PREFACE XI 



vironment. To trace the reasons for these fluctuations is a fundamental part 

 of the work. It involves a study of the migrations of whales, of their food, and 

 of the conditions which affect its abundance ; a study of the minute plants on 

 which all animal life in the sea, including whale life, ultimately depends; and 

 a study of the physical constitution and movements of the water. Such 

 investigations will undoubtedly have as much importance in enquiries into 

 southern whaling as they have been shown to possess in northern fishery 

 problems. They all converge upon the central problem of estimating the 

 number of whales of each species which may be taken annually without 

 depleting the stock. 



Meanwhile changes have occurred in the conduct of the industry which 

 have materially affected the administrative position. Until the last few years 

 whaling could not be carried on without the use of harbours and territorial 

 waters. Control by the Colonial Government was thus made feasible and 

 was in fact effectual. The whaling companies have now, however, introduced 

 methods which enable the utilisation of whales to be carried on in the open 

 sea without the use of territorial waters. This kind of whaling is commonly 

 described as pelagic whaling, and is carried out upon a scale already large and 

 still increasing. Such whaling is of course beyond the jurisdiction of the 

 Colonial Government, and the natural effect of its growth is that the problem 

 of the control of whaling in the Dependencies has outgrown the sphere of the 

 local Government and entered that of international affairs. The need for the 

 information which the investigations seek to obtain has not been diminished, 

 but has indeed increased proportionately with the increased destruction of 

 whales. It should be realised, however, that the machinery of international 

 agreement is much more cumbrous than that of action by the local Govern- 

 ment, and that the difficulties of utilising the results obtained will be corre- 

 spondingly augmented. 



The Discovery investigations are concerned not only with whaling, but, 

 so far as their resources permit, with all economic questions arising in the 

 Dependencies. Apart from whaling, the principal subjects in which work is 

 being carried on are those of marine survey, sealing and fisheries. In the 

 immense area of the Dependencies there is an enormous amount of marine 

 survey work remaining to be done, and such work is being undertaken as far 

 as the means at the Committee's disposal allow. At present the more active 

 work of this department is confined to South Georgia, but visits have already 

 been made to the South Shetlands and work has been begun in that area. The 



