History of The Falkland Islands - British Colonisation - Exploitation of Maritime Resources

Exploitation of Maritime Resources

The Falkland Islands were used as a base for whaling ships hunting the Southern Right Whale and Sperm Whale from the 1770s until British authority was established over the islands and surrounding seas. Whaling was briefly revived with the establishment of a whaling station on New Island from 1909 to 1917 until whaling operations moved to South Georgia.

Fur seals had long been exploited for their pelts but numbers entered a drastic decline in the early 19th century. As a result seal hunting died off, although continuing at a low level. In order to conserve stocks, a ban on the hunting of fur seals during summers months was enacted in 1881 but it was not until 1921 that hunting was banned entirely.

Elephant seals were exploited for oil but like the fur seals their numbers declined drastically in the mid-1850s. Sealers instead turned their attention to the South American Sea Lion resulting in a dramatic decline in their numbers that made sealing uneconomic. Attempts to revive the trade, including a sealing station at Port Albermarle, were unsuccessful.

Even penguins were exploited for oil. Rockhopper and Gentoo penguins were rendered down in trypots from 1860 until the 1880s.