6. Review of Previous Season's Catches
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-First Meeting")
Statistics relating to the catch outside the Antarctic in 1968 and the catch
in the Antarctic in 1968/69 prepared by the Bureau of International Whaling
Statistics were distributed.
The delegate for Norway presented a report on behalf of Mr. Vangstein, the
Director of the Bureau, who was unable to be present.
He said that three Japanese and three U.S.S.R. expeditions participated in the
Antarctic season of 1968/69.
They limited their catches to the quotas allotted to them under the quota
agreement.
The total catch was 2,469 blue whale units, 731 less than the total limit of
3,200 units, this 731 being the quota allotted to Norway and not taken up.
The activities of the expeditions were brought to a close before the official
closing date, 7th April.
There was a marked change in the relation between the sei and fin whale
catches in the past season; in 1965/66 it was 7.6:1, in 1967/68 4.8:1 and in
the last season 1.9:1.
The activities of the expeditions moved somewhat eastwards and northwards
compared with the previous season.
In Areas IV and V about 63 per cent of the total catch in terms of BWU was
taken as against about 47 per cent in 1967/68. About 2,680 sperm whales were
caught in the Antarctic and 1,225 on the journey to and from those areas.
Outside the Antarctic the largest catch is made in the North Pacific.
Six pelagic expeditions, three from Japan and three from U.S.S.R., caught
1,717 blue whale units and 12,542 sperm whales.
Mr. Vangstein said that reports on the catches outside the Antarctic were
often received very late and the Bureau had to process them at the same time
as the statistics from the last Antarctic season.
In order to facilitate the work of the Bureau substantially he asked the
Commissioners to use their best efforts to have the data concerning the catch
outside the Antarctic forwarded to the Bureau as soon as possible.
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