The minke whale (named after the Norwegian whaler Meincke and pronounced 'minky') is the smallest of the Balaenoptera or Rorquals. this name is derived from the old Norse 'rorhval' or 'grooved-whale' and refers to the pleats on the underside of the throat and chest. Also known as lesser rorqual, sharpsnouted whale (acutus - sharp), summer whale, baywhale, little finner, little piked whale, pikehead and sharp-headed finner.

DESCRIPTION
Length averages 8 metres (26 feet) for males with a maximum of 9,4 metres (31 fee) and 8,2 metres (27 feet) for females, with a maximum of 10,2 metres (33 feet). Weight averages 5 800 - 7 250 kg (6-8 tons) for both sexes, with a maximum of over 9 000 kg (10 tons). Southern species average about a metre longer. Bluish dark grey to black above and white below with considerable variation in the integration of the two colours. There are 60-70 ventral grooves which run back 47% of the body length, or about as far as the navel. The dorsal fin is rather prominent and high with recurved posterior border. It lies in the last third of the whale's back. The snout is shorter for its width compared with orther rorquals. There are 300 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw which are yellowish white in colour - a dianostic character of this species. The white diagonal band across the middle of the upper surface of the flipper is distinctive but is usually absent in southern species. They are presumed to have a life-span of some 50 years.

THE BLOW
The blow of this whale is low and indistinct and often invisible without a dark background. The dorsal fin is visible simultaneously when the whale blows.

DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION
The minke whale inhabits all oceans of the world but is found more in temperature than tropical waters. At least three geographically isolated populations are recognized: one in the north Pacific Ocean, another in the North Atlantic Ocean and a thrd in the Southern Hemisphere. They range into the polar pack ice zones of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and when feeding during the southern summer, concentrate between 60' and 70' south. They are a coast loving species, favouring shallow water, estuaries and tidal streams in warmer water, venturing into inland seas and rivers more often than other baleen whales.

GESTATION
This period is from 10-11 months. Calves are about 3 metres 910 feet) and weigh 450 kg(1 000 lb) at birth. They are nursed for about 6 months. Females ovulate twice a year.

FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS
Minke whales are classified as 'gulpers' or 'swallowers' because of their characteristic feeding techniques, i.e. they are adapted to feed on dense patches of planktonic crustaceans. In polar waters they feed primarily on krill (Euphausiids). However, they probably eat more fish than any other baleen whale: saffron cod, anchovy, herring and capelin in northern waters and in southern temperate waters they have been known to take squid.

BEHAVIOUR
Most often they are seen singly or in pairs, although slightly larger pods have been observed. However, in the Antarctic feeding grounds it is common to find up to 1 000 whales in a single area. They often approach and accompany ships at sea and can easily keep pace with a ship travelling at between 13-16 knots (24-30 kph). They dive beneath the hull and surface on the other side. They jump out of the water, quite often shooting out at a 45' angle as far as the flukes, falling back sideways or over backwards in the sea, usually 2 or 3 times in succession. They never expose their tail flukes.

STATUS AND EXPLOITATION
Because of gross commercial over-exploitation, year after year, whale populations have declined in numbers, putting all species on the protected or partially protected list. With the decline of the larger whale species, the commercial pelagic whaling fleets increasingly turned their attention to the smaller minke whale which, in recent years, became the most heavily exploited baleen whale in the world.

Despite the fact that no valid scientific method existed for classifying minke whales under the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) New Management Procedure (NMP) and for setting catch limits, thousands of these little whales continued to be exploited annually and quotas set by the IWC exceeded. Japan, Iceland and Norway have continued to catch minke whales for science since the 1986 moratorium whaling took effect.

At the 1985 IWC Meeting the North Atlantic, South China Sea, Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea minkes were all declared Protection Stock because of gross depletion. In particular, Japan and Norway have continued to catch minke whales for science since the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling took effect. While scientific assessments of southern coean minke whale numbers indicate that their populations are healthy, there is no substantiation to claims made by Japanese and other apologists for commercial whaling that they should be 'culled' to enable the blue whale to recover.

The fact is that there is not one example of a whale stock that has increased in a measurable way while still being commercially hunted.

PROTECTION
Because minkes frequent coastal waters, they are especially vulnerable to pollution and entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris. Entanglement is a particular problem in the coastal fisheries of some northern hemisphere countries.

Whales are vulnerable to disturbance and harassment and are easily driven away from areas that they frequent. Many countries have enacted laws to protect whales such as:

"No person shall catch, kill, disturb or harass any whale at any time. For the purpose of subregulation (1), 'disturb or harass' shall also include the shooting at any whale, approaching any whale, whether in a boat or any other floating craft, aircraft or helicopter to within a distance of less than 300 metres; the stopping or lingering in a boat or any other floating craft, aircraft or helicopter to within a distance of less than 300 metres; that in the event of a whale surfacing within a distance of less than 300 metres from a boat or the floating craft, the person in charge of such boat or other craft fails to proceed immediately to a distance of at least 300 metres from the whale."

South Africa has the following policy: Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with the provisions of these regulations shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding R 50,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 6 years or both such fine and imprisonment. We appeal to members of the public, especially powerboat owners, to co-operate in adhering to these regulations.

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