The history of Whaling in the Azores
The history of whaling in the Azores seems to begin in the 18th century, when whaling ships from New England arrived in the Azorean seas, realizing the abundance of cetaceans in the region's waters.
The difficult living conditions of the island people at that time and the frequent presence of American whaling vessels in the Azores meant that many young Azoreans were seduced and recruited for American whaling, which represented a great job opportunity.
The courage and bravery of the Azoreans was mentioned by Herman Melville , in one of the greatest classics of world literature, Moby Dick (1851):
“Not a few of these whale hunters come from the Azores, where ships from Nantucket, heading to distant seas, frequently dock, to increase the crew with the brave peasants of these rocky islands. […] It's not quite clear why, but the truth is that the islanders are the best whale hunters.”
As part of the crews of the factory ships, the Azoreans got to know whaling techniques, learned how to melt the meat that was processed. in oil and removing the spermaceti from their heads.
Around 1864, many of them returned to the archipelago to start the whale industry in the Azores.
And it was in the 19th century, during the decline of wine production and orange, that the first boats were built and the sea was advanced.
Using the “shore whaling” model, due to the depth of the sea and the proximity of sperm whales to the coast, whalers launched themselves into the water in their boats and rowed until they reached the whale.
Despite the artisanal methods, thousands of whales were captured.
It all started with the surveillance posts, positioned in high places, where the watchmen remained for hours watching the horizon, in search of any movement that would indicate the presence of sperm whales.
Sighted that they were the giants of the seas, a rocket was launched by the lookout, giving the indication to the men to leave all their tasks and follow to the sea; a fight that could last for hours or days.
And the battle took place using harpoons and spears, piercing the animal and locking it. Once dead, the animal was floated and brought to land.
A daring and dangerous way of life, which often ended without the return of the seven crew from the boat, a sailing and rowing vessel that would have half the the size of an adult sperm whale (it can measure up to 20 meters in length and weigh up to 45 tons).
Once the sperm whale was on land, the animal's body was dismantled and practically everything was used.
The oil (oil) extracted from melted meat served as fuel for lighting, as a lubricant and also to make candles, soap and margarine; from the intestines a substance used in perfumery and cosmetics was withdrawn; corsets, combs, brushes and handicrafts were made from bones; and the remains of the meat and bones were used to feed animals or fertilize the land.
Sperm whale derivatives were exported to various parts of the world.
Until the 1930s, oil extraction was still processed by whalers from handmade way. In the middle of the 20th century, this work was being replaced by the industrialization of the process.
Whaling was extremely important for the Azores, namely for the islands of Pico, Faial and São Miguel, where there were whaling factories. whales and entire communities dedicated to the integral processing of the sperm whale to obtain by-products.
However, time passed and the world changed.
And the oil that previously served to lubricate the machines that rocked the industrial revolution and to light the cities of the world was no longer necessary with the emergence of the oil industry, with whale oil being replaced by petroleum. Whales were no longer profitable.
At the same time, many species of whales, due to excessive and uncontrolled hunting around the globe, were on the verge of extinction, which would lead to the inevitable collapse of the industry due to lack of raw material.
Thus, in 1984 the commercial whaling hunt was banned, which was accepted by most countries.
In 1987 the last sperm whale was captured in the Azores.
With the end of this mode of life, the Azores had to adapt to the new challenges.
In order to preserve the whaling tradition and memory, so rooted in the island people, museums of the old factories were created, whaling boats were recovered and preserved the tools with which sperm whales were hunted.
Annual regattas were also created with the old boats, namely on the islands of the Central Group, in which teams from different islands compete.
In addition to preserving the whaling heritage of the Region, the Azoreans realized the importance and need to safeguard cetaceans and how this could attract tourism and bring benefits to the islands.
Thus, whale watching was born in the Azores.
Unlike in other times Currently, sperm whales and other whales are hunted to observe them in their natural habitat.
The archipelago has become a kind of cult spot for this practice and one of the best destinations in Europe to see whales and dolphins.
An ecological activity that attracts tourism from all over the world and is extremely profitable. And there are several whale watching companies in the Azores, with different vessels for the comfort of customers.
As in the past, whales are once again essential for the Azoreans, who have switched from hunting whales to protecting them.
Around the archipelago, around 28 different species of cetaceans have already been identified, which represents a third of the world's species. The sperm whale is the most common and the one that can be found throughout the year.
The Azorean sea is thus one of the largest ecosystems on the planet, which is why it must be protected and valued at all costs.
See more:
http://turismo.cmhorta.pt/index.php/pt/
http://www.museu-pico.azores.gov.pt/
https:/ /ensina.rtp.pt/
https://historadosacores.tumblr.com/
https://nch.pt/
https://whalewatchingazores.com/pt
https:// www.discover-azores.com/