Indeed. Prior to steam powered ships and harpoon guns, only the so called 'right whale' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_whale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

Indeed. Prior to steam powered ships and harpoon guns, only the so called 'right whale' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_whale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_whale) was hunted by Western nations (by rowing out to them in small boats, sometimes from shore). The right whale is slow, and most importantly, most of them float after being killed.