The World Wildlife Fund ranks Cape Cod as one of the top 10 whale watching spots in the world. Whales feed off the coasts of Boston, the North Shore area and Cape Cod and the Islands during certain times of the year. Whale watch charters throughout coastal Cape Cod give people the opportunity to see whales breaching and spouting. With such a large whale population in Cape Cod waters, chances are high that visitors will spot many different whale species during popular whaling times. The best time for whale watching in Cape Cod is from April to October, although whales have been spotted in Bay State waters as early as mid-March and as late as early November. Whales migrate to Cape Cod to feed on mackerel, herring, krill and other schooling fish that breed in these nutrient-rich waters. As soon as the cold weather settles in, however, whales travel to warmer waters to mate and give birth. The best time of day to view whales varies from day to day and year to year, which is why whale watching tours plan trips that last between three to four hours long. Several types of whales migrate to Cape Cod during feeding season. The most common sightings are humpback whales, which range in length from 35 feet to 55 feet and weigh nearly 37 tons. Also common are finback whales, ranging from 45 feet to 70 feet and weighing 40 tons. Minke, right and pilot whales are also spotted in Cape Cod waters. On rare occasions, smaller species, including sperm, beluga, sei and blue whales, have been spotted.

With the advent of the systematic hunting of sperm whales that began from Nantucket after 1712, American commercial whaling grew dramatically in its economic importance. Sperm whales differ from other types of whales in several ways, but they were hunted for two main reasons. The first is that sperm whale oil burned cleanly and brightly and was a superior lubricant. Secondly, the spermaceti found in the head of the sperm whale was used to manufacture the finest grade of candles. Colonial exports of candles to England became a profitable business. Occasionally ambergris was found in the bowels of the whales. This material was extremely valuable as a perfume fixative; it was literally worth its weight in gold. Two-masted schooners and small square-rigged brigs gradually replaced the single-masted sloops. With the larger vessels whalemen pursued sperm whales throughout the North and South Atlantic as far as the coast of Guinea in Africa and the coast of Brazil in South America. In 1774, two years before the start of American Revolution, the colonial fleet numbered 360 vessels hailing from 15 New England and New York ports. It was around this time that the port of Dartmouth, later to be called New Bedford, was beginning its rise to greatness as a whaling port.
The Impact of War

American whaling came to a disastrous halt during the American Revolution as British naval vessels blockaded American ports and harassed American shipping on the high seas, capturing or destroying many vessels and impressing many American sailors into His Majesty’s Naval service. American whaling ports suffered, but Nantucket in particular was strangled during the war, as whaling was the primary industry there. After the Treaty of Ghent in 1814 ended the War of 1812, American shipping was free to carry on and the whaling ports began to grow. New Bedford, in particular, built its whaling fleet from 10 vessels in 1815 to 36 vessels five years later. Like Nantucket ships, the bulk of these were employed in sperm whaling voyages and New Bedford vessels were hunting throughout the oceans of the world. At this time the classic American whaleship came into general use. These sturdy vessels were generally square-rigged ships of about 300 tons with the brick tryworks built onboard. They had wooden planks suspended from the starboard side where the officers could stand to cut into the whales tied up alongside. There were usually 30 to 35 men onboard and the ships carried three to five whaleboats. The ships were outfitted with whaling gear and enough provisions to last for a cruise of up to four years. Many ships were built specifically for whaling, but many others were converted merchant ships. The New Bedford fleet reached its peak in 1857, when 329 vessels valued at more than $12 million employed more than 10,000 men. The need for sperm whale oil for lighting was superceded by the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859 and the market for sperm whale products slackened. This marked the end for ports like Nantucket.

Interestingly enough, Provincetown, Massachusetts, a port that specialized in short voyages and small vessels, continued successful whaling for many more years, but the peak of Yankee whaling had been passed.

Whales