2021 Volume 3 Pages 286-294
This study presents the results of an examination of marine macro debris ingested by Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in the Indo-Pacific sector of the Antarctic in the period 1987/88–2018/19. Whales used in this study were sampled by surveys of the former Japanese whale research programs under special permit in the Antarctic. Also, this study examines evidence of past and present entanglements around the body of the animals. Of a total of 11,992 whales examined, 19 had ingested macro debris (0.16%) such as polymer products and wood. Only four cases of entanglements were recorded in the 11,992 whales examined (0.03%). Of 5,215 whales examined from the period of 2005/06 onward, six whales presented body marks associated with past entanglements (0.12%). It was concluded that the frequency of macro debris ingested as well as the number of entanglement cases involving Antarctic minke whales sampled in the Indo-Pacific sector of the Antarctic are extremely low in comparison with whales in the North Atlantic. These low frequencies of ingested debris and entanglements are unlikely to have a negative effect on the conservation of the Antarctic minke whale populations in this sector of the Antarctic.
