340 WHALES 



appear to keep much closer to the coast. Thus northern Bhie Whales 

 migrate north along the American East coast, past Newfoundland and 

 Labrador, and then proceed through the Davis Strait to Baffin Bay, or 

 else cross over to Spitsbergen, with some whales taking the Denmark 

 Strait and others travelling between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands and 

 between the Faeroes and Scotland (Fig. 185). The last group, in particular, 

 passes the Norwegian coast where, formerly. Rorquals were caught in 

 fairly lai'ge numbers. These whales probably migrate south along more or 

 less the same routes, and these routes are also taken by Humpbacks in 

 the western N. Atlantic. Thus some Rorquals, on their way to and from 

 America, have to pass the northern coasts of Europe. As for those on the 

 eastern side of the N. Atlantic, it is known that Humpbacks avoid the 

 North Sea and the Channel and swim round Britain on their journeys 

 north and southwards. Thus, while no Humpback has ever stranded in 

 Holland or Belgium, some Humpbacks have in fact been washed ashore 

 in Britain. This is also true of Blue Whales, though they have very occa- 

 sionally been spotted in the North Sea. On the other hand, more than 

 forty-five Fin Whales have been reported stranded on the Dutch coast 

 alone, and strandings are more common still in Britain. Fin Whales 

 probably take to the North Sea more readily because their diet includes 

 herring \vhich is plentiful in that sea. Apart from that, we really know 

 very little about their N. Atlantic migratory route, and it seems likely that 

 at least some of them keep clear of the coasts. 



There are quite a number of indications that some Rorquals do not 

 engage in long distance migration even in the North Atlantic. During 

 the summer season a significant number of Rorquals have been observed 

 still in waters between 30° and 40° N., whereas during the winter the 

 northern limit of the population lies at about 50° N., although animals 

 have occasionally been observed farther north. During the winter, the 

 southern limit lies at about 10° N. 



Distinct migratory routes have also been discovered in the N. Pacific 

 (Fig. 185). Japanese observers state that Fin Whales migrate along the 

 Japanese East coast and also through the Sea of Japan, while other 

 Rorquals stick almost exclusively to the East coast route. From quite a 

 number of data, clear indications appear that at least part of the Western 

 stocks of North Pacific Rorquals migrate into the Indian Ocean by the 

 Malacca Strait or Sunda Strait route. Others obviously winter in Indones- 

 ian waters, where Antarctic whales can be observed as well. While all 

 Pacific Fin Whales look the same, Japanese scientists, and particularly 

 Dr. Fujino, have shown that N.W. Fin Whales can be distinguished from 

 their N.E. congeners by their blood groups. Fin Whales seem to have 

 about twelve different blood groups, one of which was found to be par- 



