Whaling at South Georgia

South Georgia is 1300km (870 miles) from the Falkland Islands and around 8000 miles from the UK. South Georgia is around 170km (106 miles) long and around 35km (22 miles) wide. Its position in the Atlantic Ocean makes it a hotspot for biodiversity. The iconic mountainous terrain can be distinguished from miles away. Characterised by many bays and inlets, creating sanctuary for many creatures.

When Captain Carl Anton Larsen visited South Georgia on a Swedish Antarctic Expedition in 1902, he noted the sheltered bays around the island and the abundant whale stock. When he raised the capital to set up the first whaling station on South Georgia, he chose the site of Grytviken. Whaling began in Cumberland Bay in December 1904 were the whales were plentiful. In the first season 183 whales were caught.

The sighting of South Georgia in 1675 was the first discovery of land in the Antarctic. It was made by a London merchant, Antoine de la Roché, blown far off course as his ship rounded Cape Horn.

Over a 100 years later in 1775, Captain James Cook on board HMS Resolution, landed on South Georgia. He claimed possession of the island for Great Britain, naming it Isle of Georgia, in honour of His Majesty, King George III. The name of South Georgia was adopted later in the nineteenth century.

The publication of his journals in 1772, A Voyage towards the South Pole, described the abundance of fur seals or ‘sea bears’. His observations triggered the interest of sealers from Britain and the USA at a time when seal numbers were dropping in the Northern Hemisphere. The next few decades saw further expeditions of discovery and exploitation of the Antarctic.

Captain Larsen’s approach to whaling from a shore station in South Georgia was so lucrative that other companies followed him over the next ten years. They, too, chose the north side of the island for their shore stations because of the good harbourage opportunities. Between 1904 and 1912 seven whaling stations were set up on South Georgia. The first twenty years of the whaling stations proved profitable, with those returning after World War I supplementing their catch with large factory ships and using the island as a base for repairs during winters.

Some whaling stations cannot be visited now, as the asbestos and debris left behind is a hazard for humans. Around many of the stations are 200 metre exclusion zones to ensure visitors are not harmed whilst ashore. Others, like Godthul, are popular sites with visitors, as there are no hazards left on shore from the whaling era and beautiful vistas to take in from around the bay.

Mostly, the whaling stations remain as they were left at the end of the whaling industry. With only Grytviken undergoing major works and restorations during the 1990s and early 2000s to make it safe for visitors. Husvik is the only other whaling station which is used on a regular basis,  acting as a base for science and invasive plant investigations.

Godthul also was a floating factory with a basic shore station run by Messrs Bryde and Dahl from 1908-1929. This company was operated from Sandefjord, Norway and established by Thor Dahl and Ingvald Martin Bryde. Dahl was a prominent businessman in Sandefjord, who had invested in a few different businesses before turning his eye to whaling endeavours. Eventually the company was handed over to Dahl’s son-in-law when they were looking to expand further with their pelagic fleet. They ceased operations in South Georgia and instead, invested in factory ships.

Ocean Harbour was run by the Ocean Whaling Company from 1909-1920. It was then taken over by the Sandefjord Whaling Company and much of the structure was moved to Stromness. The name Ocean Harbour was derived from the company operating there and was in use by whalers and sealers in the area.

Although part of the British Empire, governance of South Georgia through permanent presence on the island, only started after whaling was established.

Captain Carl Anton Larsen had set up his whaling station at Grytviken without a permit from the British Government. Unbeknownst to him, Ernest Swinhoe had leased the entire island from 1905, to carry out sheep farming and sealing activities. He was shocked to find that there was an entire whaling operation happening and wrote to the Governor of the Falklands, William Allardyce.

This triggered negotiations and led to whaling permits being granted. Grytviken and King Edward Point became the administrative point of the island and supplies to those who needed it, had to come from the whaling station. Grytviken also became the site of the first Post Office on South Georgia in 1909, later moving to King Edward Point in 1912.

In 2001 the British Antarctic Survey took over control of the base at King Edward Point on behalf of the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. They conduct research throughout the island, with both the base at King Edward Point and Bird Island. At King Edward Point this research is mostly based on animal monitoring and sustainable fisheries research.

At Bird Island there is also a large focus on animal monitoring, mostly on birds and seals. Bird Island was spotted at the same time as South Georgia and there is evidence of early sealing activity on the island.

Currently, the British Antarctic Survey are supporting a variety of projects around South Georgia, one of these is the Wild Water Whales project, being delivered with funding from other organisations and over a number of other projects. This is not only focusing on one type of whale, instead investigating many species who migrate to South Georgia’s waters.

In 1985, South Georgia became a British Overseas Territory after having been a dependency of the Falkland Islands since 1843.

In 1993 a 200km exclusive fishing zone was declared around the islands. This ensures that the fisheries zone can be controlled and helps to protect this significant part of the world.

“GSGSSI is financially self-sufficient, with an annual revenue derived primarily from fishing licences, tourist landing fees and sale of stamps. Revenue is spent on fisheries research and protection, fisheries observers, salaries of established staff and environmental management.” – GSGSSI website

In the 1990s there were clean-ups done at some of the sites to remove oil and diesel which had been left.

In 2003 there was a huge environmental clean-up in Grytviken whaling station. This removed asbestos, loose sheets and unstable buildings from the whaling station. Now what is left of the station is the internal components of the buildings and those buildings which had already been stabilised. At this time oil was also removed from the catcher ships that still remained, Albatros, Dias and Petrel. All three ships were also hauled ashore to stabilise them.

The other whaling station sites on the island all have a 200m exclusion zone due to the deterioration of the sites and the possibility of asbestos exposure.

Whaling not only altered the ecosystems of the sea but also altered the terrestrial ecosystems of South Georgia. Many invasive species of plants were introduced while the whalers were there and through various means. Some were introduced on purpose and others by accident.

During the whaling era, rats and mice stowed away on ships and were prevalent throughout the whaling stations. Reindeer were also introduced by the Norwegian whalers in the early twentieth century. However, they were disrupting natural vegetation. Following the removal of invasive reindeer by the Government in 2014, and a decade-long project by the South Georgia Heritage Trust to eradicate invasive rodents, South Georgia was declared rodent-free in 2018. The projects are major contributions to the ongoing ecological recovery of South Georgia.