Supplementary Information on Minke Whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from Newfoundland Fishery

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: Mitchell, Edward, Kozicki, V. Michael
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1975
• Subjects: Balaenoptera acutorostrata; minke whale; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f75-118; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f75-118

Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) segregate by age and sex in the inshore waters of Newfoundland. The fishery in Trinity Bay exploited primarily juvenile males and females and pregnant females. Sexual maturity in females is at 24 ft (7.3 m) long and 7.3 earplug growth layers. Over 85% of mature females sampled were pregnant, three were lactating concurrently. A maximum of 14 growth layers was found in earplugs sampled. The ovulation rate was calculated at 0.6 corpora per growth layer. A von Bertalanffy growth curve was fitted to the data.