Warning
This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.
Up-to-date information can be found elsewhere in Te Ara.
Throughout its history the nature and scope of New Zealand whaling have been influenced primarily by the local abundance and the habits of three species of whale, namely the sperm, southern right, and humpback. It is therefore necessary to distinguish clearly the relevant differences between these three mammals.