Notes on Tasmanian whaling

During the last twelve months three very interesting communications by Messrs. Scott and Lord have been read before the Society.
These were entitled "Studies of Tasmanian Cetacea," and described particularly, some skeletons preserved in the Tasmanian Museum, which had been overlooked for nearly half a century.
Certain of these remains had been presented to the Museum by my grandfather (the late Hon. Dr. W. L. Crowther) about 1866-1871, when he was collecting and forwarding such skeletons both to the British Museum and that of the Royal College of Surgeons, England.
In view of the scientific value of the work thus accomplished by him, I trust I may be pardoned for adding a brief account of his life work, before I pass to the consideration of Whaling proper. I shall not attempt any scientific classifications of the whales met with and taken in Southern waters. The names employed are those used by the Whaling Captains for the various whales they met with while at sea.
They all, however, fall into one of two families:— (1) Mystacoceti, i.e., Whale Bono Whales.
(2) Odontoceti, i.e.. Tooth Whales.
The Black Whale fishery – it was the practice for a station to be established at a selected bay and for the oil taken to be shipped by a tender to Hobart Town and thence to England. Some particulars are given here of the early history of Bay whaling in V.D.L..
Sperm Whaling - When considering the Black Whale fishing it will be remembered that, starting with shore stations only, attended with boats' crews and no ships, the industry developed until in 1834 there were many sea-going ships employed around the Tasmanian coast, and occasionally in New Zealand waters. Although primarily fitted out for the Black whaling, naturally if the chance arose the more valuable Sperm whale would be taken. From the Forties, however, the ships were fitted for Blue Water cruising, with the Sperm as their objective and not the Right whale. Occasional references to the Sperm whaling are found in the early V.D.L. publications, rarely, however, with much detail.