Long Island Coast

The Long Island coast sustained Algonquian communities through shellfish gathering, fishing and the hunting of waterfowl and sea mammals. In the seventeenth century, English whaling companies relied heavily on Shinnecock and other Native boatmen who knew the coastal waters and could hunt in small open boats during winter. Oil and baleen connected the shore to markets in New York and Boston.

Contracts changed the balance between these skilled workers and company owners. From the 1670s, catches were commonly divided into shares, but advances of goods and charges against earnings could leave whalers in debt. Some sought better terms by changing employers or negotiating agreements without fines. Native labour remained part of shore whaling into the eighteenth century. As the coastal fishery declined, Sag Harbor's departure into deep-sea whaling in 1790 marked another stage. Indigenous whalers continued to participate, carrying maritime skills into an industry increasingly organised around longer voyages and merchant credit.