Dd. Tormosov et al., SOVIET CATCHES OF SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES EUBALAENA-AUSTRALIS, 1951-1971 - BIOLOGICAL DATA AND CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS, Biological Conservation, 86(2), 1998, pp. 185-197
Between 1951/1952 and 1970/1971, a total of at least 3368 southern rig
ht whales Eubalaena australis were taken by Soviet whaling expeditions
in the Southern Hemisphere, despite the species being internationally
protected since 1935. These catches and the associated biological dat
a (presented here for the first time) represent a unique source of inf
ormation on the distribution, movements, size composition, reproductio
n and feeding of southern right whales during summer months. Revelatio
n of these previously unreported catches also has implications for the
assessment of the current status of right whale stocks. Incorporation
of the Soviet catches into population assessments generally leads to
higher estimates of the size of the population at protection, but the
relative increase in this size depends on the intrinsic rate of increa
se in the population. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv
ed.