Deadliest Catches: Home

In this brief article, the National Park Service presents the history of Black Americans in the whaling industry. They assert that when the industry center moved to San Francisco, whaling was "no doubt the largest employer of African American seamen on the West Coast," leading up to World War I.  

You can find out more about San Francisco's only Black whaling captain, William T. Shorey (pictured with his family in the article above), in the podcast above, as well as this East Bay Express article. His house still stands in West Oakland! 

Citation:

Liam O'Donoghue. (2019 Jan 07). California's only Black whaling captain: William Shorey's journey from sailor to celebrity. East Bay Yesterday. https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/californias-only-black-whaling-captain/

Liam O'Donoghue. (2017 Fab 21). California's only Black whaling captain, William Shorey, lived in Oakland. East Bay Express. https://eastbayexpress.com/californias-only-black-whaling-captain-william-shorey-lived-in-oakland-2-1/ 

National Park Service. (2015 Feb 28). Whaling: Opportunities for African Americans in a Hard Business. National Park Service: San Francisco Maritime. https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/africanamericanhistory.htm

In this video, marine biologist, Bill Kenner, presents findings from the latest study conducted by The Marine Mammal Center. 

Brought to you by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the above video sheds some light on storytelling related to the ocean.