Humpback Sightings in Antarctica

Because of their coastal habits and lethargic nature, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae have been among the species hardest hit by the whaling industry. Between 1904 and 1973 (when humpback catching finally ceased), 68,294 humpbacks were reported killed in Antarctic waters, more than 40 per cen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oryx
Main Author: Bonner, Nigel
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1982
Subjects:
Nature and Landscape Conservation
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Antarctica
Megaptera novaeangliae
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605300017439
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0030605300017439
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Summary:Because of their coastal habits and lethargic nature, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae have been among the species hardest hit by the whaling industry. Between 1904 and 1973 (when humpback catching finally ceased), 68,294 humpbacks were reported killed in Antarctic waters, more than 40 per cent of these in the first ten years. Humpbacks, which are relatively easy to identify at sea, have been reported from the Antarctic in recent years only rarely. However, it now seems that some recovery may be taking place.

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