Effect of Present-Day Whaling on the Stock of Whales

Abstract

IN November 1946, the Norsk Hvalfangst Tidende (Norwegian Whaling Gazette), which is an authoritative journal, published an article on Antarctic pelagic whaling in the season 1945–46. This article contains the minous statement1 that although the proportion of mature females taken in the catch shows an increase on the seasons immediately preceding the War, the percentage of mature females which were pregnant shows a marked decline. In blue whales, this percentage was only 20· 7 per cent and in fin whales 23·2 per cent. Percentages of pregnant females are also given for five pre-war seasons, the lowest figure appearing in 1934—35 and being 28·7 per cent for blue whales and 33·1 per cent for fin whales.