By Isabella Kwai Nathan Evans had no idea when he uploaded a cover of “The Wellerman,” a whaling song with a shanty beat, that it would help touch off, well, a sea shanty tidal wave.

Though musicologists will tell you it's technically a ballad, "Wellerman" fits our concept of a sea shanty as snugly as a cable-knit sweater. And shanties are perfect music for pandemic times.

On Thursday night, the team was featured on "The Tonight Show" with host Jimmy Fallon singing a parody of the sea shanty "Soon May the Wellerman Come" about their goal of cutting the net down at ...