With an average length of about 8-9 metres (25-30 feet), the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Lacépède 1804) is the smallest and most streamlined of the rorqual, baleen whales in UK waters. It is found throughout the world's oceans, from tropical to polar waters, but has an apparent fondness for inshore waters. Its sleek, pointed shape and relative smallness means it is a fast swimmer. However, due to its natural curiosity, identification of individual animals is in fact possible from marks on the body surfaces and back, from the banding pattern on the flippers and from the size and shape of the distinctive dorsal fin.

In the Moray Firth in NE Scotland, recent work by the CRRU has revealed that the outer southern coastline provides an important, previously undocumented, habitat for the species - at least during the summer and early autumnal months. However, further examination of the distribution and habitat use by these animals are considered crucial to current interpretations and further understanding of the ecology and fidelity of the whales using this North Sea coastal habitat. Baseline population estimates are essential to management, as are information on seasonal movements and habitat preferences. As such, present studies by the CRRU aim to provide a fundamental stepping-stone for the subsequent implementation of conservation strategies and management proposals for the animals using this area of the Scottish coastline.

The determining force in the distribution of almost all cetaceans is the accompanying distribution and abundance of target prey species. However, prey items such as fish, squid and crustaceans are all usually affected by a range of physical oceanographic factors themselves, such as bathymetry, water temperature and nutrient availability, for example. These factors often vary across space and time, typically resulting in shifts in the abundance of these species to and from different areas. Through the study of this accessible population of minke whales and ascertaining which areas are most commonly selected for foraging, it then becomes possible to model and estimate possible locations for minke foraging. During 2004 therefore, the proposed work will facilitate an MSc study which will aim to correlate any potential relationship that may exist between feeding-related activities and the physical oceanographic factors including bathymetric depth and slope, water temperature and phytoplankton density. The range of methods utilised by this study will include line-transect survey methods, photo-identification procedures and applied remote sensing techniques.

The minke whale is a species on which much whaling interest is currently focused. With the recent resumption of commercial hunting for minkes in Icelandic waters and an overall quota of 670 animals for the Norwegian whaling fleet in 2004, the impacts of these activities present a considerable threat to UK minke populations; placing them as a conservation priority both nationally (under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan) and internationally (under the EU Habitats Directive, Berne Convention, Bonn Convention and the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species). As such, the results of this preliminary research is considered fundamental for the development and subsequent implementation of management plans and conservation directives for the protection of these little leviathans in UK coastal waters.

We Need Your Support

The CRRU wants to hear from YOU about your minke whale sightings on the East Coast. To report your land or boat-based sightings, please click HERE where you can download our poster and public sightings form.

To learn more about the biology and natural history of this little leviathan click HERE.