Minke whales

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About Minke whales:

They are members of the baleen or “great” whale family and are the smallest of the rorquals.
There are two recognized species of minke whales with partially overlapping ranges
- The Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and the Antarctic minke whale (B. bonaerensis).
- Dwarf minke whales are an unnamed subspecies of the common minke whale that occurs almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.
- In addition the North Atlantic and North Pacific common minke whales also have separate sub-species designations (B. a. acutorostrata in the North Atlantic and B. a. scammoni in the North Pacific).
Distribution: Minke whales are widely distributed through most tropical, temperate and polar regions from approximately 65°S to 80°N.
Common minke whales are found in all ocean basins, with the dwarf minke whale subspecies more or less limited to the Southern Hemisphere.
They feed most often in cooler waters at higher latitudes and can be found in both coastal/inshore and oceanic/offshore areas.
IUCN Conservation status
- Common minke whale: Least concern
- Antarctic minke whale : Data deficient

Q1: What is the International Whaling Commission?

It was set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) which was signed in Washington DC in 1946. It has the objective to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.

Source: Hearing tests show that minke whales can hear high-frequency sounds