The earliest documentary evidence of organised whaling dates back to the 11th century in the Basque Country. From there, the activity spread rapidly across the ports of the Bay of Biscay, from Galicia to Labourd in France, and then across the Atlantic to countries such as Brazil and Iceland.
It became an extremely profitable business, but the sheer volume of catches and poor management eventually led to a ban to protect whale populations. Today, the practice has all but died out.
