A family company
The Cheynes Beach Whaling Company was formed by a syndicate of fishermen and began work at Frenchman Bay in 1952, with a first-year quota of 50 humpback whales. Its whale chasers hunted at sea, and the whales were processed for oil at the station on the shore.
Sperm whales
After the International Whaling Commission ended the hunting of Antarctic humpbacks following the 1962 season, the company turned to sperm whales. Its largest catch came in 1970, with 764 sperm whales.
The end of whaling in Australia
In 1978 the federal government appointed Sir Sydney Frost to inquire into whales and whaling. On 31 July, the first day of the public hearings, the company announced that it would close at the end of the season. The last whale, a sperm whale, was harpooned on 20 November 1978. Frost’s report recommended an end to whaling in Australia, and the Whale Protection Act 1980 banned commercial whaling in Australian waters.



