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focsle · 1 year

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Were there folks back in the whaling days who objected to whaling on moral grounds? Or is this a much more recent thing?

It was rare, but there were some! It was very much a fringe objection, though as whaling was so much a part of the country's energy consumption and so many products were connected to it. There were people who warned that whales were a waning resource, but it wasn't exactly a moral objection to killing them. I always think about the baleen - plastic connection. Just as folks maybe try to reduce plastic consumption today, it's still unavoidably a part of everything--perhaps someone wouldn't want their corset busks and boning or umbrellas or storage boxes to be made out of whalebone, but it still was.

One way to get a sense of the cultural attitudes towards whaling in the 19th century was the cognitive dissonance when it comes to Quakers dominated the whaling industry in the beginning of the era. A core of nonviolence, but exceptions made for whales. I think that's an interesting way at looking at how whaling was considered as a whole.

Still, there were some people who, if not objecting, at least approached it in a kind of complicated way. Foremasthand William Stetson on the bark Arab, 1855, is someone whose whaling descriptions I sometimes have a hard time getting through because he often humanizes them in ways I haven't seen many other whalemen do. Calling them poor fellows, reflecting on and understanding the pain they're in, understanding what it means emotionally for a cow to consider her calf in danger and why she behaves the way she does, etc. But still, he ultimately wants them dead. He's ultimately excited to lower for them. Because that's his livelihood. But also does seem to highlight a more sympathetic understanding about how brutal his work is.

Melville is also interesting as a (brief) whaler, weaving his ideas of both the Nobility of Whalemen and the Nobility of Whales together, and he mused on the fate of whales beneath man's warfare upon them.

"But still another enquiry remains; one often agitated by the more recondite Nantucketers. Whether owing to the almost omniscient look-outs at the mast-heads of the whale-ships, now penetrating even through Behring’s straits, and into the remotest secret drawers and lockers of the world; and the thousand harpoons and lances darted along all continental coasts; the moot point is, whether Leviathan can long endure so wide a chase, and so remorseless a havoc; whether he must not at last be exterminated from the waters, and the last whale, like the last man, smoke his last pipe, and then himself evaporate in the final puff"

Like Stetson, he approached whales with a curious sympathy and understanding of their circumstance, but still was a whaler at his heart.

There were (inferior quality) substitutes for whale oil, such as lard oil, and one whaling newspaper once brought in a moral argument (albeit a rather disingenuous snarky one) about killing for oil, and which was more 'humane'.

This was reprinted from the Nantucket Inquirer in the Whaleman's Shipping List, May 2nd, 1843.

“We cannot help expressing our joy at this state of things [lard being considered inferior to whale], in behalf, we will not say of suffering manhood, but of afflicted swinehood, that so many of its porcine tribes are to be saved from a sudden, and (to them) inscrutable death. If it is replied that the getting of sperm oil is also attended by the cruelty and the taking of innocent life, we shall immediately annihilate the objector by showing that where the hardy whaleman takes one life the hog-butcher takes a hundred; for one decent sized whale will afford more oil than a whole drove of swine. So it will be seen that in advocating the slaughter of whales in preference to the slaughter of swine, we go for the greatest good of the greatest number—a principle at once highly human and “splendidly democratic”

But there is one exceptional article written in 1850 which is much more akin to attitudes about whaling today. This was published anonymously (which could perhaps speak to the unpopularity of the idea that someone was shy to put their name to it), in a Quaker magazine called 'The Friend'. They write on the industry from the perspective of a bowhead whale.

"Editors note: All attempts to discover the means by which this communication reached our office will doubtless be vain. Should it become known, it might lead to serious consequences! We are somewhat surprised that a member of the whale-family should condescend to make his appeal through our columns, inasmuch as we have ever aimed to direct whalemen to the best cruising grounds. We feel honored by the compliment, and shall feel bound on no consideration to betray the confidence thus reposed in us: —

A Polar Whale’s Appeal Anadir Sea, North Pacific The second Year of Trouble

MR EDITOR,—In behalf of my species, allow an inhabitant of this sea, to make an appeal through your columns to the friends of the whale in general. A few of the knowing old inhabitants of this sea have recently held a meeting to consult respecting our safety, and in some way or other, if possible, to avert the doom that seems to await all of the whale Genus throughout the world, including the Sperm, Right, and Polar whales. Although our situation, and that of our neighbors in the Arctic is remote from our enemy’s country, yet we have been knowing to the progress of affairs in the Japan and Ochotsk seas, the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and all the other “whaling grounds”.

We have imagined that we were safe in these cold regions; but no; within these last two years a furious attack has been made upon us, an attack more deadly and bloody than any of our race ever experienced in any part of the world. I scorn to speak of the cruelty that has been practiced by our blood-thirsty enemies, armed with harpoon and lance; no age or sex has been spared. Multitudes of our species (the Polar) have been murdered in “cold” blood. Our enemies have wondered at our mild and inoffensive conduct; we have heard them cry, “there she blows” and our hearts have quailed as we saw their glittering steel reflecting the sun beams, and realized that in a few moments our life-blood oozing out, would discolor the briny deep in which we have gamboled for scores of years.

We have never been trained to contend with a race of warriors, who sail in large three masted vessels, on the sterns of which we have read “New Bedford”, “Sag Harbor”, “New London”. Our battles have hitherto been with simple Indians in their skin canoes. We have heard of the desperate encounters between these whale killing monsters and our brethren the Right whales on the North-west coast. Some from that quarter have taken shelter in the quiet bays of our sea, others of the spermeciti species form Japan, have also visited us and reported their battles and disasters; they have told us it is no use to contend with the Nortons, the Tabers, the Coffins, the Coxs, the Smiths, the Halseys, and the other families of whale-killers. We Polar whales are a quiet inoffensive race, desirous of life and peace, but, alas, we fear our doom is sealed; we have heard the threat that in one season more we shall all be “cut up” and “tried out”. Is there no redress? I write in behalf of my butchered and dying species. I appeal to the friends of the whole race of whales. Must we all be murdered in cold blood? Must our race become extinct? Will no friends and allies rise and revenge our wrongs? Will our foes be allowed to prey upon us another year? We have heard of the power of the “Press”; pray give these few lines a place in your columns, and let the go forth to the world. I am known among our enemies as the “Bow-head”, but I belong to the Old Greenland family.

Yours till death, POLAR WHALE

P.S. I send this by the ——— of ——— Do’nt publish the name of the vessel. P.W.

#animal death //#animal cruelty //#long post //#awhalin #asks #pleasespellchimerical

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