38 WHALES 



oil and spermaceti) falls into a category of its own. Scientifically speaking, 

 it is a waxy substance and not an edible fat at all. It was used to a great 

 extent in the manufacture of candles, so much so that the fiist unit of 

 light to be introduced, the standard candle, was defined as 'a candle of 

 spermaceti, of which six weigh a pound, burning at a rate of 120 grains 

 per hour'. Nowadays Sperm Whale oil is primarily used for the manufac- 

 ture of cosmetics (lipsticks, skin-creams, etc.), while spermaceti, the oil 

 found in the cavities of the animal's head, is used by chemists for making 

 a number of ointments. It so happens that sperm oil is readily absorbed 

 by the skin; it is an excellent lubricant, particularly for aeroplane and 

 submarine engines, and can also be used in the manufactvu'e of certain 

 detergents. The Japanese even use it to make boot polish. 



The price of whale-oil fluctuates a great deal, and reflects the prices 

 ruling in the world market of fats and oils on which whale-oil itself has only 

 a minute effect. Immediately after the Second World War, prices were 

 high and most whaling companies did well. Since then prices have dropped 

 again and there is great concern about how to make ends meet. Antarctic 

 expeditions are very expensive and the costs keep rising from year to year. 



The Japanese are less affected, for they kill whales primarily for their 

 meat. W^e have already seen that Japan is short of protein foods, and it is 

 therefore understandable that whale- and dolphin-meat has been con- 

 sumed there for centuries. When Japan first sent out her Antarctic whalers 

 in the 1930's, they used refrigerator ships kept at a temperature of 

 — 25°C., in which the meat was tiansported back to cold storage installa- 

 tions at home. Whale-meat is sold in Japan with a great deal of high- 

 pressure advertising (Fig. 14), and the Japanese have learned how to turn 

 it into all sorts of dishes. They cut it into thin strips and eat it raw with 

 condiments, but then they do the same with chicken and fish. 



Europeans, too, have eaten whale-meat for centuries. As early as 

 A.D. 1000, traders from Rouen brought it to London, and we know that 

 whale-meat was sold in Utrecht in 1024, ^^ Nieuport in 1 163, in Damme in 

 1252 and in Calais in 1300. Ludovic van Male, Duke of Flanders, had it 

 sent regularly to his daughter Margaret, the wife of Philip the Bold 

 ( 1 342 — 1 404) , as a special delicacy. In modern Europe, whale-meat is used 

 predominantly in Norway. In fact, the Norwegian land stations have 

 proved profitable precisely for that reason, though their annual catch is 

 relatively small. The captured whales are cut up with a special 'spade' 

 while they are still in the sea so that the carcasses can cool and the meat 

 be brought fresh ashore. Here it is inspected scrupulously and then kept 

 in refrigerators, so that it can be consumed with perfect safety all over 

 Norway. Inferior grades of meat are sent to fox-breeding farms. Norway, 

 the Faroe Islands and Iceland export a proportion of their catch to 



