IN PURSUIT OF A HUMBLE BEAST: A GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS FOR THE WHALING FISHERY ON SHACKLEFORD BANKS

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the spatial relationship between shore whaling activities on Shackleford Banks and the community that undertook them. From the colonial period to the decline of whaling activities at the beginning of the 20th century, North Carolina’s shores were an established hub for the whaling industry of the Atlantic Ocean. Although the Cape Lookout whaling ground did not amass the same offshore productive capacity as New Bedford or Nantucket, Cape Lookout whaling was nonetheless historically pertinent to the establishment of North Carolina’s economy and settlement. To date, relatively little scholarly research has been conducted into the spatial relationship between the shore whaling activities of Shackleford Banks and the communities that undertook it. By interpreting the results of a geospatial analysis and comparing it to historical sources, sites optimal for whaling activities on Shackleford Banks may come to light.