whaling: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com

whaling: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com: "Hunting of whales for food, oil, or both. Whaling dates to prehistoric times, when Arctic peoples used stone tools to hunt whales. They used the entire animal, a feat not accomplished by Western commercial whalers until the advent of floating factories in the 20th century. The Basque were the first Europeans to hunt whales commercially; when seaworthy oceangoing vessels began to be made, they took to the open seas (14th – 16th century). They were followed by the Dutch and the Germans in the 17th century and the British and their colonists in the 18th century."