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The Bounty of the Sea
New England's Sea Mammals
GRAMPUS (Risso's Dolphin)
Grampus griseus
Size:to 13'
Habitat:Near surface of open seas, mostly out to sea but near shore where continential shelf is near shore. Occurs in large herds
Diet:Fish, squid
Method of Capture:Found stranded on beach
Seasonality:Year round
Uses:Food, tools
Sources:
John Smith 1614
242: Cape Cod, saw whales, grampus, porposes, turbot, sturgeon, cod, hake, haddock, cole, cusk, ling, shark, mackerall, herring, base, pinacks, cunners, pearchs, eels, crabs, lobsters, mussels, wilkes, oysters
Edward Winslow 1621-1625
151: As we drew near to the shore, we espied some 10 or 12 Indians very busy about a black thing- what it was we could not tell.....We then directed our course along the sea sands to the place where we first saw the Indians (towards Wellfleet harbor). When we were there, we saw it was also a grampus which they were cutting up. They cut it in long rands, or pieces, which were about and ell long and two handfuls broad. We found here and there a piece scattered by the way, as it
seemed for haste. This place the most were minded we should call the Grampus
Bay because we found so many of them there (Wellfleet Harbor).
Archaeological Sites
Browne Site, Plymouth, Massachusetts (Plimoth Plantation Archaeological Collections)
PORPOISE/ DOLPHIN
Harbor Porpoise: Phocena phocena
Bottlenosed Dolphin: Turisops truncatus
Size: to 6'; to 12'
Habitat:Near surface most often seaward; inshore in bays, harbors, estuaries and river mouths; in ocean
Diet:Small fish, octopus, squid
Method of Capture:strandings
Seasonality:Yearround
Uses:Food
Sources:
Natick Dictionary
159: tatackommau-og from tattagkom he keeps striking with mau generic for fish the porpoise from togkom he strikes
Roger Williams 1643
Tatackommauog Porpoises
SEAL
Harbor Seal: Phoca vitulina
Grey Seal: Halichoerus grypus
Size:4-5' 7"; 9' 10"
Habitat:waters along rocky coast, mouths of rivers
Diet:Fish, Mollusks
Method of Capture:Clubbed, speared, shot with arrows?
Seasonality: Year round
Uses:Food, clothing
Sources:
Gosnold 1602
48: saw seals
Pring 1603
60: June- August saw seals
Weymouth 1605
149: saw seals
Samual Argall 1610
206: July, Penobscot Bay killed 3 seals
William Wood 1634
54: Seals: skin good for diverse uses, body tastes somewhere between fish and flesh, very delectable to palate, Oil good to burn
108: they often go to the rocks on which the sun beats to look for seals, whose oil they much esteem.
Archaeological Sites
WHALES
Right Whale: Eubalaena glacialis
Killer Whale: Orcinus orca
Pilot Whale: Globicephala melaena
Humpback Whale: Megaptera novaeangliae
Sperm Whale: Physeter catodon
Size:to 53'; to 31'; to 20'; to 53'
Habitat:often near shore in shallow water; uppers layers of cooler waters; inshore waters and bays in summer; along coast
Diet:Fish and squid
Method of Capture:Found on beach
Seasonality:
Uses:Food, tools, oil used
Sources:
Gosnold 1602
48: saw whales, tortoises, seals, cods, mackerall, breames, thornbacks, hakes, rockfish, dogfish, lobsters, crabs
Weymouth 1605
149: saw whales, seals, cod, haddock, herring, palise, thornback, rockfish, lobster, crabs, mussels, cockles, winkles, cunner fish, lumps, whiting, soales, tortoises, oysters.
John Smith 1614
242: Cape Cod, saw whales, grampus, porposes, turbot, sturgeon, cod, hake, haddock, cole, cusk, ling, shark, mackerall, herring, base, pinacks, cunners, pearchs, eels, crabs, lobsters, mussels, wilkes, oysters
Josselyn 1672
35: The sperm Ceti Whale differeth from the whale that yieldeth us Whale-bones, for the first hath great and long teeth, the other is nothing but bones with tassels hanging from their jaws, with which they suck in their prey.
What Sperm Ceti is: it is not long since a Sperm Ceti whale or two were cast upon the shore, not far from Boston in the Massachusetts bay, which being cut into small pieces and boiled in cauldrons, yieldeth plenty of oyl; the oyl put up into hogsheads, and stowed into Cellars for some time candies at the bottom, it may be one quarter; then the oyl is drawn off, and the candied stuff put up into convenient
vessels is sold for spermaceti, and is right Sperma Ceti.
For bruises and aches: The oyl that was drawn off candies again and again, it well
ordered; and is admirable for bruises and aches.
What ambergeece is: Now you must understand this whale feeds upon ambergeece, as is apparent, finding it in the Whales Maw in great quantity, but altered and excrementitious; I conceive that Ambergeece is a kind of mushroom growing at
the bottom of some seas; I was once showed (by a mariner) a piece of
Ambergeece having a root to it like that of a land mushroom, which the whale
breaking up, some scrape his devouring Paunch, and is afterwards cast upon
shore.
Roger Williams 1643
183: Potop/ Potopauog Whales
Which in some places cast up; I have seen some but not above 60 feet long. The natives cut them out in severalll parcels and give and send farr and neere for an acceptable present or dish
Waskeke The whalebone