The Truth About Soviet Whaling
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The Truth About Soviet Whaling ALFRED A. BERZIN Translated from Russian by Yulia V. Ivashchenko Preface a war. But whose fault was it? I have Introduction tried to explain all these things in this I have always condemned (and to memoir. “Is there not a real greatness in whal- do anything more was not within our We can now hope that these older ers? Heaven itself testifies to the great- power or abilities) the illegal and some- unhappy times have been consigned to ness of our profession.” Thus wrote the times destructive whaling by the Soviet the past. The new administration has seaman, whaler, and greatest writer of Union. This opinion was expressed allowed people to reveal the real history America, Herman Melville, in the most in numerous documents, including of the country, including even the most prominent novel of the 19th century, reports and records of presentations brutal parts. Moby Dick (1851). at scientific and other meetings; these A more realistic and accurate inter- Without doubt, in the 19th century it documents are the witnesses to this pretation has now been made of many was like this. In those times the whaling condemnation. However, none of these events which occurred during various business was one of the most danger- documents ever saw the light of day: all periods of the development of different ous professions; whalers entered into of them were marked with the sinister types of socialism and communism in single combat with a whale and were stamp “secret.” When necessary in this our country. The government declassi- not always the winners. Lengthy and memoir, my opinion of the whaling will fied everything that was possible, in- arduous whaling expeditions on sailing be supported by data drawn from these cluding most of the documents related ships in unknown waters, knowledge documents. to whaling. of the sea and a love of it, all allowed I was not and did not want to be a However, to date none of these Melville to speak with enthusiasm of member of the Communist Party; but I whaling documents (except for some this profession. always acted lawfully, and I never had numbers found in highly specialized The last few decades of Soviet large- thoughts of publishing the things that papers) have actually been made scale whaling had nothing in common I promised to keep secret. Moreover, public. There have been no published with greatness or heroism. The power- as it was in the interests of our State at analyses or interpretations regarding ful catchers with artillery-like harpoon the time, I did my best to ensure that no what happened.2 guns, harpoons that pierced a whale, and confidential information was leaked (I This is not justifiable, and from the sonar to follow the whale underwater, was working as the expert on whaling perspective of both citizens and scien- all left the whale with no chance. And in the “Primorskiy Kraylit”1). tists it makes no sense to continue to play there was nothing resembling single I do not know how clearly I have hide and seek (as some people are still combat. managed to express my position re- doing), and to not reveal the formerly Whalers acquired the ability to kill garding the whalers themselves, but hidden truth about Soviet whaling. all the whales that they found, and they even during the whaling period and A.A. Berzin did not miss this chance, often leaving now in this memoir I do not indict Vladivostok a desert in their wake. the whalers for what was happening June 1994 The whalers themselves moved from in this business, especially during the stinky holds to luxurious cabins; thus, last few years before whaling was the officers lived in two-room cabins 2Editors’ note: In the international realm, this is stopped. It would be the same as ac- no longer the case; Soviet illegal whaling has decorated with wood, with baths and cusing soldiers for their actions during been the topic of considerable discussion at the toilets, telephones and refrigerators. International Whaling Commission and else- where. However, official discussion of this topic For many whalers these conditions 1Translator’s note: Primorskiy Kraylit was the by officials of the Russian government remains were much better than they were back regional administration body. The staff controlled extremely limited, and the government continues home. all materials for publication, including data on to maintain that all interpretations of “alterna- whales, with the goal of ensuring that none of tive catch data” should be submitted to them for I do not want to say that the work this information was made public. review. on the whaling fleets was, as we say, 4 Marine Fisheries Review “a gift,” but it hardly was any more arduous than on Soviet fishing vessels, which were fishing almost year-round in Arctic waters. Gone were the noble traditions of professional whalers of the past, when the whalers themselves managed the industry; they were replaced with other “managers,” namely the plan and gross output3. These represented a frighten- ing concept of what natural resource management should be, but they were connected to each other like Siamese twins, and they drove everything. The plan: the foundation for building a new type of State. What State? It is hard to find anyone who knows. And maybe even a new civilization? Yes, yes! The official sources were saying that Soviet people were representatives of a new civilization (imagine that!) The Plate 1.— Fin whale on the deck of the factory ship Sovetskaya Rossia, prior to plan: a concept formulated in Soviet flensing. Photo: A. Berzin. economic science as “a most important weapon (emphasis mine) in the con- struction of Socialism.” In principle, product into scrap-metal to meet a target gets, and the more the better. And if the this is a normal concept (but for some for scrap metal. The plan: it is falsifying State plan was met and even exceeded, reason with military overtones), but it production numbers, resulting in “Hero then from the “center”7 came new re- took on a completely perverted form and of Socialist Work” awards6, later leading quirements to meet a regional or an area misshapen content during the process of to suicides of middle-level leaders (who plan, and after that a city plan, and so socialist development under the leader- were, relatively speaking, more honest). on. Then there were, in addition to the ship of the Communist Party. Plans Yes, this was happening. plans themselves, their “blood broth- were very different in nature: one for the The people’s view of this situation is ers”: so-called socialistic obligations, state (the most important one), for each captured in a joke about one of the plan additional production achievements region, city, and area; current, contrary4, types, the contrary plan: Before going that were specifically dedicated to the daily, monthly, quarterly, annual, and to sleep a wife says to her husband, next conference of our beloved party, many others. But the problem lies not “Honey, let’s do it twice tonight!” and or to some other significant event in the in the names but in the essence. And the husband replies with delight, “Let’s life of the country, region, city, area, the essence represented an increasing do it three times!”—knowing in advance or village.8 It was a bewitched circle: race for output, set by deadlines at the that he can do it only once. nobody would dare to not meet the plan, expense of product quality. The plan: it Another example comes from Rus- and when you met it, you would receive is a worker in a plant specifically making sian reaction to a certain phrase in a the gratitude of the chiefs, and an even metal shavings, solely to meet the cal- dictionary of foreign terms, where we higher plan for the following year. culated byproduct of metal shavings set find the concept that management plan- It seems to me that, where natural by a plan.5 The plan: it is turning a new ning is impossible when the means of resources were concerned, the “un- production is privately owned. To this planned” capitalistic system was more 3Translator’s note Gross output ( in Rus- statement, a Russian reacted humor- reasonable and more economic than the sian)—the total amount of received products (in ously as follows. Question: Is planning planned socialist approach. In the latter this case whales killed), by weight. of the birth rate possible in a socialistic case, plans were calculated from a com- 4Translator’s note: Contrary plan ( in Russian)—a competing plan put forward state? Answer: No, because the working pletely erroneous principle that is pos- by one organization in response to the plan of tools are in private hands. sible only in a developing socialist state: another. Meeting the plan for raw products targets based upon the amount of the 5Translator’s note: The point here is that plans for particular metal products calculated that the almost always involved exceeding tar- production of these products should generate a 7Translator’s note: i.e. Moscow. residue (byproduct) of X quantity of metal shav- 8Translator’s note: In other words, specific quan- ings, so in some cases factories directly produced 6Translator’s note: This, one of the highest tities of products, made in excess of plan targets, these metal shavings solely to meet this “target” awards, was given to people whose output greatly were sometimes “dedicated” to the party or the byproduct in the plan. Stupid but true. exceeded plan targets. state. 70(2) 5 previous year’s production, plus some increase.