South Georgia's territorial waters sit within one of the most historically significant whaling grounds on earth — the island hosted the world's first permanent whaling station, established by Carl Anton Larsen in 1904, and the surrounding seas were hunted so aggressively that several whale populations still haven't recovered. The minke was largely spared during the industrial whaling era simply because it was too small to be profitable when larger species remained available.
By 2016, minke populations around South Georgia had rebounded enough to become a regular presence again — a shift worth noting given what the island's waters once looked like.
South Georgia's territorial waters sit within one of the most historically significant whaling grounds on earth — the island hosted the world's first permanent whaling station, established by Carl Anton Larsen in 1904, and the surrounding seas were hunted so aggressively that several whale populations still haven't recovered. The minke was largely spared during the industrial whaling era simply because it was too small to be profitable when larger species remained available.
By 2016, minke populations around South Georgia had rebounded enough to become a regular presence again — a shift worth noting given what the island's waters once looked like.