Historical occurrence of whales in Scottish Waters inferred from whaling records

Original provider:
Conor Ryan

Dataset credits:
IWC

Abstract:
Archived logbooks detailing landings at Scottish shore-based whaling stations between 1903 and 1951 were used to map whale catch locations.
Historical distribution and occurrence are inferred and summary statistics on total landings are updated for blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (Balaenoptera physalus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), North Atlantic right (Eubalaena glacialis), sei (Balaenoptera borealis) and sperm (Physeter macrocephalus) whales: a total of 9,996 whales were caught
during this period, which is 3.7% higher than previously reported and 25% higher for blue whales.