Whaling station

A whaling station , also known as a land station, is a factory-like facility for processing whales into oil and other products. Whaling stations have operated around the world and are often located in remote areas near the whaling areas, such as in South Georgia . In 1951 there were 45 whaling stations worldwide with a total of 182 fishing boats. Today almost all plants are shut down. Only in Iceland ( Hvalfjördur ), Norway and Japan (as of 2013) are stations still operated.

Construction of a whaling station

Flensplan of the Grytviken station

Separators for the whale oil

Historic photo of Grytviken

The whales are harpooned by fishing boats on the high seas and towed to the station. There the dead whale is pulled over a ramp from the sea to a cutting area, the Flensplan, by means of winches. First, workers use flint knives to remove the thick layer of fat from the whale. The bacon is processed into whale oil in the plant's cooking facility. This is stored in large tanks. After the bacon has been removed, the “clamping” takes place: The intestines of the whale carcass are removed and this is further cut up with bone saws that used to be steam-powered. The meat is removed and processed in the system into meat meal, frozen meat or, earlier, also into salted meat. Flour is also made from the bones, which is used as fodder or fertilizer.

In the past, whaling stations were often located in remote areas such as the Antarctic, which is why, in addition to the factory, these consisted of living quarters for the workers and the crew of the stationed fishing boats. There was also an administration building with a laboratory, a radio station and warehouses for supplies and equipment on the stations. The large stations in remote regions such as South Georgia partly had floating docks themselves so that the fishing boats could be repaired on site.

tourism

Today some former stations house a museum, for example the Cheyne Beach Whaling Station in Western Australia. Even stations that have been left to decay, such as in Grytviken in South Georgia, can be visited occasionally.

and display information about the image

Panoramic picture of the remains of the Grytviken station in 2007

Web links

Wiktionary: whaling station  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

References

1. ↑ ^{a b} Kurt Schubert: The whaling of the present. Special edition from the Handbook of Sea Fisheries in Northern Germany Volume XI, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1955
2. ↑ Rusting Grytviken, Antarctica's first whaling station. Retrieved September 26, 2018 .