 This migration continued until restrictive laws were enacted in 1921 that in effect closed the door on non-Europeans.By that time, men of African ancestry were already a majority in New England’s whaling industry, with African Americans working as sailors, blacksmiths, shipbuilders, officers, and owners.The internationalism of whaling crews, including the character Daggoo, an African harpooneer, is recorded in the 1851 novel "Moby-Dick".