Foreword
Humans have practiced whaling for at least a thousand years, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century, with the creation of large whaling fleets and supporting factories, that the whaling industry developed on a large scale.Modern whaling technology, such as steam-powered ships and cannon-launched harpoons, became so effective, however, that whalers threatened to wipe out their quarry entirely. Areas of the seas once rich in whale species became barren, and fleets had to venture farther and farther from port to undertake their hunts.In the 1930s, concern for the dwindling numbers of whales worldwide led to negotiations between major whaling nations…
