Joseph Hatch
Encyclopedia
Joseph Hatch was a New Zealand politician, but is now remembered for harvesting penguins and elephant seals for their oil on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island
from 1890 to 1919. About two million penguins were killed over nearly three decades. His company J. Hatch & Co was based in Invercargill
, New Zealand and then Hobart
, Tasmania where he is buried.
where he opened a pharmacy.
in 1877–78. He was the Member of Parliament for Invercargill
from 1884 to 1887, when he was defeated. His oil factor trade was controversial even then, although he was an entertaining speaker and debater.
which could extract oil from meat and bone as well as blubber and from smaller animals like penguins, Hatch realised the potential of the penguins on the island. Of the four species on the island (Rockhopper, King, Royal and Gentoo) they mainly utilised rock penguins. Eventually oiling plants were established at Lusitania Bay, South East Bay, The Nuggets, Hasselborough Bay and Bauer Bay.
Hatch had a legal dispute with his captain, Jacob Eckhoff over his ship, and there were three shipwrecks around the island (Gratitude, 1898; Clyde & Jessie Niccol 1910) with 20 deaths. The New Zealand Government was restricting the seal killing season from 1875, although Macquarie Island was unclaimed. By 1919 objections culminated in perhaps the first-ever international campaign to preserve wildlife, with Antarctic explorers like Douglas Mawson
, Frank Hurley
and Apsley Cherry-Garrard
, supported by H G Wells in his story The Undying Fire and Baron Walter Rothschild
.
Hatch had supporters in New Zealand as well, including his fellow Southland politician Sir Joseph Ward
and the Tasmanian state government in Australia. He got a 7-year oiling lease from the Tasmanian state government in 1905, and in 1912 the headquarters was moved to Hobart, Tasmania. In 1915, a new company, Southern Isles Exploitation Co., was established. But by 1919 the Tasmanian government would only extend the lease for a year. By 1926, the company had collapsed, and Hatch lost his properties in Invercargill and Hobart.
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
from 1890 to 1919. About two million penguins were killed over nearly three decades. His company J. Hatch & Co was based in Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, New Zealand and then Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania where he is buried.
Early life
Hatch was born in London, England in 1837 or 1838, and was a qualified chemist (pharmacist). In 1862 en route from Melbourne to Invercargill he saw the island with multitudes of penguins and sea elephants. He settled in InvercargillInvercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
where he opened a pharmacy.
Political career
In Invercargill, he became a Councillor in 1876. He was Mayor of InvercargillMayor of Invercargill
The Mayor of Invercargill is the head of the municipal government of Invercargill, New Zealand, and presides over the Invercargill City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor is Tim Shadbolt, who is also the longest serving mayor for...
in 1877–78. He was the Member of Parliament for Invercargill
Invercargill (New Zealand electorate)
Invercargill is an electorate of the Parliament of New Zealand that has existed since 1866. The current representative is Eric Roy.-Population centres:The electorate covers Invercargill city and the surrounding rural area, including Stewart Island / Rakiura...
from 1884 to 1887, when he was defeated. His oil factor trade was controversial even then, although he was an entertaining speaker and debater.
Oil trade
The Dunedin firm of Elder and Co had pioneered the sea elephant oiling industry on Macquarie Island from 1878 to 1884. Hatch’s gang started with sea elephant bulls in 1887, but in 1889 with fewer bulls and the Norwegian development of a steam-pressure digestorSteam digester
The steam digester is a high-pressure cooker invented by French physicist Denis Papin in 1679. It is a device for extracting fats from bones in a high-pressure steam environment, which also renders them brittle enough to be easily ground into bone meal...
which could extract oil from meat and bone as well as blubber and from smaller animals like penguins, Hatch realised the potential of the penguins on the island. Of the four species on the island (Rockhopper, King, Royal and Gentoo) they mainly utilised rock penguins. Eventually oiling plants were established at Lusitania Bay, South East Bay, The Nuggets, Hasselborough Bay and Bauer Bay.
Hatch had a legal dispute with his captain, Jacob Eckhoff over his ship, and there were three shipwrecks around the island (Gratitude, 1898; Clyde & Jessie Niccol 1910) with 20 deaths. The New Zealand Government was restricting the seal killing season from 1875, although Macquarie Island was unclaimed. By 1919 objections culminated in perhaps the first-ever international campaign to preserve wildlife, with Antarctic explorers like Douglas Mawson
Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson, OBE, FRS, FAA was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and Academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.-Early work:He was appointed geologist to an...
, Frank Hurley
Frank Hurley
James Francis "Frank" Hurley, OBE was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica and served as an official photographer with Australian forces during both world wars.His artistic style produced many memorable images but he also used staged...
and Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard was an English explorer of Antarctica. He was a survivor of the Terra Nova Expedition and is acclaimed for his historical account of this expedition, The Worst Journey in the World....
, supported by H G Wells in his story The Undying Fire and Baron Walter Rothschild
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
.
Hatch had supporters in New Zealand as well, including his fellow Southland politician Sir Joseph Ward
Joseph Ward
Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
and the Tasmanian state government in Australia. He got a 7-year oiling lease from the Tasmanian state government in 1905, and in 1912 the headquarters was moved to Hobart, Tasmania. In 1915, a new company, Southern Isles Exploitation Co., was established. But by 1919 the Tasmanian government would only extend the lease for a year. By 1926, the company had collapsed, and Hatch lost his properties in Invercargill and Hobart.