Recently our latest article has been published in Duiken Magazine.

It addresses the switch the Azoreans have made from hunting whales to providing ecotourism in the form of whalewatching.

The whaling industry sparked interest in the Azorean community due to American whalers that visited the islands in a stopover during their global voyages.

 

At the peak of the local Azorean whale hunt, which exclusively hunted sperm whales, 33 companies operated in the archipelago of the Azores.

Due to the influx of products that could replace whatever the whalehunt could provide, the industry grew smaller as from 1800.

In 1951 the Azoreans however still caught 751 sperm whales!

In 1984 the last whaling company closed its doors in the Azores. In 1986 the International Whaling Commission put an end to industrial whaling. 

Pico was in 1989 the first island of the Azores to start whalewatching, which nowadays is a mature and successful industry.

A big thanks to CW Azores for hosting us during our stay on Pico, such a pleasure! 

I would recommend anyone to visit the Azores to learn about their switch and growth into a rich whaling and whalewatch culture.

Images were taken under Governmental permit.

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