The model suggests that there were three phases to the Greenland fishery. In the 1650s the Dutch whaling was shore-based in Spitzbergen and caused only a small reduction in the stock.

The next phase involved whaling at sea and caused a more marked decline in the stock. However from 1700-1750 or so the stock was decreasing only slowly and with proper management might have become sustainable.

Unfortunately, in the next phase from 1750 onwards the British started whaling on a large scale and thanks to their efficient ships and superior hunting tactics they caused a rapid decline in numbers. The British, particularly the Scots, continued to hunt whales long after it was unprofitable. They were able to do so because they were also taking large numbers of seals, effectively subsidizing the whaling side of the industry. The result was that by 1830 bowheads were all but extinct east of Greenland.