Translation 2783

-
262
In 1971 the number of fin whales in the Asiatic herd was
estimated at from 5,150 to 7,650, and the number in the American
herd at from 8,050 to.10,340; the amounts of the permissible kill
were estimated at 400-460 and 620-690 respectively. The following
national kill quotas were established for the 1972 season: USSR 560,
Japan 454, and U.S.A.32, a total of 1,046 fin whales.
Sei Whale (13alaenoptera borealis)
The soi whales that live in the western part of the Pacific
Ocean spend the winter in the region of the 30th parallel and Dossibly
semewhat farther south, but west of the Bonin Islands. Their
migration to the northnortheast begins in April. At the beginning
of Ma., but more ofton in the second half of May, the first sei
whales appear off the east coast of the island of Honshu. They are
observed off the northeastern coast of Hokkaido in the second half
of June. Then some of them go up along the Munie. Islands as far •
as Kamchatka; in july they form concentrations that can be commercially
hunted in the rogion of the Komandorskie Islands. Sometimes,
between June and October, they are observed even in the Chukchi Sea.
A small number of them apparently pass through -the Kurile straits
into the Sea of Okhotsk.
•
Only a few of the whales reach high latitudes. In summer
considerable numbers of sei whales remain in the waters from the
southern Munie Islands and the northeastern part'of the island of
Hokkaido to the 38th pa:éallel. They depart in a southerly direction
in October or lUovember, Prom JUne to August commercial concentrations
of soi whales are observed south of the Aleutian Islands.
In the eastern ')art of the Pacific Ocean soi whales are
found in w5.nter from the coast of Mexico to southern California,
where they stay about four or five months. Their departure in a
northwesterly direction along the coast of the continent begins
in spring (see Appendix 19).
Sei whales are seen in the California region from June to
October, but most often in August and September. They appear at
Vn.rcouver Island in May, but most of them arrive there somewhat
later, and they are usually observed in Juno and especially in july
(sometines in Aust) They also appear in th:i Gulf of Alaska in