The entire history of pelagic whaling has been chaacterised by a series of recurring cycle, eacch with distinctive phase following a pattern of discovery, exploitation, overexapansion, fierce competition, rapid depletion, the application of new technologies and techniques, and eventually, diminishing resources, exhaustion and decay. Scottish involvement in Arctic whaling followed this sequence in all essential details. Although Scotsmen sometimes sailed on Muscovy Company whaling vessels, and served as crrew on earlier Dutch expeditions, Scottish comanies in the early stages of the Northern trade did little more than invest and participate in outside enterprises. Despite at least three subsequent attempts to establish a Scottish foothold in Arctic whaling, it was not until 1749 that an increase in the bounty acted as the trigger for the Scots to begin. The 40s. government subsidy, described by an Edinburgh newspaper as the "Great Bounty", was sufficient to eliminate the risk of serious financial loss and permit investors opportunities for rich profits. Nevertheless, the transformation of Scottish Northern whaling from a limited and tentative venture into a large-scale ongoing seasonal operation was slow and lengthy process. While Arctic whaling had become a traditional mode of economic activity in parts of Scotland by the beginning of the nineteenth century, initial participation was both temporary and periodic. Then began, following 1749, a fairly lengthy period of cautious, but continuous attachment which was characterized by the ebb and flow of ports, vessels, personnel and capital. Scotland remained suspended between this phase of tentative involvement andone of commitment to a larger-scaled venture until the end of the French Revolutionary War. The 1790s were critical years in the development of the Scottish trade. At no time during the war was the industry reduced to the dangerously low levels of the late 1770s and 1780s. Additionally the benefirs of whaling learned over half a century were well understood and manifestly appreciated. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Scottish whalemen had finally served their apprenticeship and were poised and ready to outstrip their English and continental rivals. This study examines the general determinants underlying the historical-geographical growth of the trade, with special emphasis on its seasonal, year-by-year development between 1750-1801. This was the crucial "establishment" phase in its evolution. The study also utilises a geographical perspective so that changing spatial relationships are analyzed and the role of environmental influences highlighted.

Essay on Hammerfest presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for degree of Masters of Arts at McGill University. / Typescripts; typescripts (copies); printed matter. Essay on Hammerfest includes pen and ink drawing of seaside village by Brit A. Foote.

In July 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry illegally entered Tokyo Bay with a fleet of four American warships and challenged Japan's isolationist position towards the United States. This radical diplomatic effort concluded with a return voyage a year later and ended Japan's self-imposed isolation from the Western world. Historians, in an attempt to explain the motivations behind Perry's voyage, cite an American commercial desire for Chinese trade as the main reason behind the Japanese Expedition's dispatch. This historical perspective ignores the important economic and political influence the whaling industry played in spurring American politicians to confront Japanese isolationism. It is incorrect to assert that whaling, and not America's desire to gain access to China, was the main reason behind the 1853 Japanese Expedition. This paper's objective is to understand how whaling influenced Perry's mission. It should be read as a supplement to current historical scholarship concerning America's decision to send a naval force into Japanese waters. / Master of Arts

In four chapters that this thesis consists of is presented the protection provided to cetaceans by international law. The first chapter gives insight into the biology of cetaceans, names facts relevant to their conservation and its legal basis. The second chapter deals with legal regulation of whaling. It analyzes the history and current situation in the International Whaling Commission as the only global organization to manage the exploitation of large cetaceans, particularly in terms of adopting protective measures for the recovery and conservation of whale stocks. The third chapter focuses on the species approach in protection of cetaceans as endangered animals. The fourth chapter addresses the protection of cetaceans' environment. First it deals with the protection of marine environment in general and then with the protection of cetacean habitats.

Dolphins, whales, and sharks are some of the world’s most iconic animals. Yet, many people will only ever see these animals via the media. The media, then, hold significant power in creating, modifying, or reaffirming the imaginaries around various species which, in turn, influences how much concern is given to matters related to their welfare and conservation. Given the environmental and ecological concerns presently facing the ocean, protecting, conserving, and preserving the marine ecosystem is vital, and time is of the essence. Through the work of activists, three specific marine wildlife issues have received a lot of publicity across various forms of mainstream media: the killing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan for their meat; Antarctic whaling; and the practice of shark-finning. Three activist films, namely The Cove (2009), Whale Wars (2008-), and Sharkwater (2006), are centred on these issues, and filmmakers attempt to compel viewers to support the activists’ protectionist cause. In order for this goal to have a chance of coming to fruition, rhetorical arguments must be carefully crafted. Yet, the study of rhetoric in animal-focused activist films is still an understudied research area. This thesis contributes to this area of research by using the aforementioned films as case studies by applying Aristotle’s rhetorical proofs of ethos, pathos, and logos to analyse the rhetorical arguments. Ethos is demonstrable when the activists construct themselves as credible, moral heroes and the animals as possessors of positive traits worth protecting, and the hunters as immoral villains. The graphic imagery of animal death appeals to pathos to stir strong bodily and emotional responses such as sadness, and disgust in order to mobilize audience support for cause. Lastly, these films appeal to logos through the use of culturally authoritative discourses such as those of biology, western conventional medicine, and the legal system. This thesis essentially argues that these texts work rhetorically and discursively to persuade audiences to feel a connection with and sympathy towards the animals; to be supportive of the activists; and to prompt antipathy towards the hunters and industry spokespeople.

Whales are an enigma. It is difficult to pin them down because they straddle categories. Whales were difficult not just because of their extraordinary size, but rather because they were peculiar sorts of fish, with meat more like wild boar than tuna. In the same way that they existed at the intersection of classifications, with features of land and sea creatures, whales also were a nexus in a web of linkages between the ocean and the shore. By focusing on whales and the boundaries they straddle, this dissertation highlights the often surprising interconnections between coastal activities and inland life in early modern Japan (1600-1900). / East Asian Languages and Civilizations

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-115).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawai'i, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 371-410).

No description available.

Whaling in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was a global industry. Ships from many nations with crews from ports all over the world hunted in waters from the Arctic Ocean to the Tasman Sea. Whale oil illuminated the cities and greased the machines of the Industrial Revolution. Far from formal legal institutions, the international cast of whalemen created their own rules and methods for resolving disputes at sea over the possession of a valuable natural resource. These unwritten customs were remarkably effective in preventing violence between crews of competing ships. Whaling was intensely competitive, yet the dangers of hunting in often treacherous conditions fostered a close knit community that was able to fashion resolutions to disagreements that also maximized their catch. Legal scholars have cited whaling customs as evidence that property law is often created by participants and not imposed by legislatures and courts. Whaling law was, in fact, a creation of both whalemen and lawyers. At sea, whalemen often improvised and compromised in ways that had more to do with personal and communal ethics than with well understood customs. Lawyers and judges, looking for certainty and consistency, imagined whaling customs to be much more established and universally observed than was ever the case. The same loose whaling customs that prevented violence and litigation failed, however, to check practices that severely depleted the available supply of bowhead and sperm whales. As a close knit community capable of governing themselves, American whalemen should have been able to find a way out of the "tragedy of the commons" which predicts that commonly owned and competitively exploited resources are - without an external or group imposed system of restraint - fated for destruction. Prior to about 1850, whalemen, generally believing that whales as a species were impervious to extinction, saw no need to limit their catch. By the time whalemen recognized that whales stocks were seriously depleted other sources of energy - coal oil and petroleum - had swept the market. There was, at this point, no reason to preserve the prey of a soon to be obsolete endeavor. / History