from the 1957 whr; fleets indicate a consider decline in sperm oil this seis A large percentage of the s;e whales—which provide a non-eb industrial oil from the head —are taken before the openim the “baleen” blubber-whale se:s while the whaling fleets are e route to the Antarctic. How* some vessels, notably Japae continue to hunt sperm wfo throughout the season.

The season this year opener January 7, and will close t reports from the internatJ observers aboard each ven engaged show a total tally of I “blue whale units” by all na/s engaged in the baleen whalings There are already indicae that the oil yield will be downc year. Present estimates inch a total catch of 220,000 tonsj the 1957 season as compared 250,000 tons last year. Though same number of whales map taken, the whales are smaller*] thinner.

Unilever is reported to c negotiating the purchase of 1 entire 1957 catch, less thee actually required by the coun owning the various whaling flel

Aust. And Norfolk Cato

Australian (mainland

Norfolk Island) whaling year was worth an estimi £A2,232,620. All stations cas their quotas of whales.

The four stations on the tralian mainland and the onr Norfolk Island took 1,989 humn whales and one fin whale, Fisheries Newsletter. The estinn gross value of production from: 1,990 whales killed comprised I tons of oil (valued at approximn £A1,835,000) and 8,289 tons of w meal, solubles and meat (as food), valued at about £A397,62; The total value of produo gives each whale an estimated ’ of £1,120, compared with £1,06( 1955. The increase is dun higher oil prices and a gn average yield per whale for and solubles, due to improved eta ment, compared with 1955.

In 1956 the new station menced operations on No Island; and in Western Austc Nor’west Whaling Company, h?r purchased the Australian Whd Commission’s station at Carnae operated only from this statiom closed down the Point CIK factory.

The five stations are locate 3;

eton Island, Queensland; Byron , NSW; Albany and Carnarvon, and Cascade Bay, Norfolk id. The season on the main commenced on June 8 at ny, and ended on September t Carnarvon. Operations - com bed on Norfolk Island on August nd ceased on October 26. le 1956 oil production per whale ;ed at the four mainland ons increased from 51.77 barrels 1.99 barrels. Production on the ; Coast was slightly higher in but production on the East t showed a slight fall compared 1955.

king Of Whales:

Notable Results

stralia’s CSIRO continued its e marking programme, ring the 1956 season, 520 marks fired, with a possible 421 hits, hundred marks were fired off ton Island, 12 off Norfolk d and eight off Albany. One, off Western Australia in July, was recovered from a hump taken in the Antarctic in lary, 1956. Three other marks in the vicinity of Moreton d were recovered there. One was recovered at Norfolk d only two days after firing, e average length of humpbacks i in 1956 was 41.1 feet, an ase of 0.3 over the 1955 figure. 4.4 decrease in females caught .956 could be beneficial to s in future. On the West ; the percentage of females in ake fell from 48.1 in 1955 to in 1956. :h improvements in factory ment, all stations are pro ig whales faster than in dus years. Byron Bay took 45 to obtain its 1956 quota, st 67 days in 1955. Moreton completed the season in 64 against 66 in 1955. On the Coast, Nor’west Whaling Co., ting from Carnarvon, took 103 to obtain their quota of 1,000 backs. In 1955, when two ns were operating on a quota 9 each, they took 80 and 85 respectively, a total of 165 tain the 1,000 whales.

October, 1955, Cheynes Beach mg Co. (Albany) commenced les of exploratory surveys to nine the commercial possibili f sperm whaling. In 1955 the my took seven sperm whales. 1956, when baleen whaling , the company began sperm ig. When it ceased in mid iber, 61 sperm whales had taken. [m whale oil is different from back oil. It consists chiefly xes and not fats.

sw Zealand's Catches

"Jew Zealand, J. A. Perano, 3k Strait Whalers, took 127 fnpbacks (72 males, 55 2s) and two sperm whales.

They began whaling on May 5 and closed on August 15. Average length of humpback males was 40.4 ft., females, 40.9 ft., animals 40.6 ft.

The new Hauraki Whaling Ltd. station on Great Barrier Island, Hauraki Gulf, took 16 humpbacks (9 males, 7 females) and 14 sei (sperm oil) whales. It began whal ing on June 15 and closed on October 31. Average length of hump back males was 38.5 ft., females, 42 ft., animals 40 ft. r Mr. F. W. P. Roe, who has been manager of Burns Philp (SS) Co.

Ltd., Vavau, Tonga, has been trans ferred to the Pago Pago (American Samoa) branch of the Company.