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Whaling in Western Australia was one of the first viable industries established in the Swan River Colony following the arrival of British settlers in 1829. The industry had numerous ups and downs until the last whaling station closed in Albany in 1978. There are two main species of whales (order ''Cetacea'') which form aggregations along the Western Australian coastline: the Southern Right Whale (''Eubalaena australis''), and the Humpback Whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae''). The Southern Rights are slow swimmers and their carcases tend to float due to the high concentration of oil in the blubber - hence the name "right" as it made the task of the whale chasers easier. Its conservation status is now listed as "endangered" as result of more than 150 years of hunting. Both species migrated along the north-south coastline stopping in bays such as Geographe Bay (east of Cape Naturaliste) and Flinders Bay (east of Cape Leeuwin) for mating and breeding. Other species occasionally caught were Sperm Whales and Blue Whales, although these tended to be seen mainly along the southern coast of Western Australia. ==Early days== By 1837, two whaling companies were operating: the Fremantle Whaling Company out of Bather's Beach below the Round House gaol in Fremantle and the Perth Whaling Company which was based on Carnac Island. The first whale was caught by the combined efforts of the two companies on 10 June 1837. An account of the incident is given by George Fletcher Moore in his book ''Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia'': This day will be memorable in the annals of the Colony for the killing of the first whale. At Perth, great firing was heard in the direction of Fremantle and it was supposed that a ship had arrived, but a messenger came in breathless haste to say that boats had struck a whale and were engaged with it. This was all that was known when I came away but everyone was running about elated with the news; I went to Fremantle on Thursday with the Governor and others, to examine a jetty and proposed tunnel which has been projected to be cut through a hill there giving an easy access from the beach to the main street. The plan is quite practicable and not very expensive for the distance is only eighty yards and the rock is soft limestone. The Fremantle Whaling Company had been established in February of that year. A few weeks after the whale was caught, permission was given for the tunnel's construction using prisoners for the labour. The tunnel provided direct access to the Town of Fremantle for the sale of whale goods to the community. In 1837, the first year of operations, whaling had generated export revenue of £3,000 from 100 tons of oil and 5 tons of whalebone. The next largest export commodity was wool which earned £1,784. Meanwhile, however, American whalers earned £30,000 from catches along the Western Australian coastline in the same year. Large numbers of ''Yankee Whalers'', as they were known, as well as French vessels, frequently operated close inshore including inside Cockburn Sound, causing conflicts with Western Australian-based whale chasers. There were numerous incidents of close quarter conflicts between the various companies. Governor James Stirling was lobbied to remove the foreign vessels. Major work on the history and archaeology of the early whaling industry in Western Australia, as well as relations between Colonists and American pelagic whalers, and between both groups and coastal Aboriginal peoples, has been undertaken by Dr Martin Gibbs of the University of Sydney. Yankee whalers were known to have been operating in the Indian Ocean since 1789 and had been inside King George Sound before the end of 1828.〔 A stone structure known as ''Sealers' Oven'' (c. 1800) near Albany is further evidence of this. By 1840, increased competition and a decline in international whale oil and bone prices and increased costs led to the two companies' closures. Some of the whale boats were used for ferry services on the Swan River. An improvement in commodity prices in 1843 saw operations recommence, and in 1844 whaling products comprised nearly 40% of the total value of the State’s exports. It is estimated that in 1845 there were approximately 300 American, French, British and Australian whaling ships operating off the south coast of Australia with numerous shore stations.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Whaling in Albany )〕 The town of Dunsborough in Geographe Bay evolved from the establishment of the Castle Rock Whaling Station in 1845. During the convict era of Western Australia, many of the ships which brought convicts to the state were whalers, and would revert to their whaling operations for the return voyage. Legislation was passed in 1860 prohibiting unlicensed whalers from operating in Western Australian waters. However, few foreign vessels heeded the supposed restriction. At about the same time though, petroleum oil was discovered in Pennsylvania which caused whale oil prices to crash.〔 Only a few vessels were still operating at the start of the 20th century. Throughout the 19th century, descendants of Robert and Ann Heppingstone, who had arrived in the colony in the ''Warrior'' in 1830 were prominent in the industry. Members of the family operated whalers in and around Fremantle. A granddaughter, Ellen Heppingstone married Alf Bussell and settled in Augusta at Flinders Bay. Flinders Bay also known to some locals as 'The Whaling' became an important whaling centre during the period. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Whaling in Western Australia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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