This graph shows that sealing flourished around New Zealand in two relatively short-lived peaks. There was an initial burst when sealers came across from Australia in the first decade of the 19th century. They moved to southern New Zealand when the Bass Strait rookeries were exhausted. Then a revival in the number of seals and a new demand for fur led to another rush in the 1820s. However, the number of seals declined quickly and the sealers increasingly turned to whaling.
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Source: Ian W. G. Smith, The New Zealand sealing industry. Wellington: Dept of Conservation, 2002
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