The Cetacean fishing, mainly of whales, was an important activity in several maritime villages during the Ancien Regime, because this mammal produced supplies for the people. The most important whale product was its «sain» a kind of oil, together with the meat whale and its whiskers and its bones. In the Canary Islands there was interest in developing this activity in the second half of the 18th Century. This was more important after the Treaty of Utrecht, when the Spanish lost the fishing bank of Terra Nova. These enterprises were supported by the Enlightened who tried to find new sources of development for the people. However, like other initiatives at this time, it never became a reality. The result was several injured whales and a few young cetaceans but the profitability was always low.