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  The 
  whale 
  fishery 
  has 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  greatly 
  decreased 
  in 
  

   value, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  mineral 
  oils, 
  and 
  the 
  

   great 
  diminution 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  whales, 
  due 
  to 
  over- 
  

   fishing. 
  

  

  "The 
  entire 
  fleet 
  in 
  1880 
  numbered 
  171 
  vessels, 
  including 
  

   119 
  bark-rigged 
  vessels, 
  7 
  ships, 
  9 
  brigs, 
  and 
  46 
  schooners. 
  

   The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fleet 
  was 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Hudson 
  Bay, 
  

   5 
  vessels 
  ; 
  North 
  and 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  grounds, 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  vessels 
  ; 
  

   Berring 
  Strait, 
  25 
  vessels 
  ; 
  Pacific 
  Ocean, 
  22 
  vessels 
  ; 
  in 
  

   port 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  8 
  vessels. 
  

  

  "The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  whaling 
  industry 
  in 
  

   1880 
  was 
  $2,636,322 
  ; 
  the 
  yield 
  included 
  37,614 
  barrels 
  of 
  

   sperm 
  oil 
  and 
  34,626 
  barrels 
  of 
  whale 
  oil, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $1,723,808 
  ; 
  458,400 
  pounds 
  of 
  whalebone, 
  worth 
  $907,049 
  ; 
  

   and 
  $5,465 
  worth 
  of 
  ambergris 
  and 
  walrus 
  ivory. 
  The 
  

   Pacific 
  Arctic 
  Ocean 
  grounds 
  were 
  the 
  most 
  productive, 
  

   yielding 
  oil 
  and 
  bone 
  worth 
  $1,249,990. 
  From 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   Ocean 
  grounds 
  oil 
  and 
  bone 
  were 
  taken 
  worth 
  $908,771. 
  

  

  "Besides 
  the 
  vessel 
  fishery 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  boat 
  or 
  shore-whaling 
  

   industry 
  at 
  Cape 
  Cod, 
  and 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  on 
  the 
  coasts 
  

   of 
  California, 
  Washington 
  Territory 
  and 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  

   principal 
  species 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  is 
  the 
  finback, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  the 
  California 
  gray 
  whale. 
  Humpback, 
  

   sulphur 
  bottom, 
  and 
  right 
  whales, 
  are 
  occasionally 
  taken 
  

   in 
  both 
  oceans. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  whale 
  fishery 
  of 
  this 
  country 
  was 
  in 
  its 
  zenith 
  of 
  

   prosperity 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  century, 
  when 
  

   the 
  fleet 
  numbered 
  736 
  vessels, 
  aggregating 
  231,406 
  tons, 
  

   the 
  value 
  being 
  $10,766,521. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  relative 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  whaling 
  grounds," 
  

   writes 
  Mr. 
  Clark, 
  "during 
  the 
  past 
  years, 
  from 
  1870 
  to 
  

   1880, 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  facts. 
  Of 
  the 
  sperm-oil 
  

  

  