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We know of 83 species of whales
(including dolphins, which are also cetaceans) in the world's oceans
today. Some species were discovered only in the twentieth century
so it's possible that we shall discover yet more whale species. |
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Baleen
Whales |
Toothed
Whales |
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Baleen whales have no teeth.
They are called baleen whales because they use the dense baleen plates
on their upper jaws to filter food from sea water. They eat primarily
krill (small crustacea that live in the Antarctic) and also, depending
on the region, fish that swim in schools. Blue whales, fin whales,
Bryde's whales, minke whales, humpback whales, and right whales are
baleen whales. |
Though the number
of teeth, and the sizes and shapes of these, differ by species, whales
that have teeth their entire life are called toothed whales. Toothed
whales eat fish and squid. Killer whales even eat marine mammals.
Sperm whales, Cuvier's beaked whales, pilot whales, common dolphins,
harbour porpoises, and Chinese river dolphins are toothed whales. |
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2.3m long; weighs
0.22 tons
Dall's Porpoise are found only in the North Pacific. The Government
of Japan, rather than the IWC, manages this species. Japan strictly
regulates the harpoon hunt for Dall's porpoise. |
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| This species ranges widely in the
world's warmer tropical waters. There are two types, the southern
form short-finned pilot whale (4.7m long; weighs 1.26 tons) and the
northern form short-finned pilot whale ( 6.5m long; weighs 3.15 tons).
The IWC does not manage this species. The Japanese government strictly
regulates the small-type whaling and drive fisheries for this species. |
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8m long; weighs
8 tons
Minke whales range widely from the Arctic and the Antarctic to tropical
waters. Before the 1970s, minke whales were not considered an important
species for the whaling industry, but interest in minke whales has
increased as a result of the suspension of commercial whaling for
other species, such as the fin whale. Currently, because minkes have
become more important as a usable resource, Japan conducts research
whaling in the western North Pacific and the Antarctic Oceans, catching
a sample of approximately 500 animals a year. Norway's commercial
whaling operations also catch about 600 whales a year. The stock remains
abundant and stable worldwide. |
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11m long; weighs
11 tons
The Baird's beaked whale lives only in the North Pacific, but it ranges
from tropical through frigid zones. Coastal whaling for Baird's Beaked
whale began in 1612 in Chiba, Japan. The IWC does not manage this
species. The Japanese government permits, under strict supervision,
a small-type whaling total annual catch of 62 animals in the coastal
whaling ports of Wada, Ayukawa, Abashiri, and Hakodate.
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12.9m long;
weighs 0.3 tons
Humpback whales are found in all oceans from the Arctic to Antarctic.
American whaling vessels hunted these whales, and the stock was depleted
in the western North Pacific in the latter half of the 19th century.
Whalers then moved to the North Pacific and to the Southern hemisphere,
catching more than 100,000 humpbacks in the first forty years of the
twentieth century. The IWC banned commercial whaling for this species
in 1966. An annual catch quota of two whales is permitted as aboriginal
subsistence whaling for St. Vincent Island in the West Indies. |
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13m long; weighs
14 tons
Gray whales were found in the North Atlantic until the 18th century,
but currently, they live only in the North Pacific. In the latter
part of the 19th century, 11,000 gray whales were caught off the coasts
of California and Mexico. About 1,000 were caught under pelagic whaling
in the first half of the twentieth century, but gray whales were given
full international protection in 1946. Currently, residents of Siberia
are allowed an annual catch of 135 gray whales and the Makah tribe
of the U.S. an annual catch of five a year; both quotas are for aboriginal
subsistence whaling. The population of gray whales has recovered to
above its initial stock size. The U.S. has removed gray whales from
the endangered species list. |
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15m long; weighs
50 tons
Right whales have lived in all oceans at different times. This is
the first large-sized whale that was targeted for whaling. Right whales
were caught in early 10th century in Japan's coastal waters, and were
hunted in Bay of Biscay off Spain and France from as early as the
9th century. With the advent of pelagic whaling, over 100,000 whales
were caught during the 19th century, and the population was severely
depleted in the early 20th century. Whaling for right whales was banned
in 1935.
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13.7m long;
weighs 18.5 tons
These whales range in all oceans from tropical to warm waters and
have been caught since ancient times near Japan. Until the 1950s,
they were thought to be sei whales. In the North Pacific, Japan, Russia,
Korea, and Taiwan hunted these whales commercially, but because they
took only a relatively small number, the stock is healthy and stable.
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15m long; weighs
45 tons
Sperm whales are in all oceans from the equator north and south to
the Arctic and Antarctic. The sperm whale has been the whale targeted
for large-scale commercial whaling for the longest period-since the
17th century. The sperm whale was one of the major species the Americans
sought during the 18th and 19th centuries. The whale in the novel,
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, is a sperm whale. Whalers prized
the oil contained in the sperm whale's blubber and head for use in
industry and for illumination. The stocks of sperm whales are quite
healthy. |
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18m long; weighs
60 tons
Bowhead whales are found only in the Arctic and sub-Arctic waters.
They are slow swimmers and are great sources of oil and baleen. Bowheads
were hunted by European and North American whalers over several centuries-to
the extent that in the 19th century, they almost became extinct. Despite
the fact that the population is quite low, the Inuit of Alaska are
permitted an annual catch of 54 whales under aboriginal subsistence
whaling. A small number are subsistence-hunted in Canada and Russia
as well. |
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21m long; weighs
50 tons
Fin whales are wide-ranging in both hemispheres, from subtropical
regions to Arctic and Antarctic waters. Modern whalers targeted fin
whales all over the world. Whaling for fin whales is now only permitted
in Greenland as aboriginal subsistence whaling. |
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25m long; weighs
100 tons
Blue whales may be found in all oceans of the world in both hemispheres.
With the invention of exploding harpoon guns mounted on steam- and
diesel-powered vessels in the latter half of the 19th century, blue
whales were hunted aggressively in all seas. These whales produced
the largest amount of oil per whale. However, in 1966, IWC banned,
worldwide, the catching of blue whales. In about one century, a total
of approximately 300,000 whales were taken, and the stocks declined
dramatically. Blue whales are the largest animal on earth today. |
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| Illustration/reference--"Osakana Tsushin Gyo!" Women's Forum
for Fish (WFF)
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