300 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



whales are less abundant. Floating factories are 

 less efficient in working up the products of the whale 

 than the shore stations, and consequently it is 

 desirable to restrict the use of floating factories as 

 far as possible. The fee for a whaling licence is 

 one hundred pounds ; for a floating factory not less 

 than one hundred pounds, or more than two hundred 

 pounds. 



In 1921, owing to the great fall in the price of 

 whale oil, none of the Norwegian whaling companies 

 associated to the whaling combine (Den Norske 

 Hvalfangerforening) commenced operations at Ice- 

 land, the Faroes or the British Isles. One company, 

 Messrs H. M. Wrangell & Company, of Hauge- 

 sund, worked at the Faroes; this firm was not 

 a member of the combine. I am indebted to the 

 courtesy of Messrs Wrangell and their manager, 

 Captain J. Ellingsen, for a visit to this station at 

 Thorsvig in 1921. This year about ninety-seven 

 per cent of the catch were common finners, the 

 remainder being Blue Whales. Only one Nord- 

 caper had been taken up to the end of July, The 

 Sei Whale was not hunted owing to the abundance 

 of the larger and more valuable species. 



A Spanish company, the Compania Ballerena 

 Espanola, opened a station early in 1921 near 

 Algeciras, early reports from this station recorded 

 abundance of whales. 



