Fin whales summer from below the latitude of Cape Cod, 

 Mass., north to the Arctic Circle. (They are frequently seen 

 between New York and Bermuda this time of year.) Within 

 this zone they may sometimes be seen very close to shore and 

 appear to be concentrated between shore and the 

 1,000-fathom curve from at least lat. 41°20' to 57°00'N. In 

 recent years they have been reported in relatively large 

 numbers in the Gulf of Maine from March through June, off 

 Newfoundland as early as June but increasing to August, and 

 entering Davis Straits and beyond in substantial numbers in 

 midsummer to late summer. There is some evidence that the 

 animals venturing farthest north are the largest individuals 

 of the species. Movements of the population(s) southward 

 have usually begun by October, though some fin whales 

 sometimes remain in the northern seas sufficiently long to 

 become trapped in the ice and killed. 



During winter the range of fin whales spreads out from 

 the advancing ice southward, reaching at least to the coast of 

 Florida, into the Gulf of Mexico, and to the Greater Antilles, 

 though fin whales are not at all common in tropical waters. 

 During the winter many fin whales move into offshore 



waters. Northward migrations probably begin in midspring. 



Fin whales may be found in Cape Cod waters all year 

 long. 



There may be two or possibly three separate stocks of fin 

 whales in the western North Atlantic, one more northern 

 cold-adapted stock and another more southern stock. The 

 ranges of the two stocks appear to overlap, such that the 

 winter range of the northern stock probably becomes the 

 spring and summer range of the more southern stock. The 

 third stock may consist of an isolated population in the 

 northern Gulf of Mexico. 



Stranded Specimens 



Stranded fin whales may be most readily identified by 1) 

 the yellowish-white coloration of the right front baleen and 

 the right white lower lip; 2) the numerous baleen plates 

 (262-473 in number); 3) the numerous ventral grooves (56-100 

 in number) extending to the navel and beyond (Table 2); and 

 4) the broad, flat sharply pointed head with only a single head 

 ridge. 



lt!^r« *'~^"'^r"*i',° "*"!.*.' "'T ?* 1'*"'' ""^ '"'""'' *''*° *''* ^heellike silhouette of the back, and then the dorsal fin. Note that in this species the 

 S^Zt" travel"; '"''"'"'''''"' "'^*' ""' "^^^^ 



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29 



