Hunting Antarctica

[FIELD ETHOS]

Hunting Antarctica | Field Ethos

By Gayne C. Young Antarctica is the fifth largest continent on the planet, encompasses more than 5.5 million…

fieldethos.com

By Gayne C. Young

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent on the planet, encompasses more than 5.5 million square miles, and is one of the most inhospitable and dangerous places on Earth. It is truly the last frontier, a land eerily void of human encroachment and seemingly untamable.

And I want to hunt it.

Yeah, yeah, my disdain for cold weather and cold places is well known and often written about (mainly by me), but I would think that if I had the money to hunt the Great White South, I could afford to outfit myself correctly so not to freeze to death.

Maybe.

Despite being one of the largest deserts on the planet, Antarctica is home to a wealth of unique wildlife. Seven species of pinniped (seals and sea lions) inhabit the waters and coastal lands of the continent. The most dangerous of these is the leopard seal. This apex predator can reach lengths of just over 10.5 feet and weigh upwards of 1,320 pounds. If there’s a lion on the continent, the leopard seal is it. The largest pinniped to call The Ice home is the southern elephant seal, which can reach lengths of 19 feet and have historically weighed as much as 11,000 pounds (to put this into perspective, my 2024 Toyota Tundra is 19.4 feet in length and weighs just over 6,000 pounds). Other species of seals and sea lions include Weddell seals, crabeater seals, Antarctic fur seal, Ross seals, and the New Zealand sea lion.

That’s a lot of potential taxidermy!

Hunting For An Antarctica Safari​

Antarctica is also home to a wealth of birds. There are albatrosses, petrels, skuas, gulls and terns. As for ducks, there are South Georgia pintails and Eaton’s pintails. And there are, of course, 18 penguin species, including the gigantic Emperor penguins, which stands over 4-feet tall and of can reach weights of over 50 pounds.

In short, the southernmost continent has abundant prey for hunters. So why doesn’t anyone hunt the continent? The short answer is because no one truly owns or governs Antarctica and the question of whether or not anyone can actually hunt there is murky at best. As I would seriously hunt the continent if I could find a way to do such, I reached out the world’s foremost expert on Antarctica for some help. Dr. Adrian J. Howkins is a Reader in Environmental History at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. His research focuses on the environmental history of the polar regions, especially Antarctica. Howkins is considered to be the leading expert on Antarctica, which I find slightly odd as he earned his Master of Arts (History) and Doctor of Philosophy (History) at the University of Texas at Austin.

Studying in Austin to be an expert on Antarctica?

None of that makes sense to me. I mean, it freezes in Austin maybe once or twice a year at best.

I asked the good doctor via email and during a follow up on the phone if it’s actually legal for me to go on safari down south. “You raise an interesting question. Unfortunately, as a historian I’m not particularly well placed to answer from a legal perspective. I think the most important legal documents are the Acts that align U.S. law with the Antarctic Treaty and Madrid Protocol. From a historical perspective, there is plenty to discuss in terms of hunting in the history of Antarctica. In the early C.19 Seal hunters played an important role in Antarctic exploration and were among the first people to sight the Antarctic continent. Later expeditions hunted penguins and dogs [seals] largely to feed the sled dogs, but occasionally to feed themselves as well. There is an interesting re-print of a cookbook produced by the British in the 1940s and 1950s called ‘Fit for a FID’ that might be worth looking at if you’re interested in recipes for cooking seal, penguin, etc., and for descriptions of the tastes.”

A Couple of Notes​

1. The “Madrid Protocol” is the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which was signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991. Over 50 nations adhere to the policy of protection, which basically keeps mining off the continent. It also prohibits the “taking” or “harmful interference” of flora and fauna without a permit, except in the event of an emergency. I think we all agree that my safari is an emergency.
2. A “FID” is a nickname for a person who works or has worked for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), which is now known as the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
3. I found a copy of “Fit for a FID” and found most of the recipes dealing with the cooking of seals to be pretty nasty, although “Casserole of Seal” actually doesn’t sound that bad (see below.)

In short, it looks like a person can hunt Antarctica depending on how bad they want to do such. At least from a legal standpoint. Unfortunately, going through legal channels costs a great deal of time and money—none of which I really have. Maybe I should start a Go Fund Me. The title could be, “Texas Writer Seeks Seal Hunt in Antarctica.”

Somehow, I don’t see that raising a lot of money. I’ll keep trying though.

Now, here’s that promised recipe.

Casserole of Seal​

Cut the meat into steaks as required and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the steaks in flour, shake off the surplus and part fry in the fat with a little of the onion. When brown on each side, remove and place in casserole dish and lay the vegetables on top. Cook the flour for a few minutes until brown in the remaining fat. Add water slowly, stirring all the time, until the gravy is of the desired thickness.

Add Bovril and a little salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and pour over the meat and vegetables and cook in a moderate oven for one to two hours, or until the meat is tender and cooked, keeping the meat, etc., covered with the lid.

Seal meat can be made quite wholesome and very tasty if cooked with a little care and attention. At first the characteristic strong smell tends to put people off. This can be, and must be, destroyed if it is to become palatable.

On second thought, that doesn’t sound that great at all. Perhaps I’ll hire a Texas BBQ Pitmaster to accompany on my safari down south.

If it ever happens.

 

[wesheltonj]

Nice fantasy. But not happening.

 

[DieJager]

Count me in, maybe we'll have to pool together to go through the legal loopholes. Love to hunt an elephant seal and some penguins!

 

[grand veneur]

A few decades ago, hunting was still possible on the Kergelen Islands, a French territory off the coast of Antarctica. Mouflon and Reindeer were released there some time ago. This was an unsuccessful action, as the mortality rate of the game in winter was around 50% of the population. The hunting at the last times was more about eradicating all these animals, which has since happened.

The main problem with this hunting trip was reaching the area. Without an airfield, the islands can only be reached by ship from the Réunion island, a trip that only takes place about four times a year and takes approximately ten days to 2 weeks. Considering the weather conditions down there, this hunt should have taken several months rather than just a few weeks. It was never what for everyone.

 

[Sarg]

I think I read somewhere, that all the Marine mammals & Antarctic Birds were protected under an international agreement or treaty ?

Otherwise China or some other nation would have over harvested the place by now !

 

[grand veneur]

Antarctica is a scientific continent, and everything is regulated accordingly. Hunting there, aside from the problem of how to reach the hunting grounds, is currently unthinkable. Furthermore, there is not much to hunt, and what there is, is limited to coastal areas. Anyone who is very interested in seal hunting should perhaps try it before in the Arctic, in both summer and wintertime, to see if it is something they really enjoy it.