In 1818 the Chief Manager of the Russian-American Company, Hagemeister, wrote to his subordinate manager Potorochin:
When sperm whales are cast up try to collect the teeth. Send the brains here in barrels, marked with a special inscription. Near the kidneys, in the intestines of these whales, ambergris may be found; order it collected wherever possible....
The teeth were decorative trade items and the ambergris was used in perfuming. Potorochin's station also supplied whale oil for lighting. What was the use of the barrels of brains?