Preliminary Report on the Norwegian Fishery for Small Whales: Expansion of Norwegian Whaling to Arctic and Northwest Atlantic Waters, and Norwegian Investigations of the Biology of Small Whales

Abstract

Whaling for minke whales commenced off Norway in the 1920s. The fishery expanded to the Shetland–Faeroe Islands by 1938–39, to Denmark Strait by 1966, and to Labrador in 1969. Bottlenose whale catches have declined, partly due to economic factors. Modern catches of minke whales are 2000–2500 per annum. Evidence from length-group frequencies and sex composition indicate separate minke stocks in east and west North Atlantic. Segregation by age and sex is documented.