The New Zealand Sealing Industry - Department of Conservation

1.3 ORGANISATION OF THIS STUDY
This study uses both historical and archaeological information to identify
historic places associated with the New Zealand sealing industry. There is a
pronounced imbalance between these two sources of data. Primary historical
records have been compiled, reviewed and synthesised at regular intervals since
the 1860s. While these previous studies have some deficiencies in relation to
the objectives of this study, they do provide a valuable starting point. In
contrast, there has been no previous examination of the archaeological data,
and prior to this study only eight recorded archaeological sites had been
positively or tentatively associated with the sealing industry.
The approach used here involves reassessment of the historical record to
identify when sealing took place and how it developed over the century and a
half of its operation. Particular attention is focussed upon the nature of sealing
activities and the strategies through which these were put into operation in
order to evaluate their potential for leaving physical remains in the
archaeological record. Consideration is then given to the locations in which
sealing is reported to have taken place, and the available archaeological
evidence is assessed to identify sites that can be positively or tentatively related
to the historically documented or inferred activities. Finally, these sites are
assessed in terms of priorities for future management and research.
2. International context
The international sealing industry had its origins as early as 1610, when Dutch
sailors took African seals for both oil and hides, and by the early 18 th century
Russian traders were shipping fur seal skins from the Aleutian Islands to China
(Busch 1985: 7–9). However it was not until the 1770s that sealing became a
major commercial enterprise. In 1775 a fleet of American whaling ships
congregated at the Falkland Islands to complete their cargoes with oil taken
from elephant seals for sale on the English market (Busch 1985: 6). In 1778 both
seal skins and oil were brought back by English sealers from South Georgia and
the Magellan Straits (Jones 1986: 254).
Elephant seal oil was valued as an odourless and smoke-free fuel for lighting,
and was also used as a lubricant. The skins of these animals were sometimes
used for making leather, but those of the fur seals were most highly prized
(Fig. 2). The fur could be removed from the skin and used in making felt, but the
pelts could also be used for clothing as long as the coarse outer guard hairs were
separated from the soft under-fur. An economical method for doing this was
first developed in China about the middle of the 18 th century (Busch 1985: 8),
making this country the earliest major market for seal skins. Development of the
American and European fur trade with China was stimulated largely by
publication in 1783 and 1785 of accounts of James Cook’s last Pacific voyage
which described the enormous demand and high prices for furs in North China.
By 1786 American traders were selling dried fur seal skins in Canton, as were
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