Distribution of Sperm Whales from Soviet Catches in the North Pacific

Yulia V. Ivashchenko, Ph.D. National Marine Mammal Laboratory,

Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA

yulia.ivashchenko@noaa.gov www.moscowproject.org

ABSTRACT Data   from  Soviet  whaling   (much  of   it   illegal)  conducted   in   the  North  Pacific   (NP)  were   analyzed   to   inves=gate   the   distribu=on   of   sperm  whales,   notably   for   1963-­‐71   (the   peak   of  illegal   catches).     Formerly   secret   whaling   reports   provided   details   of   catch   distribu=on   and  composi=on,   involving  53,168  whales   (although  5,302  could  not  be  assigned  to  area).    Using   two  lines  of  longitude  (160°E  and  160°W),  the  Soviets  divided  the  NP  into  three  regions:  Eastern  Region  (ER),  Central  Region  (CR)  and  Kurils  (including  northern  Japan).    Catches  were  20,652  (ER),  15,335  (CR),   and   6,581   (Kurils).   Other   catches   included   the   Aleu=ans   (1,864)   and   Commander   Islands  (2,119),  pelagic  Bering  Sea  (586),  Oleutorskiy  Bay  (207)  and  other  parts  of  the  pelagic  NP  (522).  Four  main  areas  of  catch  concentra=on  are  evident:  a  large  pelagic  area  (30-­‐50°N)  in  the  ER,  including  the  Gulf  of  Alaska  and  western  coast  of  North  America;  the  northeastern  and  southwestern  por=ons  of  the   CR;   and   the   southern   Kurils/northern   Japan.   Some   of   the   distribu=on   was   similar   to   the  geographically   more   limited   19th   century   catches   plo_ed   by   Townsend,   with   a   notable  concentra=on  in  the  “Japan  Ground”  in  the  western  Pacific.  Where  known,  sex  ra=o  was  distributed  as   follows:  ER  12,759   females,  6,552  males;  CR  8,857   females,  5,435  males;  Kurils  4,139   females,  2,354  males;  Aleu=ans  55   females,  295  males.     The  Bering  Sea   catch  had  only  1   female  and  442  males,   but   there   were   a   surprising   number   of   females   caught   in   the   higher-­‐la=tude   areas   of  Oleutorskiy   Bay   (32,   versus   34   males)   and   the   Commander   Islands   (509,   versus   300   males).    Reproduc=ve   status   of  mature   females   in   the   three  main   areas   (ER,   CR   and  Kurils)  was   generally  similar:  pregnant  10.9-­‐51.1%  (mean  35.3%),  res=ng  13.6-­‐77.8%  (mean  44.5%),   lacta=ng  5.4-­‐45.5%  (mean  20.6%).  Overall  more  than  92,000  sperm  whales  were  killed  in  9  years,  represen=ng  58%  of  the  total  catch  over  a  30-­‐year  period.  The  majority  of  females  were  killed  during  the  6-­‐year  period  1965-­‐71;  this  mainly   illegal  removal  of  a   large  por=on  of  the  reproduc=vely  ac=ve  popula=on  was  reflected   in   an   obvious   decline   in   catches   in   the   ER   by   1969,   followed   by   in   the   CR   and   Kurils.    (Funded  by  NPRB).  

INTRODUCTION !•  The   USSR   conducted   extensive   illegal  whaling   worldwide   from   1948   to   1979  (Clapham   &   Ivashchenko   2009,  Ivashchenko  et  al.  2011).  

•  In   the  North  Pacific,   sperm  whales  were  the  principal  target,  with  >159,000  taken.    Catch   data   submi_ed   to   IWC   were  falsified,   both   in   terms   of   numbers   and  sex/size  composi=on  of  the  catch.  

•  This   study  was  conducted   to  correct   the  catch   record   and   to   examine   the  distribu=on   of   North   Pacific   sperm  whales  in  the  Soviet  catch.  

METHODS !•  All   data   from   this   study   were   obtained  from   formerly   secret   whaling   industry  reports   found   in  Russian  public  archives.    These  included  scien=fic,  produc=on  and  whaling   inspectors’   reports.   Where  necessary,   clarifica=ons   were   obtained  through   interviews   with   former   Soviet  biologists  and  whalers.  

•  Data   included   catch   loca=on   and  some=mes   sex,   length   and  matura=onal  status.  

•  Catches  were  georeferenced  and  plo_ed  using  GIS  sojware.            !

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS !This  is  Project  Number  1209  funded  by  the  North  Pacific  Research  Board.  I  thank   Cherry   Allison,   Bob   Brownell,   Phil   Clapham,  Grigori   Derviz,   Nikolai  Doroshenko,  Sarah  Mesnick,  Randy  Reeves,  Barbara  Taylor  and  Alex  Zerbini  for   their   input   to   this   study.   This   study   is   part   of   the  Memoirs  Of   Soviet  Catches  Of  Whales  (MOSCOW)  project:    www.moscowproject.org.    

Figure 2. Soviet sperm whale catches (total and by sex, where known) during the peak period, 1963-71.!

PRINCIPAL RESULTS!•  More   than   92,000   sperm   whales   were   killed   in   the   peak   of  illegal  whaling,  1963-­‐71  (Figure  2);  this  represented  58%  of  the  total  catch  over  a  30-­‐year  period.  

•  There   were   four   major   areas   of   catches   (Figure   3):   a   large  pelagic   area   (30-­‐50°N)   in   the  Eastern  Region;   the  northeastern  and   southwestern   por=ons   of   the   Central   Region;   and   the  southern  Kurils/northern  Japan.  

•  Distribu=on  was  similar  to  the  geographically  more  limited  19th  century   catches   plo_ed   by   Townsend   (1935),   notably   a  concentra=on   in   the   “Japan   Ground”   in   the   central/western  Pacific  (Figure  4).  

•  Sex  ra=o  by  area  (Figure  5):  a  surprising  number  of  females  were  caught   in   some   higher-­‐la=tude   areas,   notably   Oleutorskiy   Bay,  and  in  the  Commander  Islands/western  Aleu=ans.  

•  Most  females  were  killed  during  1965-­‐71,  represen=ng  removal  of  a  large  por=on  of  the  mature  popula=on.  

•  As  part  of  this  study,  the  IWC  catch  record  was  corrected  for  all  species   of   whales   taken   by   the   USSR   in   the   North   Pacific  between  1948  and  1979  (Ivashchenko  et  al.  2013).  

0  

2,000  

4,000  

6,000  

8,000  

10,000  

12,000  

14,000  

16,000  

1963   1964   1965   1966   1967   1968   1969   1970   1971  

Total  all  Sov  fleets  

F  

M  

LITERATURE CITED!Clapham,  P.  &  Ivashchenko,  Y.    2009.    A  whale  of  a  decep=on.    Marine  Fisheries  Review  71:  44-­‐52.  Ivashchenko,  Y.V.,  Brownell,  R.L.  Jr.  and  Clapham,  P.J.    2013.    Soviet  whaling  in  the  North  Pacific:  revised  catch  totals  based  upon  true  data.    Journal  of  Cetacean  Research  and  Management  13:  59-­‐71.  Ivashchenko,  Y.V.,  Clapham,  P.J.  &  Brownell,  R.L.  Jr.    2011.    Soviet  illegal  whaling:  the  Devil  and  the  details.    Marine  Fisheries  Review  73:  1-­‐19.  Townsend  C.H.    1935.  The  distribu=on  of  certain  whales  as  shown  by  logbook  records  of  American  whaleships.    Zoologica  NY  19:1-­‐50.  

Figure 1. Tracks of Soviet factory fleets, 1964-71. Track data were not available for all fleets/years.!

Figure 3. Soviet sperm whale catches, 1948-79. Colored blocks represent whaling areas defined by the USSR.!

Figure 4. Sperm whale catches by 19th century Yankee whalers plotted by Townsend (1935).!

Japan  Ground  

Soviet catcher vessel and dead sperm whales!

Figure 5. Catch composition for major areas of concentration.!

Number  of    sperm  whales    

The  recommenda=ons  and  general  content  presented  in  this  poster  do  not  necessarily  represent  the  views  or  official  posi=on  of  the  Department  of  Commerce,  the  Na=onal  Oceanic  and  Atmospheric  Administra=on,  or  the  Na=onal  Marine  Fisheries  Service.