History of whaling along the south western coast of Western Australia.

Every winter between 1836 to 1879 small wooden boats left the bays of southwest Western Australia to hunt for migrating Humpback and Right whales. In the early years of European settlement these small shore whaling parties and the whale oil they produced were an important part of the colonial economy, yet over time their significance diminished until they virtually vanished from the documentary record. Using archival research and archaeological evidence, The Shore Whalers of Western Australia examines the history and operation of this almost forgotten industry on the remote maritime frontier of the British Empire and the role of the whalers in the history of early contact between Europeans and Aboriginal people. Dr Martin Gibbs is a senior lecturer in the Department of Archaeology of the University of Sydney and the President of the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology.

At the end of the 1970s, one young reporter bears witness to the final days of Australia’s whaling industry. Thirty years after the last whale was captured and slaughtered in Australia, this incisive account tells the very human story of the characters and events that brought whaling to an end. This fair and balanced account portrays the raw adventure of going to sea, the perils of being a whaler, and the commitment that leads activists to throw themselves into the path of an explosive harpoon. Accompanied by a wonderful photographic record of the time, this is the action-packed history of a town reliant on whaling dollars pitted against a determined band of protesters.

Seven Great Whales are found in the coastal waters surrounding Australia. There are six of the largest baleen whalesblue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, sei whale, Brydes whale and southern right whale. Also found is the largest toothed whalethe sperm whale.

A passionate advocate for the protection and rights of whales and dolphins, author Len Varley continues the story of the captive dolphins of Taiji, Japan, and the worlds marine parks in his sequel to Salt Water Tears. Weaving recollections, observations, and eyewitness accounts together into a richly compelling tapestry, he offers up a deeper understanding of the intimate, profound, and often dangerously complicated relationship shared between cetaceans and humans. Varley tells us that the dolphins gift to us is reconnectionboth with ourselves and our environment. He challenges us to step up to the mark as planetary guardians and to recognize that we do not possess a right of ownership over the creatures of our planet. Saying their goodbyes on leaving Taiji, Varley and his colleagues are presented with the gift of a hand-drawn Japanese kanji character by a member of the Japanese Police Special Task Force. It is the symbol for Life, Soul and Spirit It is a simple yet powerful acknowledgement honouring the passion and commitment of those who stand in defence of the dolphins, and it perfectly summarises the core sentiment of Deeper Water.

From one-hundred-fifty-ton barnacled Blues to the sleek, embattled Minke, whales have been hunted worldwide to near extinction. Despite efforts to halt the killing, the future of these majestic mammals-known as “mind in the water”-is again in jeopardy. With passion and engaging detail, Andrew Darby profiles each species of whale and its place in this great drama. From the wooden harpoons of aboriginals in “cockleshell” vessels, to the high-tech killing machines of today's lawless Russian whalers and smooth-talking Japanese “scientific” crews, Darby chronicles the evolving pursuit of whales and its significance to our humanity. Fans of well-written history, as well as those fascinated by whales and the fierce international conflict surrounding them, will be swept into the very heart of whaling.

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