Whaling through the ages
This exhibition focuses on the history of whaling along the coast of Finnmark, from the occasional whale hunt in preindustrial times, to the era of large scale whaling, which ended in 1903 after a curious incident known as the “Mehamn rebellion.” Whaling has been the topic of many a heated debate ever since, and the exhibition offers an insight into later developments, including legislation, lobby positions and environmental factors.The whale was a coveted and important catch, as it could provide raw material for a variety of products.
The whale was dragged ashore during high tide, and flensed with large knives.
Meat, bones and blubber were divided into different steam-boilers because of different boiling time needed. Whale blubber was used to manufacture glue water and oil that could be used for fuel and lighting oil, lubricating oil, raw material for candles and soaps. The remnants of the blubber was used for fuel under the steam-boilers. Whalemeat was a food resource for humans or could be grinded into guano. Whalebones could be used to make items such as knitting needles, or be grinded into manure. Baleen from the baleen whale could be used to manufature, for instance, corsets.
As the whale's resources could be used in such a vareity of ways, it might not seem very odd that whaling became a prosperous business. As far back as the 1500s, Dutch whalers were operative along the coast of Finnmark. It is quite possible that the place «Hollendervika» (directly translated it reads «the Dutch Bay») northwest of Gamvik village got is name because of the Dutch whaling activity.
Svend Foyn is considered the founding father of the modern whaling business, and he founded his first whaling station in Finnmark on Vadsøya in 1868. Foyn held the monopoly of whaling in Finnmark up until 1883. After this year, several whaling companies were started in Finnmark, and whaling became a growing industry that provided good incomes.
The number of whales captured declined towards the end of the 1890s, and it was suggested to unconditionally preserve the whales for 10 years. At the same time an impetuous rebellion rised against the whaling industry along the coast of Finnmark.
THE MEHAMN REBELLION AND THE UNCONDITIONAL PRESERVATION OF THE WHALES
The background for the Mehamn rebellion was a period of miserable cod and capelin fishing, which the fishermen blamed on the intensive whaling along the coast of Finnmark. The fishermen believed that the whales were normally chasing the lures and the fish closer to shore. With few whales left, the fish stayed out of reach. The fishermen also blamed the growing numbers of seals on the diminishing population of whales. They firmly believed that the whales normally scared the seals away.
The frustration was growing bigger by the day during the spring of 1903, and on the 2nd of June, a large number of fishermen gathered and started tearing down the whaling station in Mehamn. The next day, approximately 1500 took part in the rebellion. They destroyed machines, tore down the chimney of the station and rolled steam-boilers and oil drums off to sea. The rebellion continued for three days, and supervisors and police alike had to stand idly by, as the critical events developed. As the fishermen threatened to tear down whaling stations in both Oksvågen and Båtsfjord, military forces were called upon to calm the situation down. Of the fishermen that participated in the rebellion, only 18 were arraigned for vandalism. Of these, only 11 were found guilty, and they received rather mild sentences of between 10 and 20 days in prison.
The Mehamn rebellion lead to a change in the coutry's political climate, and in December 1903 it was decided that the unconditional preservation of the whales were to be validated from February of 1904 in Norwegian Oceanic Territory around the counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark.
An in-depth guide to the exhibition is available from the museum shop.
The whale was dragged ashore during high tide, and flensed with large knives.
Meat, bones and blubber were divided into different steam-boilers because of different boiling time needed. Whale blubber was used to manufacture glue water and oil that could be used for fuel and lighting oil, lubricating oil, raw material for candles and soaps. The remnants of the blubber was used for fuel under the steam-boilers. Whalemeat was a food resource for humans or could be grinded into guano. Whalebones could be used to make items such as knitting needles, or be grinded into manure. Baleen from the baleen whale could be used to manufature, for instance, corsets.
As the whale's resources could be used in such a vareity of ways, it might not seem very odd that whaling became a prosperous business. As far back as the 1500s, Dutch whalers were operative along the coast of Finnmark. It is quite possible that the place «Hollendervika» (directly translated it reads «the Dutch Bay») northwest of Gamvik village got is name because of the Dutch whaling activity.
Svend Foyn is considered the founding father of the modern whaling business, and he founded his first whaling station in Finnmark on Vadsøya in 1868. Foyn held the monopoly of whaling in Finnmark up until 1883. After this year, several whaling companies were started in Finnmark, and whaling became a growing industry that provided good incomes.
The number of whales captured declined towards the end of the 1890s, and it was suggested to unconditionally preserve the whales for 10 years. At the same time an impetuous rebellion rised against the whaling industry along the coast of Finnmark.
THE MEHAMN REBELLION AND THE UNCONDITIONAL PRESERVATION OF THE WHALES
The background for the Mehamn rebellion was a period of miserable cod and capelin fishing, which the fishermen blamed on the intensive whaling along the coast of Finnmark. The fishermen believed that the whales were normally chasing the lures and the fish closer to shore. With few whales left, the fish stayed out of reach. The fishermen also blamed the growing numbers of seals on the diminishing population of whales. They firmly believed that the whales normally scared the seals away.
The frustration was growing bigger by the day during the spring of 1903, and on the 2nd of June, a large number of fishermen gathered and started tearing down the whaling station in Mehamn. The next day, approximately 1500 took part in the rebellion. They destroyed machines, tore down the chimney of the station and rolled steam-boilers and oil drums off to sea. The rebellion continued for three days, and supervisors and police alike had to stand idly by, as the critical events developed. As the fishermen threatened to tear down whaling stations in both Oksvågen and Båtsfjord, military forces were called upon to calm the situation down. Of the fishermen that participated in the rebellion, only 18 were arraigned for vandalism. Of these, only 11 were found guilty, and they received rather mild sentences of between 10 and 20 days in prison.
The Mehamn rebellion lead to a change in the coutry's political climate, and in December 1903 it was decided that the unconditional preservation of the whales were to be validated from February of 1904 in Norwegian Oceanic Territory around the counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark.
An in-depth guide to the exhibition is available from the museum shop.
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