346 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



107.— PKESEIVT CONDlTIOrV OF TBBE CAI^IFOKIVIA ORAV WHALE 



FJISISERV. 



By CHAKLES H. TOWIVSEND. 



The California Gray Whale {Rhachianectes glaucus Cope) is the first 

 species treated of in Capt. Charles M. Scammou's work on the Marine 

 Mammals of the iforthwestern Coast of North America, and his account 

 testifies to its importance as an oil-producing cetacean in the estimation 

 of the whalers of twenty years ago. 



Although migrating to the arctic regions in summer, it was not 

 usually molested in northern waters by civilized whalemen, to whom 

 the baleen-yielding bowheads and right- whales were of more value ; 

 but when it had repaired to its winter breeding resorts in the lagoons 

 and bays of Lower California, the whalemen, shut out from their arctic 

 hunting-grounds, pursued it with great profit. From the fact of its 

 being a species of rather limited range, unknown as far south as Pan- 

 ama, and unlike other whales, closely followiug the coast lines in its 

 migrations, which subjected it to attacks from Eskimo and ludiau 

 whalers aloug shore as well as from the ships of white men, its numbers 

 became much reduced, so that Captain Scammou, writing of it in 1874, 

 predicted its speedy extinction. 



The pursuit of the species in the lagoons of Lower California, where 

 probably more than a score of vessels sought it aunually, had already 

 been abandoned as no longer i)rofitable for ships, and numerous ''shore 

 stations" aloug the southern coast of Upper California had been estab- 

 lished, from which small boats could be sent out to cai)ture the gray 

 whales during their annual migrations, which permitted of the business 

 being continued so cheaply that it was still profitable, notwithstanding 

 the reduced numbers of the whales. 



For many years the gray whale has been undisturbed in its breeding 

 haunts and ap})ears to be in no danger of extinction as a species, not- 

 withstanding the continuance of coast whaling. Its numbers certainly 

 have not greatly increased, but recent experience with this whale leads 

 me to the conclusion that the fear which has been cxi)ressed for the 

 safety of the species is unfounded, and that it is in no immediate danger 

 of extermination. 



During several trips along the California coasts at various times 

 from September, 1881, to January, 188G, I visited the shore whaling 

 stations of Ui»per California as well as many of the lagoons of the Pen 

 insula, and learned something of the business of coast whaling as it is 

 carried oji at the present time. 



Shore stations. — Of the eleven whaling stations mentioned by 

 Scammon as established along the coast ten or twelve years ago, only 

 live remain — those at Monterey, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo, Point 

 Conception J and San Diego. 



