282 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



Islands. This Company had been at work prior to 

 the passing of the Act, and its operations during 

 1908 resulted in the capture and treatment of 

 seventy-six whales of five species. This work gave 

 considerable employment to the islanders. A 

 licence was also issued to the Blacksod Whaling 

 Company for a station to be erected at Ardelly 

 Point, County Mayo. 



The results of the operations of these two 

 companies are given in the above table. 



In 1904 there were six Norwegian whaling 

 stations at the Faroes with ten whaling steamers. 

 The station at Lojpra on Sudero was the most 

 successful, its whaling grounds being ten to fifteen 

 miles to the southward towards the Shetlands, 

 where, indeed, whalers from the Shetlands were 

 encountered. The best month for whaling is 

 August. 



This year at least two Norwegian companies 

 fished in Spitsbergen waters, one taking eighty-two 

 whales, and the other forty-five whales, in each 

 case mostly Blue Whales (B. sibbaldi). The 

 whaling commenced in the middle of June, and 

 lasted till the 25th August. Several companies 

 worked off Bear Island, one steamer capturing 

 seventy whales, of which fifty were Blue Whales. 



Newfoundland whaling companies at the time 

 were hayjng small whaling steamers built in 

 Norway, of length ninety-six feet and beam 

 seventeen feet. The crew, consisting of ten men, 

 were Norwegians. These steamers captured 



