Some of the earliest settlers on Harkers Island were whalers, and the style in which they hunted was different that other whaling communities. Instead of taking their boats out in search of a whale, Harkers Island whalers would stand atop the hills on Shackelford Banks and survey the horizon. When they spotted a whale, they'd row out, nab it with a harpoon, and tow it to shore.
It was a seasonal industry on Harkers Island. Whaling took place only when right whales migrated, either south for the fall or north for the spring. The industry fell off in the U.S. after it was banned in 1935, largely due to overharvesting and endangering the species.
Pam Morris of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Centers shares the early history of Harkers Island in this History Here episode.