MINKE WHALES
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Although not nearly as large as its close relatives, the Fin and Blue whales, the Minke whale is a species of much interest to anyone concerned with the conservation of whales and their habitats. Minke Whales hold the unfortunate distinction of being the only baleen whale species that is still commercially hunted on a large scale.
In the Southern Oceans around Antarctica, a fleet of Japanese whaling ships still take an annual quota of 880 Minke Whales each year. Recently (Spring 2005) Japan also announced plans to take fifty Humpbacks and fifty Fin Whales from these same waters each year as well.
While the Minke Whale (including the Antarctic Minke which was recently designated as a distinct species: Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is not thought to be an endangered species, we still know very little about their actual abundance, distribution, migration, breeding cycles, population trends, reproductive rates, food requirements, or many of the other essential bits of information that wildlife biologists need in order to determine how many animals could be safely taken from the population without endangering the long-term survival of that species (or a given population of that species).
Therefore most environmentalists are uncomfortable with the taking of ANY Minke whales until more is known about their biology and natural history.
Concerning the fifty Humpbacks and fifty Fin whales that Japan has proposed taking: Those species are very much still endangered, and the particular populations that the fifty whales would be taken from are amongst the most endangered and least known populations of these whales on the planet. Removing just fifty whales per year from these populations could seriously affect the whale's ability to recover from past hunting.
In our study area, however, Minke whales are fully protected. In fact, Minke whales may well be the most abundant whale species on Stellwagen Bank and Jeffrey's Ledge. But despite their ubiquitous presence Minke Whales are not as often observed as their larger cousins such as Finback whales and Humpback whales.
This is partly because Minke whales are small by whale standards; averaging "only" 15-22 feet long when full grown. Because of their smaller size (and therefore reduced lung capacity) they do not produce the highly visible spout that Humpbacks, Fins, and other "great" whales do. This fact, combined with their fast speed and shy nature, makes them difficult to observe in the open ocean.
When you do happen upon a Minke at close range, however, one field mark that you will no doubt notice is the two white bands across their pectoral fins. These are called "Minke mittens" and may be used much like the white lower-jaw of the Fin whale... to concentrate prey while feeding.
Minke are occasionally active the surface, though much less often than Humpbacks and usually only on the roughest weather days we go out in.
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