The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-18 00:00:00

The Whale Fishery.

Some interesting details are given in the New
Bedford Standard of the whale fishery and the
oil trade :

" The Atlantic fleet the past year consisted of
150 vessels, 42 of which were from Provincetown.
'rho catch by the fleet was 20,164 barrels sperm
oil, 4,000 barrels of which was taken in the South
Atlantic. During the corning year the Atlantic
fleet will nujnber about 145 vessels, besides the
homeward-bound fleet from the Pacific. The
North Pacific whaling fleet numbered 106 vessels
the past season, against 94 in 1865. The weather
was generally good, and the season's fishing has
been moderately successful. Only two of the fleet
have been lost, one going ashore in a gale, and the
other being abandoned in consequence of a
collision with another vessel. Eighty-five of
the fleet had completed the season's cruise
at our latest advices, with an average catch
of 612 barrels of oil ; 66 vessels in the
Arctic averaging 607 barrels, 12 vessels in the
Ochotsk averaging 630 barrels, and 7 vessels at
Kodiak averaging 627 barrels. The latest reports
from the other vessels average about 500 barrels.
The season's catch is about 65,000 barrels, against
50,000 barrels in 1865. The North Pacific fleet
next season will be about 110 vessels, of which 92
will belong on this side, the rest being fitted at San
Francisco and Honolulu. Only about 15 of the
fleet are to come home in 1867, and only 10 arrived
home from the North Pacific Ocean the past year.
The Hudson's Bay and Cumberland Inlet fisheries
have been comparatively unproductive, though some
few vessels have done well. New London merchants
still continue to prosecute the Desolation and
Hurd's Island fishery, keeping gangs of men there
for the purpose. The sperm whale fishery will be
more vigorously prosecuted the corning year, as be-
Fides the Atlantic fleet, the number of vessels in the
Indian Ocean will number 21 vessels against 13 the
past year, and in the Pacific, on the west coast of
South America, Gallipagos Islands, Sze., will be 23
vessels against 7 the past year, and in the vicinity
of New Zealand 6 vessels against 3.
" During the year the exports to foreign countries
bave been 9,200 barrels sperm oil, 1,510 barrels
whale oil, and 525,950 pounds of whalebone, against
20,558 barrels sperm oil, 1,660 barrels whale oil,
and 202,100 pounds of bone in 1865. To show how
the exports have fallen off in the last few years it
will be necessary to state that in 1861 there was ex-
ported 37,517 barrels sperm oil, 49,969 barrels whale
oil, and 1,145,013 pounds ; tu 1862 there were
exported 27,976 barrels sperm bone
oil, 68,583 barrels
whale oil, and 1,001,981 pounds of bone • in 1863
there were exported 1.8,3G6 barrels sperm oil,
11,297 barrels whale oil, an'l 279,391 pounds bone ;
and in 1864 there were exported 45,000 barrels

sperm oil, 12,000 barrels whale oil, and 530,000
pounds of bone. The home consumption during the
year has been 20,667 barrels sperm oil, 60,969 bar-
rels whale oil. In 1865 the home consumption was
32,664 barrels sperm oil, and 64,992 barrels whale
oil. The stock on hand in importers' and specula-
tors' hands at the close of the year is 12,700 barrels
sperm oil, 21,000 barrels whale oil, but the stock
of whalebone is not yet accurately ascertained."