WHALES

Hokitika Guardian, 25 October 1928, Page 3

WHALES

HABITS AND MIGRATORY

PASSAGES

RESEARCH IN THE ANTARCTIC,

WELLINGTON, October 22,

In furtherance of the work of the Discovery Expedition of 1925-27 in the Antarctic Ocean, Dr. E. H. Marshall. M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., arrived to-day from London to join the Norwegian whaler, C. A. Larsen, due at Wellington from San Pedro on November 4th, for her forthcoming voyage to the Ross Sea.

Comparatively little is known about the habtis of whales, and some years ago the Discovery Expedition was organised under the joint auspices of the Colonial Office, the Falkland Islands Government, the Admiralty, the British Ministry of Fisheries, the British Museum, and the Royal Geographical Society. The object of the expedition was to carry out organised research into the life and habits of. whales in the Antarctic, the prospects of their multiplication or otherwise and conditions affecting seals and sea lions in those regions. Special attention was to be devoted to the habits and, migratory passages of whales and the study of their feeding grounds. During the cruise of the ship deep sea soundings and surveys and. other oceanographical work was to be carried out. A permanent marine station was established at Grytviken, in South Georgia, the headquarters of the whaling industry in the Atlantic quadrant of the Antarctic Ocean.

The Discovery, which left England m September, 1925, was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander J. R,. Ste«house, R.N.R. Dr Marshall was the principal medical officer of the Ship, Dr S. W. Kemp, D.Sc., Superintendent of the Zoological Survey of India, was director of research and in charge of the staff of zoologists and hydrologists of the expedition. In addition to the Discovery, a small steamer was specially built and fitted for the work of the expedition. The steamer, William Scoresby, named after a famous whaling captain, was provided with a small gun to fire silver-plated consecutivelynumbered darts for marking whales All whaling stations were asked to report the capture of marked whales, t’-e locality and the state of maturity of the animals. The Discovery return to England in September, 1927, after a voyage of two years with a larg£ amount of material and data to enable comparisons to be made in future seasons. Dr Kemp reported that the hump-back variety of whale was undoubtedly diminishing, but blue whales and fin whales appeared to be as abundant as ever.

The operations of the licensed Ross c ea whalers, Sir James Clark Ross and C. A. Larsen, and tlie unlicensed ship. N. T. Nielson Alonso, during the Lsi five years have accounted for at least 5500. to 6000 whales in that region alone, and the three ships will be working again this season. Dr Marshall is going to the Ross Sea in the c. A. Larsen and will study the hafuts of,whales there as well as watch for signs of whales “ marked ” by the Dis coverv expedition.

It is interesting to note that he is the second member of his family t* visit tlie Ross Sea region of the Ant arctic.' His brother, Mr Eric Marshall was. a member of Shackleton’s 1907 ex pedit’on, and in company with Shack’e ton, Adams, and Wild made the famous farthest south journey in 1908, to within 150 miles of the South Pole.