38 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



is distributed over the whole Atlantic Ocean. The 

 lesser Finner (B. rostratd) has a very wide distri- 

 bution. Both these whales are fish-eaters. The 

 common Finner follows the shoals of herring and 

 " lodde " (Osmerus\ and approaches the coasts at 

 the same time that they do. 



Reference is made below (p. 56) to the 

 legislation affecting the hunting of whales in 

 Norwegian waters. According to Guldberg, this 

 prohibition of hunting the whales in Norwegian 

 waters can only damage the local whalers, without 

 protecting the whales, since they all migrate over 

 large areas. 



What of the future of these whales? An 

 extinction of the Finners is perhaps hardly 

 possible, although the number of individuals of 

 these species is unquestionably diminishing rapidly. 

 In the case of the Right Whales and Sperm 

 Whales it is already a thing of the past for vessels 

 to fit out solely for their capture. Only by inter- 

 national regulation can the future of the whales 

 and the continued prosperity of whaling itself be 

 secured. 



The migrations of the toothed whales, the 

 Cachalot (Chapter VI) and the Bottlenose (p. 269) 

 are dealt with elsewhere. 



