Only the senseless slaughter of the "cows" and their "calves" ruined it.
Carried on at first independently by little bands of adventurers, it in time fell into the hands of Sydney merchants, who found the capital and controlled and organized whaling-stations.

At these they erected boiling-down works, shears for hoisting the huge whales' carcasses out of the water, stores, and jetties.

As late as 1843 men were busy at more than thirty of these stations.

More than five hundred men were employed, and the oil and whalebone they sent away in the year were worth at least L50,000.

Sometimes the profits were considerable.