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IWC harvest statistics - 1973
This table shows all the catches of large whales which are known to the IWC, excepting for incidental catches.
  • It contains data from both member and non member nations.
  • The numbers include lost whales including any struck & lost.
  • The `other' column contains small whales (bottlenose, killer, pilot etc.) unless otherwise noted.
  • The table lists only small whales for which the IWC has individual records - no other small whales are included.
  • No numbers are given for the USSR pelagic catch prior to 1972 - the original `official' records are now known to have been falsified, and the correct numbers are currently being sought.
  • In 1972 the International Observer Scheme was instituted and the numbers are then thought to be more reliable.


If anyone has other information on catches of large whales which are not reported here, the IWC would be pleased to receive information on them.

The USA aboriginal catch is taken off Alaska and the USSR aboriginal catch off Kamchatka.

Abbreviations: * Indicates catches for which no individual data is available i.e. which are not included in the IWC database

Areas:

  • NA / SA : North / South Atlantic
  • At:  Atlantic
  • NP / SP: North / South Pacific
  • IO: Indian Ocean
  • SH: S. Hemisphere


    • L:   Lost       S/P:  Caught under special permit
Nation Area L S/P Dates Blue Fin Sperm Hback Sei Brydes Gray Minke Bowhd Other Total    
Denmark: Greenland NA   -   - 2 - 9 - - - 276 - 1 288 * Includes 1 Right whale
Iceland NA 1 - Jun73-Sep73 - 267 47 - 139 - - 122 - - 575   Minke: no data i.e. not coded
Norway NA - - Mar73-Aug73 - - - - - - - 2,049 - 4 2,053    
Spain NA - - May73-Dec73 1 112 294 - 15 - - - - - 422    
Portugal: Azores NA   -   - - 311 - - - - - - - 311 *  
Portugal: Madeira NA   -   - - 77 - - - - - - - 77 *  
USA (aboriginal) NP   -   - - - - - - - - 37 - 37 *  
USSR (aboriginal) NP   -   - 3 - - - - 178 - 2 - 183 *  
Japan (pelagic) NP 1 - May73-Sep73 - 256 1,803 - 1,71 2 - - - - 3,771    
USSR (pelagic) NP 4 - May73-Oct73 - 161 4,332 - 103 657 - - - - 5,253    
Japan NP - - May73-Dec73 - 43 2,436 - 43 71 - 541 - - 3,134   Inc Miwa Maru data; no data for 43Mi
Korea NP   -   - 4 - - - - - 882 - - 886 *  
China NP   -   - - - - - - - ? - - ? * Estimate: 10-100Mi/yr, 1963-79
Brazil SA - - Jun73-Dec73 - - 75 - 7 - - 650 - - 732    
Chile SP   -   - - 232 - 14 - - - - - 246 *  
Peru SP   -   - 11 1,497 - 19 311 - - - - 1,838 *  
S.Africa: Durban IO 16 10 Mar73-Sep73 - 41 1,619 1 4 6 - 176 - 10 1,857    
Australia (W) IO - - Mar73-Dec73 1 - 971 - - - - - - - 972   Includes 1 dauhval (blue)
Tonga SP   -   - - - 3 - - - - - - 3 *  
Bahamas (Sierra) SA   - Jul73-Jun74 - - - - 449 - - 2 - - 451    
USSR (pelagic) SH 4 - Nov73-May74 - 583 7,9 - 1,768 - - 4 - 52 14,303    
Japan (pelagic) SH 3 - Nov73-Apr74 - 705 415 - 2,624 - - 3,713 - - 7,457    

Source:
The Secretariat of the International Whaling Commission,
Cambridge, supplied to author October 1999 by IWC

IWC References:
Best Rep. Int. Whal. Commn. 42 (1992) 697-9
Gong 88 Bull.Nat Fish. Res. Dev. Agency 41: 35-54 (1988)
Kapel Rep. Int. Whal. Commn. 29 (1979) 197-200
Larson 90 Pers.Comm.
Park 87
Sigurjönsson Rep. Int. Whal. Commn. 32 (1982) 287-95

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