The Brutal Legacy of Whaling: Decimation, Commercialism, and Imperialism by Charlotte Wood
"Whaling scene in the California lagoons", a Digitized illustration by captain, artist, naturalist, and writer Charles Scammon, depicts whaling exploits in Magdalena Bay, California. He wrote the book The Marine Mammals of the North-western Coast of North America where he documented and told the stories he saw while whaling which was a financial failure but now a classic. The illustration shows the reality behind the 19th century whaling industry and how it fits into a larger history of brutalism, destruction, commercialization, and expansionism surrounding the Pacific ocean. The whaling scene of the Pacific in the 19th century was the forbearer of the capitalistic zeitgeist that would overtake the Pacific Rim in coming times and the opening of truly globalized trade. This is because they overthrow the sustainable and careful practices of self-sustaining natives in favor of exploiting the resources of the ocean for capitalistic and militaristic gain and trade with Asia. Whaling both catalyzed and exemplified the legacy of cruelty, decimation, commercialization, and imperialism.
Historical accounts and scholarly analyses by historians such as Igler and Jones corroborate the brutalism of whaling. Igler's depiction of the great hunt underscores the sheer ruthlessness of the industry, as hunters targeted whales during vulnerable moments such as calving season, exploiting the bond between mother and calf for their own gain. The hunt, characterized by a "brutal campaign of extermination," was driven not only by profit but also by technological advancements and market demands, leading to the relentless pursuit of increasingly scarce populations of whales. The Herculean task of capturing and killing these massive creatures, described as larger and more powerful than steam locomotives, highlights the magnitude of the violence inflicted upon these animals. Igler's motive, to shed light on the exploitative nature of these voyages, aligns with his disagreement with such hunts, exemplified through the story of Mary Brewster. Similarly, Jones' exploration of the commercial exploitation of marine mammals in the North Pacific further underscores the widespread impact of whaling on human migration and power dynamics. Through these accounts, it becomes evident that whaling in the Pacific was not only a brutal enterprise in terms of its treatment of animals but also a catalyst for broader social and economic shifts, leaving a lasting legacy of exploitation and environmental degradation.
The colonizers not only exploited the natives in explicit ways, such as forcing them into hunting expensive animals for their commercial gain or driving them out of their lands, but by destroying the ecology of the Pacific through greedy resource exploitation, which had second-order destructive effects as well on Native populations that relied on the conservation of these delicate resources. Jones speaks of the first-order exploitation of these native peoples in the quest for furs. Because the Unangan people had expertise in otter hunting that the Russians lacked, “Unangan women and children were often held hostage while the men were forced to hunt. Later, in the nineteenth century, every Unangan man owed the Russians labor every year in exchange for education and European goods”. Though the hunting methods of the well-acquainted native peoples were critical for the fur trade, the colonizers brought a capitalistic mindset that led to the exploitation of marine resources. Instead of employing a “take as you need” mentality like many indigenous communities, the colonizers employed a “milk every last penny” attitude when it came to the Pacific which unsurprisingly led to the decimation of resources. Igler argues that the slaughtering of these animals for commercial gain “led to an ecological void but economic center along the Baja/Siberian coastline and offshore islands”. Through ecological data and pelt sales records which are even thought to be an understatement, Igler proves the decimation of these hunting practices. By the end of the 19th century, “The gray whale population reached a historic low of less than 10 percent its original level”. Jones proves that this second-handedly decimated Indigenous coastal communities that relied on the rich nutrients of the sea in otherwise unlivable environments such as Northern Russia. Whaling is part of this larger idea throughout the Pacific past of the greed of non-natives destroying the self-sufficient symbiosis of marine inhabitants and their neighboring humans.
The commercialization of the Pacific during the 19th century played a pivotal role in transforming the region and propelling the United States into a neo-imperial center. As Igler notes, the great hunt for marine mammals was not only a function but also a byproduct of expanding commerce, illustrating how imperial expansion and whaling became intertwined pursuits. While American expansionists viewed far-western lands as part of a continental destiny, New England whalers, constituting the largest maritime sector by the 1830s, perceived the Pacific's natural resources and trade opportunities as existing realities. This dynamic is reflected in Yokota's analysis, which highlights how the development of transpacific trade propelled the United States from the colonial periphery to the neo-imperial center. By integrating both Atlantic and Pacific trade into one body, the U.S. achieved dominance in the Asia-Pacific economy, surpassing its European peers. Furthermore, Jones emphasizes the significance of the North Pacific as a space of pulsating commercial exchange, unconstrained by state control, where many people became involved in the commercial exploitation of marine mammals, driving shifts in power dynamics. Collectively, these perspectives illustrate how the commercialization of the Pacific not only transformed the region's economic landscape but also reshaped global power dynamics, positioning the United States as a dominant force in international trade and marking its transition to a neo-imperial center.
Expansionism in relation to the Pacific was deeply intertwined with America's imperial ambitions and commercial interests. The Pacific was a rich entity before imperialism decimated it. Igler highlights how whaling voyages coincided with pivotal events in America's imperial drive, such as the US-Mexico War. The voyage of the Tiger in 1845, departing from Hawaii just as news of Texas's annexation reverberated across New England, exemplifies this overlap between whaling expeditions and expansionist endeavors. Jones further underscores the international nature of the Pacific, stating that it was "international before it became national." In the era following the first British and American incursions, the North Pacific served as a space of vibrant commercial and intellectual exchange, free from state constraints and hegemonic powers. Yokota's analysis sheds light on America's ambitious vision of Manifest Destiny, where the continent-spanning territory aimed to connect Asia and Europe. This expansionist vision led to the disruption and destruction of indigenous communities' social systems as global commodity exchange networks encroached upon their lands. Yokota cites how “Chinese consumers’ unceasing desire for Hawaiian sandalwood drove Native Hawaiians into the mountainous regions as the commodity became increasingly scarce”. The United States emerged as the most powerful foreign presence in the transpacific region by the end of the 19th century, bridging the Pacific and Atlantic worlds through actions such as the 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa. Keith further delves into America's imperialistic motives in its interactions with Japan, driven by racial and religious motivations to "civilize" the perceived "inferior" nation. Expansionism in the Pacific was fueled in part by America's commercial interests as well as imperial ambitions and racial prejudices, shaping the region's history and global power dynamics.
The whaling scene depicted in Charles Scammon's illustration serves as a poignant reminder of the brutal reality behind the 19th-century whaling industry and its broader implications. This scene not only captures the brutality and destruction inherent in whaling but also symbolizes a larger narrative of commercialization, expansionism, and exploitation surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The pursuit of whales, seals, and sea lions in the Pacific during the 19th century foreshadowed the capitalistic zeitgeist that would dominate the Pacific Rim in subsequent years, ushering in an era of truly globalized trade. Historical accounts and scholarly analyses by historians like Igler and Jones corroborate the brutality of whaling, highlighting its ruthlessness, ecological devastation, and societal impacts. Igler's portrayal of the great hunt exposes the sheer ruthlessness of the industry, while Jones' exploration underscores the widespread impact of whaling on human migration and power dynamics. Moreover, Yokota's analysis elucidates how expansionism in the Pacific was deeply intertwined with America's imperial ambitions, commercial interests, and racial prejudices. The commercialization of the Pacific during the 18th and 19th centuries played a pivotal role in transforming the region and propelling the United States into a neo-imperial center, reshaping global power dynamics in the process. Through the lens of Scammon's illustration and the scholarly insights provided by historians, it becomes evident that whaling was not merely a historical footnote but a significant chapter in the complex and multifaceted history of the Pacific, leaving a lasting legacy of exploitation, environmental degradation, and societal upheaval.
Works Cited
Igler, David. The Great Ocean: Pacific Worlds From Captain Cook to the Gold Rush. Oxford UP, 2013.
Jones, Ryan Tucker. “Running Into Whales: The History of the North Pacific From Below the Waves.” The American Historical Review, vol. 118, no. 2, Apr. 2013, pp. 349–77. https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/118.2.349.
Keith, Jeffrey A. “Civilization, Race, and the Japan Expedition’s Cultural Diplomacy, 1853–1854.” The Journal of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations: Diplomatic History, vol. 35, no. 2, Apr. 2011.
The New York Public Library. "Whaling scene in the California lagoons"The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1874. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-0d6d-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Yokota, Kariann Akemi. “Transatlantic and Transpacific Connections in Early American History.” Pacific Historical Review, vol. 83, no. 2, Nov. 2012, pp. 204–19. https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2014.83.2.204.