

POPULATION STUDIES ON 



THE MINKE WHALE 



BALAENOPTERA ACUTO-ROSTRATA LAGEPEDE 



Age Jonsgard 



Institute of Marine Biology, Oslo University 



INTRODUCTION 



Whaling for minke or the Uttle piked whale and other small species from 

 small fishing vessels commenced off the Norwegian coast in the 1920's and, 

 just before the late war, operations had spread all along the Norwegian 

 coast. Since the war, operations have expanded, westwards to Scotland, 

 Shetland and the Faroes and northwards to Bear Island, Spitzbergen and the 

 Barents Sea. 



Since 1938, the number of boats participating in this new industry has 

 been regulated by licence, and at present about 200 licences are issued each 

 year. No limitation of size or number of whales taken is enforced, and such 

 methods of regulation are out of the question for practical reasons. 



Meat for human consumption is the primary product; for economic 

 reasons meat for animal food, and blubber, are of secondary importance. 

 Due to difficulties of marketing in the summer, a close season of three weeks 

 in July has been in force since 1950. Since 1955 whaling in Arctic waters 

 north of 70° N lat. has also been forbidden after 30th June. In all other 

 waters, the total length of the whaling season (the close season in July in- 

 cluded) must not exceed six months, a measure introduced from 1952 by 

 international agreement. At present the season lasts from 15 th March to 

 15 th September. 



All licensed whalers have to report their catches on special forms issued 

 for this purpose. For each individual the following data are required: 

 Species, length in Enghsh feet, sex, position and date. For pregnant females 

 also length, sex and size of foetus. From 1938 to 1958 completed forms for 

 53,786 minke whales have been received. Seven hundred and ninety-six 

 forms are incomplete and disregarded in the following discussion. Our 

 material includes, therefore, 52,990 specimens, of which 26,995 or 50-9 per 

 cent are males. 



