Sperm Whale analogs hunting, a fire in the harvested oil, read < 1970? "Spinners"

[LpmH54]

I have a few bit and peaces of this book,

On an “Earth like” planet, A whale like creature is hunted for its oil (think Sperm whales), but the wildlife includes a lot of aggressive carnivores and the workman at "whale" kills need to be defended with a lot of heavy machine guns.
One of the sea animals, the carnivore eat, may have be called "Spinners".

In another bit the stored harvested oil is on fire but cannot be extinguished. Only unburying "sausages?" can be pulled away.

The protagonist is a young adult male born on planet.
If I remember the main character uses a 45 automatic, that he like everyone carried for self defense against a land carnivore that is described as "to dumb to know the if it eat me I would poison it, the same as if I were to eat it".

I believe that I read this around 1970.

The “oil” is in great off planet demand, perhaps an irreplaceable component in some technology.

I think that the colony was dug into the rock of the coast.

As I remember no outstanding plot, premise or writing.
I have no real recall of the plot arc.

Any thoughts or suggestions, even if a bit off the wall, will be appreciated.

[Highroller]

This is H. Beam Pipers Four-Day Planet. Last saw it published with Lone Star Planet by Ace.

[JunkMonkey]

I don't know if Highroller is right but Four Day Planet is available for free here as part of Project Guttenberg.

[Highroller]

I don't know if Highroller is right but Four Day Planet is available for free here as part of Project Guttenberg.

Piper is one of my favorite authors. Trust me on this one. Others I may be unsure about but this one they said enough specifics I am positive.

[JunkMonkey]

Sorry Highroller, I wasn't doubting you, I've only read a couple of his novels (the Fuzzy books).

A lot of (all) Pipers stuff seems to be out of copyright and loads of it is available on:

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p#a8301

[Highroller]

Sorry Highroller, I wasn't doubting you, I've only read a couple of his novels (the Fuzzy books).

A lot of (all) Pipers stuff seems to be out of copyright and loads of it is available on:

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p#a8301

No harm, no foul.

A lot of his stuff being available IS excellent news. If only his agent had been a little more supportive, think how much more he could have written if he had continued to live another decade or two.

[JunkMonkey]

No harm, no foul.

A lot of his stuff being available IS excellent news. If only his agent had been a little more supportive, think how much more he could have written if he had continued to live another decade or two.

Wasn't his agent Fred Pohl?

[Highroller]

Wasn't his agent Fred Pohl?

Wikipedia says his agent died before him, failing to notify him of several sales. So I doubt it was Pohl. Ah well Piper and Robert E. Howard, who also took his own life, are the 2 best known sci-fi/fantasy authors I can think of that killed themselves. Both a loss to their fields of writing.

[chaunur]

That reminded me of another book or maybe short story where the 'whales' were milked for some kind of medicine. I seem to remember that the hero was a kind of Park Ranger or something and his job was to stop the unauthorized milking of the whales. This ring a bell?