Wed, 10 May 2006 11:55:29 -0400
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Looking through my notes on the Basque whaling industry, I see they began
hunting whales in the 11th to 12th century in their own Bay of Biscayne. Right
whales were their targets. When they depleted whale populations, they expanded
their searches for better grounds. One source showed town seals from A.D.
1351 with whale boats and harpooners. They apparently reached Canada around
1540 in search of cod fish and set up organized whaling stations by 1550. Basque
archives reveal a navigator named Martin de Hoyarsabal, who mapped Canadian
waters. Of particular interest for George is the fact they also shipped on
with Dutch and British whalers in the 17th and 18th centuries, which might
explain the whaling towns of New England. The thing is, I do not think the
Canadian scholars bothered themselves with the question of whether Basque
fishermen and whalers explored or hunted as far south as New England. The answer
might lie in the Basque archives.
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
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