Without markets for whale products, there would have been no incentive to hunt them, but demand was persistently high.

hale oil was used for centuries as fuel for lamps and to make high-quality candles. It was also an excellent machine oil and an ingredient in soap.

When kerosene and petroleum reduced the demand for marine animal oil, the whaling industry was kept alive by changes in fashion. Baleen (whalebone) shaped clothing, and was used in products such as umbrellas and whips.

A whale's lean meat and bone eventually found uses as well. The flesh was marketed as animal food, and the offal and bones were dried and ground up for fertilizer. In the twentieth century, quick processing and refrigeration brought large amounts of whale meat to dining tables in countries where it was considered a delicacy.