The following section presents documented sightings, strandings and whaling records for the species which might be found in the waters of the North-east Atlantic Fringe. Where available, information on seasonal distribution has been included. As indicated by the BP Environmental Assessment and by Thompson (1992), data is patchy and seasonal differences are difficult to interpret for most species, due to uneven effort in different months, but some patterns emerge. Table 1. summarises seasonal distributions and IUCN status for each species. Figure 1. shows bottom topography for the area to the west and north of Britain and Ireland. Figure 2. shows approximate areas of catch concentrations for blue, sperm, right, humpback, fin and sei whales, during whaling conducted earlier this century. Figure 3. shows some approximate positions of recent sightings for sperm, fin, humpback, minke and right whales.

2.1 Baleen Whales

Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Whaling

Between 1903-1929, Scottish and Irish whalers captured over 7,000 fin whales off Shetland, the Hebrides and Ireland. Of these over 4,500 were taken off the Shetland Islands (see fig. 2). Captures were mainly between April-October, peaking in July and August (Thompson 1928). North of Shetland, catches were abundant in all months from April to September, while in waters further south (e.g. west of St. Kilda), few fin whales were caught in April, May and June but in increasing numbers from July onwards. Between the Faroes and Hebrides catches were large at the beginning and end of the season, but were few in June and July. The majority of catches were made beyond the continental shelf edge.

Fin whales made up 63%-68% of the total catch from whaling stations in the British Isles (Thompson 1928) (Brown 1976).

Sightings and Strandings

There were 37 strandings of fin whales around the British Isles between 1913 and 1986, most of which occurred before 1950. Forty-three documented sightings have been recorded in the waters off Britain and Ireland between 1966 and 1991, and a further 35 sightings from weather-ships in the mid-Atlantic, west of Scotland (Evans 1992).

Strandings occur all year round, although sightings in coastal waters are generally between June and December. There have also been sightings of juveniles in British waters (Evans 1992). Most sightings occur in deep water off the edge of the continental shelf (Evans et. al. 1986).

One fin whale and several possible further sightings were made by a survey of the waters north and west of the Hebrides close to Rosemary Bank from the M.V. Solo in May 1992 (Mayer et. al. 1993).

Fin whales were sighted during NASS surveys off western Scotland, the Hebrides and Ireland, around the Faroes and off Shetland to the north, north-east and north-west (Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson 1990). Small numbers of fin whales were reported in the waters around Faroe and Shetland, but greater numbers off the west coast of Britain between Faroe and Ireland (Buckland et. al. 1992), see also Fig. 3.

Bloor et. al. (1996) report three sightings of fin whales in late summer 1995 between the Shetland and Faroe Islands. During the winter/spring of 1996/1997, a group of four to six fin whales were sighted on several occasions close to the Cornish coast in the Lands End area (Tregenza pers. comm.). A large baleen whale, probably a fin whale, was observed from the Telco Dover, operating west of Shetland in mid-July 1996.

During the past year, acoustic studies conducted by Cornell University north and west of the UK have recorded acoustic contacts with fin whales off Britain (Tasker pers. comm.).

Ecology

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding North Atlantic stocks of fin whales. There are some indications that several separate populations of fin whales may exist in the North-east Atlantic region. This led to stock division by the IWC for management purposes. However these sub-divisions have been questioned, and it is possible that there is a single stock, which became focused in certain areas as numbers were reduced by whaling (Klinowska 1991). After 1950, numbers of fin whales appeared to decline significantly on the whaling grounds off the Faroe Islands and western Norway (and possibly northern Norway), but to a lesser extent on the Icelandic grounds (Brown 1976). Fin whales have been caught simultaneously in the summer off Portugal and Spain and in northern, high latitude waters (Rorvik and Jonsgard 1975).

Early studies of stock identity suggested that distinct fin whale stocks existed off southern Spain, Northern Spain, Norway, the Scottish islands, and the Arctic. It was suggested that the fin whales of the North Atlantic could be divided into independent groups, one of which was a separated stock of fin whales possibly inhabiting waters off the Scottish islands during the feeding season and wintering off Spain and Portugal (Rorvik and Jonsgard 1975) (Jonsgard 1966). Recent analysis has not resolved the question of stock identity or separate breeding populations of North Atlantic fin whales. However, the IWC (1992) concluded that fin whales exploited off Iceland and Spain were from different breeding stocks. It is possible that stocks off North and West Norway and the Faroes migrate north-south via the Denmark Strait (west of Iceland), although this theory is controversial, see Christensen et. al. (1992).

The length and extent of fin whale migrations are uncertain. Thompson (1928) implied that fin whales may not migrate long distances (compared to blue and humpback whales) but undergo onshore-offshore movements, possibly following the movements of prey such as herring. Some fin whales may undertake more extensive north-south migrations. Kellogg (1929) suggested that fin whale stocks may be stratified, with the summer feeding grounds of some fin whales being occupied during the winter by whales which have spent the summer further north.

Whaling records also suggest that fin whales may be faithful to a particular summering area (Thompson 1928). Calving probably peaks in winter (Klinowska 1991), and mating and calving may occur in the waters off Britain and Ireland (Evans 1992). Recent press reports, based on preliminary results of recent and ongoing studies by Cornell University researchers in the NE Atlantic, suggested that fin whales may be resident off Britain (see for example, Sunday Telegraph, 5/1/97).

Status

Fin whales have been heavily exploited in the North Atlantic, with at least 75,000 whales killed during the past hundred years or so. There are no current population estimates for the North Atlantic population as a whole, but estimates from recent sightings surveys suggest a population of around 11,000-14,000 fin whales (Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson 1990) (Larsen et. al. 1989) (Oritsland et. al. 1989) (Sanpera and Jover 1989) (Buckland et. al. 1992).

Whaling depleted the local stocks of fin whales around the British Isles, and fin whales have became relatively scarce following intensive whaling which continued until 1985 in some parts of the North Atlantic (Klinowska 1991). Despite this, the fin whale may be still be one of the most common large whales in NE Atlantic (Evans and Scanlan 1989).

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Whaling Records

Prior to 1929, 70 humpback whales were caught by Scottish whalers, mostly north of Shetland, see fig. 2. Fifty-one humpback whales were captured off Shetland, nineteen off the Outer Hebrides, and six off W. Ireland (Brown 1976) (Thompson 1928). These catches illustrate that humpback whales were present in small numbers off Britain, although catches were much higher off Norway and Iceland. Off Scotland, catches peaked in July and August (Thompson 1928), with most humpback whales caught in the Faroe-Shetland Channel, or continental shelf slope south-east of the Channel (West Shetland Shelf). Off the Outer Hebrides, catches were focused west or north of St. Kilda and at the head of the Rockall Trough and adjacent Hebrides Shelf.

Sightings and Strandings

The humpback whale is presently rare in the North-east Atlantic, although there are thought to be over 5,000 humpback whales in the western North Atlantic (IWC 1986). There are a only a small number of records of strandings and sightings of humpback whales from earlier this century.

Two strandings have been reported since 1913, both in the 1980ís, and both on the west coast of Britain (Scotland and Wales) (Sheldrick 1989). Between 1966 and 1991, there were ten sightings in British and Irish waters, most since 1980, off the west coast of Ireland and Britain (Evans 1992). West of Scotland there have been several sightings from weather ships. Most sightings are in the summer, although there are a few reports of humpbacks off Britain in March and December (Evans et. al. 1986).

Recently, there have been reported sightings off Shetland in June 1992, May 1993, September 1993 and throughout summer 1994 and 1995 (Evans 1995) (Evans unpublished). A young humpback remained in the Clyde estuary during the summer of 1995. Fishermen have reported large breaching whales west of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, which might be humpbacks (Evans and Scanlan 1989).

NASS-87 and 89 surveys did not sight humpback whales in the southern Norwegian Sea, off the Faroes or Shetland, although a single sighting was made off Scotland (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1989), and humpback whales were reported south and east of Iceland (Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson 1990) (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1989) (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1991). Norwegian surveys between 1968 and 1989 have reported humpback whales mainly off northern Norway, although there were a few incidental sightings north of Shetland between January and April and between Shetland and Norway in July (Christensen et. al. 1992). See also fig. 3.

Some preliminary findings of studies of cetaceans in the NE Atlantic by Cornell University indicate that humpback whales are present seasonally in waters west of the British Isles (see reports in The Independent, 6/1/97 and Sunday Telegraph, 5/1/97).

Ecology

The population and stock identity of North-east Atlantic humpback whales is uncertain. In the western North Atlantic, humpback whales migrate between cool northern waters in summer and warm breeding grounds in the Caribbean in winter.

Off Scotland, catches of humpback whales varied significantly between years. Each year, few captures occurred during May and June, with most being in July and August. In contrast, humpback whales were captured in Finnmark (northern Norway) as early as February, with many catches before June, and in July the humpbacks were found much further north, around Bear Island (Hjort 1902) (Evans and Scanlan 1989). Evans and Scanlan suggested that perhaps the humpbacks from British and Irish waters derive from an essentially different population to those from the Norwegian Sea and around Iceland. A humpback whale tagged in the Caribbean was later re-sighted off Iceland (Martin et. al. 1984, cited in Evans and Scanlan 1989), indicating that at least some of the north-west Atlantic humpbacks move eastward across the Atlantic. It is not certain whether humpback whales sighted off Iceland are part of the North-west Atlantic stock (Mitchell and Reeves 1983). Tomilin (1967) proposed that some humpbacks in the Denmark Strait travelled from the western Atlantic north-east as far as Jan Mayen and the Barents Sea in summer.

In the 1890's humpback whales were frequently reported in western and southern Norwegian waters in winter (January-April), associated with abundant herring. They generally frequented more northern waters in summer, off Finnmark and Spitsbergen and into the Barents Sea. Migration routes are not known (Jonsgard 1977). Tomilin (1967) observed humpback whales off northern Norway in February and March, the females of which often contained near term foetuses. It was suggested that perhaps these humpbacks did not migrate to southern calving waters. Ingebritsen (1929) suggested that some humpbacks may calve in waters west of Ireland.

Most sightings and strandings from coastal waters around Britain are made between July and September, although there are occasional records from earlier in the year (Evans and Scanlan 1989). Sightings in winter, e.g. from weather-ships west of Scotland, suggest that some humpback whales spend the winter in temperate waters off Britain and Ireland (Evans and Scanlan 1989).

Humpbacks, like some other whales probably migrate past the UK to the west of the continental shelf edge. Studies of migrating humpback whales indicate that most travel in deep water beyond the 200 m contour, occasionally coming close to the coast if the water is deep (Winn and Reichley 1985).

Status

The North Atlantic population of humpback whales was severely depleted by whaling, although there are signs that the humpbacks of the western North Atlantic may be making a recovery since protection. There is no population estimate for the North-east Atlantic and there may be only a few hundred humpback whales, mainly around Iceland and north to the Barents Sea (Sigurjonsson and Gunnlaugsson 1990). In the past, some north-east Atlantic humpback whales were known to breed around several eastern North Atlantic island groups such as the Cape Verdes. However, in recent years, surveys there reported acoustic contacts with singing males but no sightings (Winn and Reichley 1985).

Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

Whaling

The right whale was rare in British and Irish waters by the 17th century due to hunting (Brown 1986). Between 1900 and 1982, 138-141 northern right whales were killed off Iceland, the Faroes, Western Norway, Shetland, the Hebrides and Ireland (Brown 1986). From whaling records, 85% of these were killed off Britain and Ireland between 1906 and 1923, although there may have been large unspecified catches in the Faroes between 1900 and 1909 and Iceland 1900 to 1912 (Brown 1986).

Most of the right whales caught off the British Isles were landed in the Outer Hebrides, from a well defined area west and south-west of the Hebrides and beyond St. Kilda on the continental shelf within 100 fathoms of depth (Thompson 1928) (Brown 1976) see fig. 2. None were captured on the Rockall Ground, and only a few (four in 1910, one in 1913 and one in 1914) off Shetland, to the west, north-west and north-east of the islands (Brown 1986).

Right whale catches occurred between May and August, mainly in June and July (Thompson 1928). Numbers of right whales varied considerably between years, possibly correlated with warm ocean currents. It was suggested that in years when the Gulf Stream was particularly warm and strong, the right whales either stayed further offshore or continued past Britain to northern waters without lingering off Scotland (Thompson 1928).

Sightings and strandings

Sightings of northern right whales in the north-east Atlantic are now extremely rare, and there have been no strandings in western Europe during this century (Brown 1986). There have, however, been several sightings of northern right whales in waters north of Iceland (Brown 1986).

There have been occasional (possible) sightings of the species off the British Isles. There was one sighting off Cape Clear Island, Cork in Ireland in August 1970, one in the northern Irish Sea in May 1979 and one sighting in the Outer Hebrides in August 1980 (Brown 1986) (Evans 1992) (Evans 1981). The possible sighting off the Outer Hebrides was along the edge of the continental shelf between Harris and St. Kilda (see fig. 3), an area where large whales have been reported by local fishermen (Evans and Scanlan 1989). All sightings reported were in summer (Brown 1986).

During NASS-87 survey, Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson (1990) and Sigurjonsson et. al. (1989) reported a right whale south-west of Iceland at about 63 degrees north and 32 degrees west. NASS surveys in 1989 also revealed the presence of a right whale and calf west of Iceland at 52 degrees north and 38 degrees west (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1991).

Ecology

Thompson (1928) suggested that right whales in the north-east Atlantic probably migrated from southern breeding waters off NW Africa, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean in winter and early spring, arriving west of the British Isles in late spring and early summer. They continued on to waters off Norway and Iceland in later summer. The southward migration was uncertain (see also Brown 1986). It has also been suggested that some animals may undertake a latitudinal migration west of the British Isles northwards towards Iceland (Evans and Scanlan 1989). Haldane (1908) described the migration of the sperm and right whale northward, following the coast of Scotland and then heading east and passing the Faroes to Iceland. There are records of right whales in British waters as late as October (Evans and Scanlan 1989), although they would probably usually begin to migrate south in late summer.

Status

Following centuries of whaling, the Northern right whale population is a tiny fraction of its former size. Numbers in the north-east Atlantic are so small that population size cannot be estimated from survey data. However, from the number of sightings in recent years it seems likely that the population numbers tens of individuals or less (Brown 1986) (Evans 1992). Evans and Scanlan (1989) suggest that there are small signs of recovery, highlighting five documented sightings since 1970 - off the edge of the continental shelf 600 km west of Scotland, and from the Outer Hebrides and Ireland (Evans et. al. 1986). Brown (1986) is more sceptical, considering only the two sightings of four whales off Iceland to be definite records.

Brown (1986) considers that unless right whales are still present in Cintra Bay (a previously important breeding area for the species) or elsewhere on the desert coast of west and north-west Africa, it seems unlikely that any breeding stocks exist in the eastern North Atlantic. Recent sightings may be of stragglers from the slightly more numerous population in the western Atlantic. A recent survey of Cintra Bay and discussions with local fishermen did not reveal the presence of any right whales in the area (Smith/WDCS pers. comm.).

Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Whaling Records

Minke whales were not the target of whaling until 1945 off Shetland, and hunting extended to western Scotland in 1947-1948 (Stephenson 1951). Over 6.5 thousand minke whales were killed off Shetland and the Faroe Islands between 1938 and 1973, with catches peaking each year in July and August (Stephenson 1951). Large catches occurred in the summer off both Shetland and Orkney (Stephenson 1951).

Strandings and Sightings

There are peaks in strandings and sightings of minke whales off Britain between July and November, and few records between November and March (Stephenson 1951) (Evans 1980), when most are thought to move south (Evans 1980). Most sightings occur in August. Minke whales are frequently observed in Shetland coastal waters, particularly between July and September (Evans 1995) and are reported to be common in coastal waters off the Hebrides (Evans et. al. 1993) (Gill pers. comm.).

Analysis of the SAST database of cetacean sightings held by the JNCC, indicates that there is a concentration of minke whales off the Hebrides, generally in coastal waters, mainly in the late spring early summer. Most animals move offshore out of Hebridean coastal waters in winter (Northridge et. al. 1995). Bloor et. al. (1996) state that minke whales are widely recorded across the north-west continental shelf and to the south and east of Orkney and Shetland.

NASS-87 surveys reported the presence of minke whales west of the Hebrides and Ireland, around the Faroes and Shetland (Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson 1990). Later surveys reported minke whales off the south-east coast of Iceland (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1991). Norwegian surveys in 1989 observed minke whales around the Shetland Isles, to the south and east towards Norway and Denmark, and west towards the Faroes (Oien 1991).

Observations conducted from the R.V. Charles Darwin in 1996 reported minke whales at the northern end of the Minch, the Hebrides, in early summer (JNCC, unpublished). Six sightings of minke whales were reported from the Telco Dover, west of Shetland during July 1996.

SCANS survey of the North Sea and adjacent waters sighted minke whales north of the Hebrides, west of Orkney, and north, west and east of the Shetland Isles during June and July 1994 (Hammond et. al. 1995) see fig 3.

Ecology

From whaling data, Stephenson (1951) estimated that minke whales give birth to their calves between September and February, with births peaking in November and December. Minke whales may move offshore in autumn to breed (Evans et. al. 1986). There appears to be a general movement away from the coast in winter (from November to April) (Evans 1992) (Northridge et. al. 1995).

The migrations of minke whales are not as well-defined as those of the larger rorqual whales, and there is little direct evidence to demonstrate long distance migration in minke whales. However, seasonal variations in abundance and distribution suggest that they probably do undergo some migration. Although some minke whales may migrate seasonally from higher latitudes in summer to lower latitudes in winter, they are present year round in some temperate waters (Tomilin 1967). In some areas they exhibit exclusive home ranges.

Evans (1980) suggested that minke whales may migrate northwards west of Britain at some distance from the coast and then move north-eastwards towards the Norwegian coast in summer, with some moving south into the North Sea. Minke whales may move into northern Scottish waters to feed on herring (which spawn in August) or mackerel, which migrate northwards near the continental shelf edge (DAFS in Evans 1980).

Status

Recent surveys in the North Atlantic (mainly conducted by Norwegian vessels) have provided a range of population estimates, from over 30,000 to over 100,000 (Schweder et. al. 1993) (IWC 1991a) (Schweder et. al. unpublished). The IWC have recognised some potential biases in these Norwegian estimates and recalculations have been attempted. However, there continues to be much controversy surrounding minke whale population estimates and stock declines, with disagreement about which estimate should be used (Klinowska 1991) (Cooke pers. comm.).

Hammond et. al. (1995) presented abundance estimates for the minke whale in the North Sea and adjacent waters in July of 8,445 (confidence limits 5,000-13,500).

Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis)

Whaling Records

The sei whale was the target of whalers from the beginning of this century off Norway, the Faroe Islands, Shetland, the Hebrides, Ireland and Iceland. The main catches were taken off Norway and Scotland before the Second World War. Sei whales contributed a high proportion of overall catch off the British Isles earlier this century (a total of 1,839 animals caught off Shetland and 375 off the Hebrides with a further 3 in 1950-51).

Sei whales were captured in three main areas off Scotland (see fig. 2). Catches varied considerably between years, however, and sei whales were present for a relatively short period each summer off Scotland. Catches peaked in June and were low before April or after September (Thompson 1928). The distribution maps of Thompson (1928) illustrate that the general distribution of sei whales was similar to that of fin whales, although the seasonality of the two species varied. In June, catches of sei whales off St. Kilda and to the north were high, and catches of fin whales were very few. However, later in the summer (August and September) sei whales were almost absent from the waters around St Kilda and fin whales were abundant. Sei whales were present around the Shetland Isles (catches were mainly over the shelf edge) from April to September, with catches peaking sharply in June and July.

Strandings and Sightings

There is limited information on the present abundance and distribution of sei whales (Cattanach et. al. 1993), which now appear to be rare in British and Irish waters. There are relatively few sightings and strandings reported (Evans 1992) (Sheldrick 1989).

Most sightings from around the UK have been offshore, off the coast of west Scotland and the Outer Hebrides between June and August (Evans et. al. 1986). There have also been seven reports from the mid-Atlantic west of Scotland since 1987, some of which occurred between October and December (Evans 1992). In August 1993, a sei whale was reported off Shetland (Evans pers comm.).

One sei whale was reported west of the British Isles during the NASS-89 surveys (Cattanach et. al. 1993). Since the mid 1940's, sei whales have only been sighted very infrequently in Norwegian waters, although there are sightings off Iceland (Christensen et. al. 1992) (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1989) (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1991).

Ecology

The sei whale generally favours temperate, oceanic waters. Their movements are not as regular and predictable as some other species of large whale, and historically there has been much confusion (particularly in warm waters) over the identification of Sei and Bryde's whales.

In the Norwegian Sea, sei whales are thought to migrate offshore in April and May, and the species irregular distribution may be related to fluctuations in its copepod prey (Christensen et. al. 1992). Sightings and strandings, in addition to whaling data, suggest that sei whale migrations take place west of Britain (Evans 1980). Ingebritsen (1929) suggested that sei whales spent the winter in the southern North Atlantic off western Ireland, Spain and Portugal; migrating north in spring, west of the British Isles, to waters off Norway in summer.

Winter sightings off Scotland suggest that some sei whales may remain at high latitudes and possibly breed there, although most are thought to migrate south to warm temperate and tropical waters to breed in winter (Evans 1992).

Status

The waters off southern and western Norway, the Faroes, Shetland and Hebrides were important whaling grounds for sei whales until the 1950's. Recent surveys have found very few sei whales in these waters, indicating that the species is now quite rare and significantly depleted around former whaling grounds such as those off the British Isles. Sei whale abundance is uncertain (Cattanach et. al. 1993) (Jonsgard 1977).

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

Whaling Records

Over 500 blue whales were killed by Scottish and Irish whalers at the beginning of the century, mainly along continental shelf edge west of Scotland, see fig. 2. The Shetland Isles, Hebrides and Ireland were the third most important area for blue whale catches in the eastern North Atlantic (Brown 1976). Catches were clustered round the head of the Rockall trough, west of St. Kilda, and peaked in July to August, remaining high to October (Thompson 1928). Six blue whales were killed by whalers off the Outer Hebrides in 1950-51 (Brown 1976).

Between 1920 and 1955, 91 blue whales were caught off the Faroes, 154 off Iceland, 13 off Norway, 27 off Ireland, 218 off Shetland, 5 off Spitsbergen and 366 by pelagic whaling vessels (Christensen et. al. 1992).

Sightings and Strandings

Blue whales are now rare throughout the North Atlantic and there are few reports from British waters. Scattered strandings have been reported throughout the last few hundred years, several off Shetland in winter. There have been no strandings in Britain since 1923, and no definite sightings in recent years. A single sighting was reported off NW Ireland in May 1977 (Evans 1992).

Blue whales were not seen by the Faroese and Icelandic vessels surveying around the Faroe Islands and west of Britain and Ireland (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1989), although there were sightings from south and east of Iceland during both NASS-87 and 89 surveys (Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson 1990) (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1989) (Sigurjonsson et. al. 1991). Incidental sightings are now mainly reported from the south-east Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea (Oien 1990) (Christensen et. al. 1992) (Sigurjonsson and Gunnlaugsson 1990).

Recent research by Cornell University has detected blue whales acoustically west of Britain between the Hebrides and Cornwall, in the Faroes-Shetland Channel and north of Scotland during the past year (Tasker pers. comm.) (The Independent, 6/1/97).

Ecology

The blue whale is generally accepted to make very regular seasonal movements - northwards in spring and south in autumn (Jonsgard 1966). The North Atlantic population is regarded as two stocks - a western stock, and an eastern stock which may winter around the Cape Verde Islands. The stocks from the western and eastern Atlantic may mix in summer, north of Iceland (Rorvik and Jonsgard 1975).

Whaling records indicate that blue whales migrated past the British Isles to the west, in deep waters (over 4,000 m) off the continental shelf edge west of the Rockall Plateau. They entered the Iceland Basin and some moved into the Norwegian Basin. Some also entered the Rockall Trough, west of Ireland and the outer Hebrides (Evans and Scanlan 1989) (Evans 1992). It has been suggested that there may have been a separate stock of blue whales off the Hebrides (Jonsgard 1955), based on the fact that the catch of blue whales at the Faroes and Norway did not change when the catch diminished off the Hebrides from 1927 onwards (Rorvik and Jonsgard 1975).

According to recent newspaper reports, some blue whales may summer off Britain (see for example Sunday Telegraph, 5/1/97).

Historic records of sightings and strandings of blue whales in Shetland and elsewhere in winter (including pregnant females) suggests that at least some young were born in temperate waters, and that perhaps not all blue whales migrate south in winter (Evans and Scanlan 1989).

Status

The blue whale in the North Atlantic has been severely reduced by exploitation. The results of the NASS-87 surveys yielded a population estimate of 442 animals from the waters off Iceland (Gunnlaugsson and Sigurjonsson 1990), but this was described as an 'upper estimate'. One blue whale was sighted in the Norwegian part of the survey (Oritsland et. al. 1989), two off Greenland (Larsen et. al. 1989) and none off the Faroes or Spain (Lens et. al. 1989). Current survey results indicate that within the North Atlantic there are probably only a few hundred individuals, mainly on the western side of the Atlantic and around Iceland.