12016-04-25T15:18:48-07:00Emily Esten2caf87d65ec60328b3ce389c410df00dcb4481f779141plain2016-04-25T15:18:48-07:00Emily Esten2caf87d65ec60328b3ce389c410df00dcb4481f7As the Civil War came to dominate American society in the next decade, the whaling industry would never quite reach its peak again. The American Civil War reduced the number of whaling voyages, as many seamen left for the navy. Confederate commerce raiders often attacked whalers or merchant ships, leading to high insurance rates for shipowners.