海参崴新闻

Whale-fishery - the production of whales in the Pacific waters, began to develop in the second half of the XIX century.

The first who engaged in this fishery for industrial purposes, was the Vladivostok merchant - Lindgolm.

At the same time, the "free skipper" Huck and the retired officer Elfsberg were also engaged in whaling.

Officer Dydymov continued further development. He expanded its industrial and commercial significance.

After the his death, Keizerling start to develop whaling, in 1894, together with brother, founded the "Pacific Fishing" partnership.

In 1899, together with his companions, he opened a new firm, the Pacific Whaling and Fishery Joint Stock Company, Count Keyserling and Co.. " The capital of the company was 1.5 million rubles.

Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905 stopped the further development of the Russian whaling.

At the very beginning of the war, almost the entire Russian whaling fleet, which was in Nagasaki, was arrested by the Japanese authorities as a military trophy.

In the early 1920s the Soviet government tried to revive the whaling industry in the Far East on the basis of a concession.

In 1923 they made an agreement with the Norwey whaling company Vega.

But only in July 1925, "Vega" started fishing, produced over 686 whales in 1925-1926.

However, in 1927 the concession contract was canceled, because to the company's can’t pay tax5%.

In the early 30s the hunting of whales was resumed.

In February 1933 a whaling fleet "Aleut" arrived to Vladivostok with whalers "Avangard", "Enthusiast", "Trud Front".

Fishing fleet 1st time came the Bering Strait area in May.

During the fishing season the crew extracted 203 whales, for 1933-1941 – 3712 catch whales.

In the war years (1941-1945) whaling was significantly curtailed.

Only after the end of the Great Patriotic War it began to revive again, they develop new fishing areas near the Kuril Islands.

In the 1960s and 1970s whaling industry developed most active.

That time the Far Eastern whaling fleet was replenished by Soviet-built whaling flotillas - Sovetskaya Rossiya, Vladivostok, and Far East.

In the 1970s, the share of whaling and hunting was 15.6% of the Russian fishing industry.

Whales fishery intensive development of led to the fact that the herds of sea giants began to rapidly decline.

In this regard, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in agreement with the countries, which involved in the production of whales, imposed a ban on their production, which is still preserved.

News source: www.vestiprim.ru