The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-14
The Whale Fishery for rsSa.

[From the New BsdfordW hzlemens shipping List Jan
We present TO custo nsrs this morning annual
review Of tho whale fishery for the year 1854.
The number Of arrivals has been very large and the az
gregsts oil imported nearly competes With the import
or 1851; when IL viii be remembered IL was greater
than in any year since 1s47 Notwithstanding the large
Importation however, the prices for all varieties have
been well sustained, and the market active
The amount Of tonnage employed Ia the trade has
siderably diminished during the last year The number
5s4 ships and bark 20 brgs and % schoones showing
dimnution Of IL ships and barks, brigs, and
schooners, with dimnution in the aggregate tonnage
The intelligence from the Arctic feet in 1854 been
ofsn unfavorable character, and the average catch
during the past has fallen below the average Of
any previous year. Several ships have taken OIL and
others about loo barrels each OF the fory-eght ships
which have probably cruised In the ocean during The
past season. is Of the number took even the
moderate success Of others will scarcely relieve the
tsrprse from being characterized entire failure
The feet In the Ochotsk Sea has been fortu
and win average thousand barrels each This, con-
sidered by itself might be set do fair sspson's
work but in connection With the III Of the feet
10 the rctc the general average Ia red1crd to
thing less than eight hundred barrels, and shows fall
ing OF Of hundred barrels from the average
Of last year when ships cruising In both met With
good success This result will materially Affect the i'm
portaton Of whale oil In 1885, and from the best esti
will hardly exceed hundred and sixty one hundrsd
and seventy ave thousand barrels; the import will de-
rsisht ana m,, sIi below ogr estimate "'"' y"
The importsons during the past year have been quite
large and the -sason Of 1858 commences under dspres
ing Influences jet With reference TO the prices obtained
cannot upoa zoe whole but regard II bat OF
much prosperity 20 the trade aud pairing favorably
with many o. IL predecessors. The Of sperm oil
has been veil exhaused-only about 1850 barrels
rmsinpg In the country, which IL held at very high
prices OF the importation OF whale oil, little
than three four,bs have been exhausted and eonse.
quenily large stock remains hand This surplus,
added 10 the probable importation for the present year
ZONE hundred SIXTY 70 hundred AMI
thousand barrels viii not exceed the consumption dur.
ing the past year and unless the northern feet shah
meet With better than last year the Of
whale oil for consumption In 1855 will BE- considerably
iess than that o. the present year.
The general conclusion to which arc led from q
careful consideration Of these statistics that the bust
Of the whale hshtry has been pushed by the
prise OF merchants 1, nearly quite Its utmost
limits Of prudent investment Altho ugh there stil re-.
mains prospect Of fair remuneration, any augmen-
tafion OF the feet must be considered OF very doubt
full policy, and unless whaling grounds should be
discovered which doe. not at present appear prot abs
must tend 70 depressing influence upon the trade.