Muscovy Company
Svalbard was undoubtedly spotted by Willem Barentsz of the Netherlands in 1596, although it may have previously have been discovered by Norsemen or Pomors. The Muscovy Company of England started walrus hunting on Bjørnøya in 1604, and from 1611 the company's Jonas Poole started whaling around Spitsbergen. The following year the Muscovy Company sent a new expedition, but was met by both Dutch and Spanish whalers. The company claimed exclusive rights to the area and sent away the contenders. In 1613, seven armed English ships were sent on an expedition that expelled a few dozen Dutch, Spanish and French vessels.