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Story: Whales

Removing blubber

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Removing blubber

Blue whales escaped extensive hunting in the 19th century because of their speed, but with motorised chasers they became a common prey. Here a length of blubber is stripped from a blue whale caught in Antarctic waters by Norwegian whalers in 1928. The whalers based themselves at Paterson Inlet on Stewart Island.

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Whales – Blue whales and fin whales, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7081/removing-blubber (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009.