Japanese Whalers Kill 333 Whales, 122 Pregnant: The Japanese whaling fleet has returned home after killing 333 minke whales in the Southern Ocean.
Of the 333 whales killed, there were 186 males and 147 females. Just over 50 percent of the females were adult, and preliminary analysis, such as pregnancy rates, suggest healthy fertility of the species, says Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research.
Of the previous season’s killing of 333 minke whales, 181 were females, and 122 of these were pregnant.
Japan says the purpose of the five-vessel survey is to improve understanding of the species and regional ecology so that it can calculate capture limits.
Source: MAREX
