Fri, Mar 2, 2007 -- 6:33 AM

America's Last Whalers
The Bay Area was home to the last commercial whaling fleet in the United States. The Richmond Whaling Station operated from 1958 to 1972. Boats armed with harpoon cannons would hunt whales out past Point Reyes and bring the dead animals back to the station, where the meat was turned into pet food. As the world's whale population fell and environmental protests grew, whaling ended in other parts of the U.S., but the Richmond Whaling Station held out until 1972, when President Nixon signed the Marine Mammal Protection Act, banning commercial whaling in the United States.

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Host: Kathryn Baron

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