Humpback Sightings in Antarctica

• 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

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.