THE PASSING OF THE WHALE 



ern whaling has practically ended, its recovery in 

 numbers is exceedingly doubtful. 



AlHliis happened before the modern harpoon-gun 

 diverted attention to the fin whales, which during the 

 last half-century have been so ruthlessly butchered by 

 means of every invention at man's disposal that their 

 c^rrlfnercTal extinction is inevitable within a very few 

 decades if the slaughter is continued unchecked. 



By commercial extinction I mean decrease in the 

 number of whales to the point when their pursuit will 

 no longer be profitable. While this may not mean total 

 extermination because of the great expense connected 

 with the modern methods of capture and handling the 

 carcasses, yet the whales will have been so reduced in 

 numbers that they can never again become abundant. 

 Enormous and highly specialized animals are usually 

 slow breeders and especially liable to extinction, and 

 since it has taken millions of years to evolve the whale, 

 it is extremely unlikely that such evolution can again 

 be duplicated upon this planet. 



Even if we deny whales the right to live, and dis- 

 regard the scientific importance of this marvelously 

 specialized group of mammals, it is apparent that, 

 reduced to a sordid standard, our problem demands 

 immediate attention. It is of the utmost importance 

 that while there is yet time the governments of the 

 world should realize that if proper legislation is en- 

 acted to regulate the killing of whales, a great and 

 lucrative industry can not only be conducted profitably 

 in the present, but preserved for the future. 



The history of modern whaling in Newfoundland, 

 297 



