World Whaling

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Indonesia

A wooden sail boat is used for hunting
sperm whales off Lembata Island .
Photo: Boyd Simpson

The primary form of whaling taking place in Indonesia is for sperm whales, very probably the most abundant species of whale in the world (a population currently estimated from 1 - 2 million). The catch is small; only 26 sperm whales were caught in 1998 by a total of 19 small boats.

The Indonesian harvest has always been a small one; the all-time high was 56 whales taken, in 1969, and the all time low was 2 whales taken, in 1982. Small numbers of killer whales and Cuvier's goosebeak whales are also hunted; these particular whalers never hunt baleen whales.

The sail is lowered once the whale has been harpooned. The whale is then secured to the boat to be towed to the beach.
Note the harpooner in the water.
Photo: Boyd Simpson

The hunt itself is strictly traditional; small, hand-made wooden boats head out to sea from the one remaining village that hunts sperm whales. Sperm whales are killed by hand-held harpoons; at the moment of the strike, the harpooner leaps from the bow of the boat and drives the harpoon deep into the whale. The whale fishery is overseen by a number of village clans; usually, each clan owns one boat, and each member of that clan owns a share of the boat. Whatever is successfully harvested from that boat (fish, whales, etc.) is shared among these shareholders and the crew. Whale meat and fish is traded with other groups for vegetables and grains not available on the coast, and some is sold at local markets.

Once the whale is on the beach it will be flensed and distributed among the community members.
Photo: Boyd Simpson

There are indications that up to 20 Bryde's whales were also hunted until recently from another small village, which did not hunt for sperm whales; killer whales and other small cetaceans were taken as well. All catches were extremely small in relation to the size of the populations hunted.
Indonesia is not a member of the IWC; although the Indonesian sperm whale catch represents a negligible take from this abundant non-endangered species.