6. Review of Previous Season's Catches
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-Second Meeting")
Statistics relating to the catch outside the Antarctic in 1969 and the catch
in the Antarctic in 1969/70 prepared by the Bureau of International Whaling
Statistics were distributed.
The new Commissioner for Norway, Mr I. Rindal presented a report on behalf of
Mr Vangstein, the Director of the Bureau, who was unable to be present.
He said that in 1969 three Soviet Union and three Japanese expeditions
operated in the North Pacific.
The catch was reduced compared with 1968.
It comprised about 1,170 fin whales and about 4,700 sei whales corresponding
to about 1,360 blue whale units.
In addition, about 11,200 sperm whales were caught and the production amounted
to about 495,000 barrels of oil, about 100,000 barrels more than the
production in the Antarctic during the last two seasons.
Operations in the Antarctic in 1969/70 were carried out by three Soviet Union
and three Japanese expeditions and one Norwegian catcher/factory ship.
The total catch was 3,002 fin whales and 5,857 sei whales, corresponding to
2,477 blue whale units, 223 units less than the limit set by the Commission.
For the period 1962-70 the total catch has been about 8,000 blue whale units
below the combined quota for three years.
The number of sperm whales caught in the Antarctic was 3,090 and the number
caught on the voyages to and from the Antarctic was 2,300.
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