MINKE WHALE (Balaenoptera acutorostrata): Canadian East Coast Stock

STOCK DEFINITION AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE Minke whales have a cosmopolitan distribution, being distributed in polar, temperate and tropical waters. In the North Atlantic, there are four recognized populations — Canadian East Coast, west Greenland, central North Atlantic, and northeastern North Atlantic (Donovan 1991). These divisions were defined by examining segregation by sex and length, catch distributions, sightings, marking data and pre-existing ICES boundaries. However, there were very few data from the Canadian East Coast population. Minke whales off the eastern coast of the United States are considered to be part of the Canadian East Coast stock, which inhabits the area from the eastern half of the Davis Strait (45oW) to the Gulf of Mexico. The relationship between this stock and the other three stocks is uncertain. It is also uncertain if there are separate stocks within the Canadian East Coast stock. The minke whale is common and widely distributed within the U.S. Atlantic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (CETAP 1982). There appears to be a strong seasonal component to minke whale distribution. Spring and summer are times of relatively widespread and common occurrence, and when the whales are most abundant in New England waters. During fall in New England waters, there are fewer minke whales, while during winter, the species appears to be largely absent. Like most other baleen whales, minke whales generally occupy the continental shelf proper, rather than the continental shelf edge region. Records summarized by Mitchell (1991) hint at a possible winter distribution in the West Indies, and in the mid-ocean south and east of Bermuda. As with several other cetacean species, the possibility of a deep-ocean component to the distribution of minke whales exists but remains unconfirmed.