 Like the "Aleut" fleet, the catchers out of the Kuril stations were relatively modest in comparison with whaling that would take place later on; however, the catcher boats were extremely effective at catching whales, so much so that the whale stocks were quickly depleted.Soviet scientist B. Zenkovitch commented as early as 1951 on the decline of whale stocks around the Kurils.In 1955, prominent Soviet whale biologist S.K.