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Bowhead whaling in Davis Strait and Baffin Bay during the 18th and 19th Centuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Richard Vaughan
Richard Vaughan
Affiliation:
The Arctic Centre, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Histories of individual whale fisheries mainly undertaken by Europeans have yet to be written. This article provides an outline history of whaling in the Davis Strait area during the 18th and 19th centuries. Current knowledge is reviewed of whaling west of Greenland by ships from Danish, Dutch and German ports, and from English, American and Scottish ports. The land-based West Greenland whale fishery is also mentioned, and the activities of whalers from France and Spain. In spite of recent national whaling histories of the English, Dutch and Danish industries, quantitative data for the Davis Strait fishery are still virtually non-existent.

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Polar Record , Volume 23 , Issue 144 , September 1986 , pp. 289 - 299
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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