SC/59/O3

Evaluation of 2005/06 and 2006/07 Feasibility Study of the Second
Phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special
Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA II)
Government of Japan(Compiled by Y. Fujise, L.A. Pastene, H. Hatanaka, S. Ohsumi, and T. Miyashita)
ABSTRACTThe Second Phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA II)
started with two feasibility surveys in the austral summer seasons 2005/06 and 2006/07. The objectives of thefeasibility surveys were 1) to examine the practicability and appropriateness of sighting methods and sampling
procedures in the enlarged research area, and 2) to examine the practicability of methods of hunting, hauling,
flensing and taking biological measurements of large body-sized whales such as fin and humpback whales. Basedon the results obtained in the two feasibility surveys this paper evaluates whether or not these objectives were
fulfilled. It is concluded that the practicability and appropriateness of the planned sighting methods and design
were adequate and could be used to cover the entire research area under normal conditions. Results also showedthat sampling procedure were appropriate for the increased sample size of Antarctic minke and fin whales.
Although it took more time to catch, transport, measure and dissect fin whales than is the case of Antarctic minke
whales, the process from catching to biological sampling of this species was successfully conducted at least foranimals less than 21m in body length or 65tons in body weight. As the full-scale JARPA II survey will incorporate
sample sizes for fin and humpback whales as specified in the original research plan (Government of Japan, 2005),
further improvement to deal with such larger animals will be continued during the full-scale program.
INTRODUCTION
Following the completion of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic(JARPA), conducted between 1987/88 and 2004/05 austral summer seasons (season), the Government of Japanlaunched a new research program called Second Phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special
Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA II), under Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling (Government of Japan, 2005). This is a long-term research program, which combines lethal andnon-lethal methods, JARPA II has the following objectives: 1) monitoring of the Antarctic ecosystem, 2) modelingcompetition among whale species and developing future management objectives, 3) elucidation of temporal andspatial changes in stock structure and 4) improving the management procedure for the Antarctic minke whale
stocks.
The full-scale JARPA II will start from the 2007/08 season. JARPA II will focus on Antarctic minke, humpbackand fin whales and possibly other species in the Antarctic ecosystem that are major predators of Antarctic krill(Euphausia superba). Annual sample sizes for the full-scale research (lethal sampling) are 850 (with 10% of
allowance) for Antarctic minke whales (Eastern Indian Ocean and Western South Pacific Stocks), 50 for
humpback whales (D and E-Stocks) and 50 for fin whales (Indian Ocean and the Western South Pacific Stocks).
Before the start of the full-scale survey of JARPA II, two feasibility surveys were conducted in the 2005/06 and2006/07 seasons. In the feasibility surveys, a maximum annual sample size of 850+-10% Antarctic minke and ten
fin whales were planned for each season. Humpback whales were not sampled during the feasibility surveys.
Cruise reports of the feasibility surveys were reported by Nishiwaki et al. (2006; 2007).
The objective of this paper is to examine the main results of the two feasibility surveys (Nishiwaki et al., 2006;2007) and to evaluate whether or not the objectives of those surveys were fulfilled, and suggest changes for the full
JARPA II research program, if necessary.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY
The objectives of the feasibility surveys were: 1) to examine the practicability and appropriateness of sighting
methods and sampling procedures in the enlarged research area, 2) to examine the practicability of methods ofhunting, hauling, flensing and taking biological measurements of large body-sized whales such as fin andhumpback whales (Government of Japan, 2005).
OUTLINE OF JARPA II FEASIBILITY SURVEYS
1. First feasibility survey (2005/06, Nishiwaki et al., 2006)
1. 1. Research area
As mentioned in the original research plan (Government of Japan, 2005), the research area of JARPA II isbasically the same as in JARPA: south of 60°S, 35°E - 145°W. The area was divided into six sectors (eastern Area
III, western Area IV, eastern Area IV, western Area V, eastern Area V and western Area VI) as shown in Fig. 1.
The four sectors on the west side (eastern Area III, western Area IV, eastern Area IV, and western Area V) werecovered in the first feasibility survey between 3 December 2005 and 20 March 2006 (Fig. 2).
Latitudinal ranges of the survey were different according the research type. Dedicated sighting vessel (SV)surveyed areas south of 60ºS while the sighting and sampling vessel (SSV) areas south of 62ºS.
1. 2. Sighting method
1.2.1. Sighting vessels (SV)Two research vessels Kyoshin Maru No.2 (KS2) and Kaikoh Maru (KK1) were engaged in sighting activities andexperiments only (SV). Design of the survey track line was improved with regard to previous JARPA surveys byconducting survey in north and south strata simultaneously.
The survey track line was designed by each 10 degree longitudinal width interval in principle. The survey starting
point was randomly selected from the arrangement of the survey track line and longitude standard lines in thesurvey.
As mentioned in Nishiwaki et al. (2006) the survey track line with the even numbers to the longitudinal width (10degrees) was set based on the planed research days. Track line design was constructed from unit of two or more
track lines (zigzag shape) in the north stratum and four or more in the south stratum (Fig. 3).
Sighting procedures were the same as in the previous JARPA surveys (Nishiwaki et al. 1999, Ishikawa et al. 2000).
The survey was operated under optimal research conditions (when the wind speed was below 25 knots in the south
strata and below 20 knot in the north strata, and when visibility was more than 2n.miles). The standard searching
speed of 11.5 knots was used. The sighting survey by SV was conducted under limited closing mode (onlysightings of Antarctic minke whales or likely Antarctic minke whales were approached to confirm species andschool size) and passing mode (the vessel did not approach the sighted whales and searching from the barrel was
uninterrupted). In the case of fin whale sightings, some experiments were conducted in the same manner as theother whale species listed below.
The survey of SV was conducted independently from the SSVs. In addition to the sighting of Antarctic minke
whales or like Antarctic minke whales and fin whales, the SV approached blue (B. musculus), humpback(Megaptera novaeangliae), southern right (Eubalaena australis), pigmy right (Caperea marginata), sei (B.
borealis), sperm (Physeter macrocehpalus) and southern bottlenose (Hyperoodon planifrons) whales for
conducting some experiments.
The research period was 108 days between 3 December 2005 and 20 March 2006. By adding a second dedicatedsighting vessel, distance of searching was increased remarkably in comparison to former JARPA. Searching
distances was 8836.2n.miles by the SVs. The sighting survey covered most of the research area as originallyplanned, despite external disturbances.
1.2.2. Sighting and sampling vessel (SSV)
Three sighting and sampling vessels Yushin Maru No.2 (YS2), Yushin Maru (YS1) and Kyo Maru No.1 (K01)
were engaged in sighting and sampling surveys (sighting / sampling vessels; SSVs).

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Design of track line of the SSV is fundamentally the same as those of the SV (Fig. 4). According to the original
JARPA II plan (Government of Japan, 2005) the survey of SSVs was focused south of 62°S.
Three SSVs advanced along parallel track lines 7n.miles apart from each other at a standard speed of 11.5 knots.
The sighting survey was conducted under limited closing mode as defined above, and individuals were targeted forsampling as explained below. In addition, the SSVs also approached other whale species for conducting someexperiments. The total searching distance by the SSVs was 7536.5 n.miles covered in 108 days.
Sightings made by SVs and SSVs are summarized in Table 1.
1.3. Sampling method
The sampling activity was focused to the area south of 62°S as mentioned in the original plan (Government ofJapan, 2005). Density index of Antarctic minke whales based on sighting data from JARPA is low in the latitudinalband between 60°S and 62°S (less than 10% of the whole latitudinal range). This indicates that sampling of
Antarctic minke whales in this latitudinal band has a low importance.
During the first feasibility study, external disturbances occurred from 21 December 2005 to19 January 2006.
1.3.1. Antarctic minke whale
A maximum of two Antarctic minke whales was sampled randomly from each primarily sighted school. A total of
821 schools (1,959 individuals) were made by SSVs as primary sightings. A total of 779 schools (1,879
individuals) were targeted for sampling and a total of 853 individuals were sampled. Those samples weretransported to the research base Nisshin Maru (NM) for biological research and flensing. Therefore the planned
sample size was achieved. Only three animals were struck and lost.
1.3.2. Fin whale
The sampling of fin whales was restricted to animals with an estimated body length less than 20m due to technicallimitations of NM, and to avoid any handling accident.
Out of 37 schools (245 individuals) primarily sighted by SSVs, 11 schools (112 individuals) were targeted forsampling. A total of 10 individuals were sampled as originally planned. Sampling efficiency was 90.16%. No
struck and lost occurred.
1.4. Biological survey
Biological research was conducted on the NM for all whales sampled.
1.4.1. Antarctic minke whale
To cover for the larger number of Antarctic minke whales to be sampled in a similar research period as in theprevious JARPA, two research teams conducted biological research for 24 hours. As a result of this modification
the total 853 minke whales were investigated biologically in the same research period. Some biologicalinformation of the animals sampled is given in Nishiwaki et al. (2006).
1.4.2. Fin whale
All the ten fin whales sampled were examined biologically on board the NM. Because of the instrument scale
limitation (up to 25ton), body weight of the fin whales was estimated by summing up the weight data in each partof the body. A summary of biological samples and data collected from fin whales is given in Table 2.
The maximum body length and weight of the collected fin whales was 20.22m and 61.52t, respectively (female).
The minimum body length and weight was 19.14m and 47.28t, respectively (male) (Table 3). Two individuals
were pregnant. Therefore even with the limitation of body size (weight) in sampling, this sampling scheme canpartially cover for the mature component.
1.5. Non-lethal component
Apart from the sighting component of the program, the following experiments were part of the non-lethal
components of the JARPA II in 2005/06: sighting distance and angle experiment, photo-identification experiment,
biopsy sampling, satellite tagging and oceanographic and acoustic survey. Details can be found in Nishiwaki et al.
(2006).
2. Second feasibility survey (Nishiwaki et al., 2007)-3-

2. 1. Research area
In the second year feasibility study the three sectors on the east side of the research area (western Area V, eastern
Area V and western Area VI) were surveyed between 15 December 2006 and 28 February 2007 (Figs. 1 and 5).
Same as in the first feasibility survey latitudinal ranges of the survey were different according the research type.
Dedicated sighting vessel (SV) surveyed areas south of 60ºS while the sighting and sampling vessel (SSV) areas
south of 62ºS.
2. 2. Sighting method
2.2.1. Sighting vessels (SV)Two research vessels (KS2 and KK1) were engaged in sighting activities only. Track design was similar as in thefirst feasibility survey. In the Eastern part of Area V (including the Ross Sea), two strata were defined as
East-North and East-South. Zigzag-shaped track lines were adopted independently in each stratum. Details were
described in the cruise report (Nishiwaki et al., 2007).
In 2006/07 survey the research period was 76 days between 15 December 2006 and 28 February 2007. Searching
distances was 6,091.73n.miles by the SVs. The sighting survey covered the most of research area planned except
for western part of Area V (130E-165E), which could not be surveyed due to a fire accident at NM.
2.2.2. Sighting and sampling vessel (SSVs)
Three sighting and sampling vessels (YS2, YS1 and K01) were engaged in sighting and sampling surveys.
Design of track line, survey manner and experiments by the SSV were basically the same as in the first feasibility
study, except for the eastern part of Area V (including the Ross Sea) where two strata were defined as East-North
and East-South. Zigzag-shaped track lines were adopted independently in each stratum. Details were described in
the cruise report (Nishiwaki et al., 2007).
The searching distance by the SSVs was 5,877.14n.miles covered in 76 days. The sighting survey covered most of
the planned research area except for the western part of Area V (130ºE-165ºE), which could not be surveyed
completely due to a fire accident at NM.
A summary of the sightings made during the second feasibility survey is shown in Table 4.
2.3. Sampling method
Sampling method was also the same as in the first feasibility survey. However in the case of the fin whale the limit
of body size was changed from 20m to 19m. The reason is that fin whales in Area V were heavier than expected forour predicted body size.
2.3.1. Antarctic minke whale
In the second feasibility study out of 443 schools (1,043 individuals) of the primary sightings of Antarctic minke
whales by the SSVs, 438 schools (1,027 individuals) were targeted for sampling. A total of 505 individuals were
sampled. Sampling efficiency was 93.8 %. Struck and lost occurred in only three cases.
2.3.2. Fin whale
In the second feasibility study in 2006/07, sampling of fin whales was restricted to an estimated body length lessthan 19m (change from 20m to 19m decided at the field) due to technical limitations of NM.
Out of 19 schools (156 individuals) of primarily sighted fin whales in Area VNE by SSVs, 3 schools (9individuals) were targeted for sampling. A total of 3 individuals were sampled. Sampling efficiency was 100 %.
In retrieving the first fin whale onboard NM most of the body was dropped into the sea because it was cutted off by
the band used to pull it. The animal was larger (heavier) than estimated and the NM was not technicallyexperienced to onboard an animal of such weight.
Fin whales migrating to the Area V could be larger than fin whales distributed in other parts of the research area.
After careful considerations after the first sampled fin whale, no problems were observed with the other two fin
whales sampled, including an animal of 65.02tons.

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Biological research was conducted on the NM for all whales sampled.
2.4.1. Antarctic minke whale
Biological data and samples collected from the Antarctic minke whales in 2006/07 are summarized in Nishiwaki etal. (2007).
2.4.2. Fin whale
Biological data and samples collected from the fin whales in 2006/07 are summarized in Table 5. The largest fin
whale sampled in the second feasibility survey was 21.15m and 65.02 tons in body length and body weight,
respectively (Table 6).
2.5. Non-lethal components
As in the first feasibility survey apart from the sighting component the following non-lethal researches wereconducted: sighting distance and angle experiment, photo-identification experiment, biopsy sampling, satellite
tagging, prey species survey and oceanographic and acoustic surveys (see details in Nishiwaki et al., 2007).
3. Progress in the biological analysis of Antarctic minke and fin whales
One of the main objectives of the JARPA II is to monitor the biological parameters such as apparent pregnancy
rate (PPF) and age at sexual maturity. Below is a brief progress report of the analyses related to some biologicalparameters.
3.1. Antarctic minke whales
3.1.1. Apparent pregnancy rate (PPF)
Temporal variations of PPF for I-stock and P-stock of Antarctic minke whales are shown in Fig. 6. The PPF wasconstant both I- and P-stocks during 16 years of the JARPA period at around 92.9% and 85.4% for I and P-stocks,
respectively. PPF was estimated based on data collected during the JARPA II feasibility surveys and results wereadded to the time series of JARPA. Those data will be monitored al least for the next 4 years.
3.1.2. Age at sexual maturity
It is known that the age at sexual maturity deduced from the transition phase of Antarctic minke whales shows
temporal changes possibly in response to change in environmental conditions (see Fig. 7 for temporal trend of thisparameters based on JARPA data). The age of whales sampled during the feasibility surveys is being estimated andvalues will be added to study the trend shown in Fig. 7.
3.2. Fin whales
3.2.1. Stomach contents
It was reported that fin whales mainly fed on the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba in the 1950s (Mackintosh andWheeler, 1929; Nemoto, 1959). In late 1960s and early 1970s whaling grounds for fin whales shifted to north. In
the northern grounds fin whale mainly consumed E. vallentini (Kawamura, 1974, 1980). Therefore prey species of
fin whales had been expected to differ from those of Antarctic minke whales.
However during the recent JARPA surveys, it was observed that distribution of fin whales expanded southward tonear pack ice of the Antarctic since 1990 (Matsuoka et al., 2005).
Table 7 shows the summary of the stomach contents of fin whales sampled during the two JARPA II feasibility
surveys. Prey species in the stomach contents of the fin whales was the Antarctic krill. This is direct evidence that
Antarctic minke whales and fin whales consume the same prey species, at least in some regions of the Antarctic.
3.2.2. Body weight
Biomass estimations are important for the construction of ecosystem models. In this context, precise estimations ofbody weight are essential. However it is difficult to estimate the body weight of fin whale because of their large
body size.
Lockyer (1976) estimated the relationship between body weight and length of fin whale using data from Japanesewhaling fleet in Nishiwaki (1950) and Ohno and Fujino (1952).

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Fig. 8 shows the relationship between body weight and length of eleven fin whales sampled during the JARPA II
feasibility surveys. This figure also shows the data for fin whales reported previously (Nishiwaki, 1950; Ohno andFujino, 1952).
The body weight of the fin whale from recent JARPA II surveys is heavier than those previously reported in 1950s,
and this suggests that new data obtained from JARPA II is valuable for ecosystem modeling exercises.
4. A review of the biological information available for southern humpback whale of Groups IV and V
The humpback whale is one of the target species of the JARPA II. From the start of the full JARPA II an annual
catch of 50 animals is planned. Catches will be made in each austral summer season alternatively in Areas IV(Stock D) and V (Stock E).
As indicated above the main objectives of the JARPA II feasibility surveys were a) to examine the practicability
and appropriateness of sighting methods and sampling procedures, and improve them as necessary, and b) to
examine the practicability of methods of hunting, hauling, flensing and biological sampling in large-sized baleen
whales. Unlike the Antarctic minke and fin whales, no humpback whales were sampled during the feasibility
surveys in 2005/06 and 2006/07 austral summer seasons. Regarding to the second feasibility objective results weresatisfactory for fin whale; animals were sampled and no critical problem with hunting, hauling, flensing andbiological sampling was observed. On this particular issue no problems are expected for humpback whales as thisspecies is smaller than the fin whale.
Biological information in Antarctic Areas III-VI related to stock structure, biological parameters, feeding ecology
and level of contaminants in cetacean, are relevant for the JARPA II research objective of ‘Monitoring of the
Antarctic Ecosystem’. Samples and biological data related to these research items were obtained for Antarctic
minke and fin whales during the JARPA II feasibility surveys but not for the humpback whale. In this section the
biological information available for humpback whales in Areas IV and V is reviewed.
Stock structure
Mackintosh (1965) showed that humpback whales tend to gather into five or six distinct feeding concentrations in
the Antarctic during the austral summer season. These feeding concentrations were denominated as Groups I-V(with a Group IIa and IIb) corresponding roughly to IWC Management Areas I-VI. The Groups most documented
are Groups IV and V. Omura (1953) examined the distribution of humpback whale in the feeding grounds of Areas
IV and V based on catch data. Based on catch information he suggested that two populations occur in these Areas
with a boundary around 130°-142°E. He did not discard the possibility of intermingling between these two
populations in the feeding ground. He also examined the pattern of distribution by month and suggested that for themonth where more data were available (November-March) the boundary between these two populations changed
from 120°-130°E in November to eastside of 140°E in December and to 120°-140°E in January.
More recently the IWC Scientific Committee (SC) proposed the breeding grounds, migratory routes and feeding
grounds of seven humpback whale stocks (identified by the alphabet letters A-G, respectively), and suggested thepossibility of sub-stocks in some of them (IWC, 2005). Of interest for the research under JARPA II are Stock D(Western Australian Stock related to Antarctic Area IV) and Stock E, which is composed of three putative
sub-stocks: E1=eastern Australian sub-stock; E2=New Caledonia sub-stock and E3= Tonga sub-stock. Stock E isrelated to Antarctic Area V.
During the Hobart Workshop on the comprehensive assessment of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales, Stock
D was recognized as a single stock, with animals migrating northward during winter from Antarctic Area IV along
the west coast of Australia towards a current breeding destination as far north as 15ºS, beyond North West Cape,
Western Australia (IWC, 2006a). On the other hand six possible models for stock structure were proposed for theSouth Pacific (Stocks E and F) and the Workshop strongly recommended several genetic analyses to discernamong these models (IWC, 2006a).
The most recent genetic analysis conducted in the feeding grounds of Areas IIIE, IV, V and VIW involved several
hundreds of samples obtained during the JARPA and IDCR/SOWER cruises. Mitochondrial DNA control region
sequencing and microsatellite analyses showed significant genetic heterogeneity in humpback whales among thefour Areas examined, and the authors concluded that these Areas are occupied by different populations (Pastene etal., 2006).

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The SC endorsed the Hobart workshop recommendation that every effort be made for scientists to share data from
low and high latitude and carry out mtDNA analyses under the IWC Data Availability Access protocol (IWC,
2006b). Such co-operative analyses would allow for a more comprehensive study of stock structure of humpback
whales of Stocks D, E and F. Additional genetic sampling in the feeding grounds, particularly in Area V, will bevaluable for such study.
Biological parameters
Lockyer (1984) summarized information on biological parameters for baleen whale species from several
geographic regions. With regard southern humpback whale, the peak months of conception for Australia/Antarctic
populations are July/August, and the gestation period is of 11 and half months. The peak month of birth isJuly/August and the length of neonate is 4.3m. The sucking period is from 10 and half to 11 months and the length
at weaning is 8.8m. The mean length at sexual maturity is 11.5 and 12.0m for males and females, respectively. The
average age at sexual maturity is 4 or 5 years for both sexes. The maximum recorded length in physically mature
females is >15.0m.
Of interest for the research under JARPA II is the information available for Western Australia-Area IV (Group IV)
and Eastern Australia-Area V (Group V), particularly on the following biological parameters: pregnancy rate,
age/length at sexual maturity and age/length at physical maturity, which could change according to changes in theconditions of the whales. The available information is derived from samples obtained during the past commercial
whaling for this species. Therefore the information can be considered as old. The oldest publication based on such
samples source is dated Mattews (1937) and the latest one is Chittleborough (1965).
Below the main results of some relevant studies are summarized.
Pregnancy rate
Chittleborough (1958) examined pregnancy of humpback whales based on samples obtained during whaling
operations in Western Australia (1949-1956, n=2,450), Eastern Australia (1952-1956, n=821), Antarctic Area IV(1949/50-1955/56, n=1,767) and Antarctic Area V (1949/50-1955-56, n=1,250). He defined pregnancy rate as thepercentage of females in advanced pregnancy amongst the sexually mature females taken in the catches.
Pregnancy rates were lower for Western Australia (11.7%) than Area IV (48.2%) and for eastern Australia (9.3%)
than Area V (47.8%). The authors also provided information on pregnancy rate by year or by austral summer
season (season). In the case of Western and Eastern Australia the percentage fluctuate each year, but about
different levels at each station.
Omura (1953) examined sexual matured females taken in Area V in the seasons 1950-52 (n=63) and estimated thepregnancy rate at 85.7%.
Length at sexual maturity
Omura (1953) examined humpback whales sampled in Area V in the seasons 1950/51-1951-52. Sexual maturity inmales was determined according to the weight of testes. For a sample of n=42 males he suggested a length atsexual maturity of 12m (39 feet 4 inches). For females sexual maturity was determined by the presence of one ormore corpora lutea in the ovaries. For a sample of n=70 he estimated the sexual maturity is reached in average at abody length of 39-40 feet (11.9-12.2m).
Chittleborough (1955a) examined male humpback whales taken in Western Australia from 1951 to 1953. He used
the mean testis weight of 2000g as indicator of puberty. Based on 609 males whose testes were weighted heestimated that at a length of 36 feet 9 inch (11.2m), 50% of male humpback whales would be sexually immatureand 50% would have reached or passed puberty.
Chittleborough (1955b) examined female humpback whales taken in Western Australia from 1949 to 1954. A totalof 821 animals were examined of which 154 were immature, 77 at puberty and 590 mature. At puberty the mean
body length of the female humpback whales was 38.50 feet (11.7m). According to this author sexual maturity(based on the first pregnancy) may either follow immediately upon puberty or be delayed for a further year. He
estimated the length at sexual maturity at 39.66 feet (12.1m).
Chittleborough (1960) examined the mean lengths of the samples of puberal females taken on the west coast eachyear from 1956 to 1959 and compared each year estimate with the previous estimate for the period 1949-1954. In
1956 (40.15feet, n=17) (12.2m), the mean length was considerably greater than of the sample accumulated from1949 to 1954 (38.50 feet, n=77) (11.7m). Since 1956 the mean length of the puberal females decreased each year-7-

until 1959 (37.96 feet, n=43) (11.6m). These differences were statistically significant. The same author examined
the mean lengths of the samples of puberal females taken on the east coast for two periods: 1952-54 (n=60) and
1956-59 (n=15). The mean length varied insignificantly from the first period (38.51feet, n=60) (11.7m) to thesecond period (39.38 feet, n=15) (12.0m).
Age at sexual maturity
Chittleborough (1959) examined age at puberty for humpback whales from Western and eastern Australia
combined (1957). For females the author examined the ages (as determined from baleen plates) and ovaries
condition of 391 animals. The majority of females reach puberty at 4 or 5 years old and the upper limit of the age at
puberty is close to seven years. The author also examined the relationship between ages (as determined by baleen
plates) and sexual condition in 238 males. He classified a male as sexually mature with total testes weightexceeding 4kg. In males the mean age at puberty lies between 4 and 5 years old. Furthermore, the author examined
the relationships between number of earplug laminations and ovarian conditions in 290 females. He concluded thatsince most humpback whales reach puberty at 4 and 5 years old, the mean number of laminations in the earplug at
puberty is between eight and ten laminations.
Chittleborough (1965) examined a larger number of samples for Western and Eastern Australia combined(1949-52). Based on data from 1,067 males and the criterion of testes weight of 4kg, puberty is reached at 3-6years
old. For a total of 1,603 females examined the majority of individuals (70%) attain puberty at 4 and 5 years old.
Length at physical maturity
Chittleborough (1955a) studied the physical maturity based on 567 male humpback whales taken in Western
Australia (1951-53), where epiphyses were examined. Only eight animals had attained physical maturity. The
mean body length at physical maturity for these animals was 42.97 feet (13.1m). Chittleborough (1955b) studied
the physical maturity based on 457 female humpback whales taken in Western Australia (1951-54), where
epiphyses were examined. Only eight animals had attained physical maturity. The mean body length at physicalmaturity for these animals was 44.34 feet (13.5m).
No information on age at physical maturity was available for the relevant region.
More recently some information on biological parameters e.g. age at first calving, has been obtained fromlong-term sighting histories of individually identified female humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine (Clapham,1992) and southeastern Alaska (Gabriele et al. 2007). Information from such source is not available for whales ofgroup IV and V.
Feeding ecology
Mizue and Murata (1951) examined the stomach content and blubber thickness of whales caught by the Japanesewhaling fleet in the season 1949/50 in Antarctic waters comprised between 61º-69ºS and between 116ºE-162ºW.
A total of 56 humpback whales were examined, which fed exclusively on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Of
a total of 56 animals examined in the second half of December, 12.5% had the first stomach empty, 16.1% it
contained less than 25% filled; 28.6 % had the stomach 25-50% filled; 21.4 % had the stomach 60-75% filled and21.4% had the stomach full (75-100%). They also examined the size of the Antarctic krill contained in the stomach.
A 5.3% had krill of size over 5cm; 66.1% had krill of sizes between 4 and 5cm; 26.8% had krill of size under 4cm
and 1.8% had krill of different sizes mixed. They also collected some data on blubber thickness but sample size
was too small to reach any conclusion.
Kakuwa et al. (1953) examined the stomach content of 37 humpback whales caught by Japanese whaling fleet in
the 1951-52 season in the area comprised between 66º-72ºS and between 160ºW and 180º. Whales fed exclusively
on krill. Whales with empty first stomach accounted for 35% of the catch while small krills predominated in thestomach contents. Neither the coefficient nor the variance of the regression of the blubber thickness upon thelength of the whales differed significantly between sexes. Difference was significant in the adjusted mean of the
blubber thickness suggesting that females had thicker blubber than males of similar sizes.
Klumov (1961) cited in Chittleborough (1965) estimated that humpback whales feeding in polar waters consume1-1.5tons of euphausiids per day. The latter author informed of the examination of the stomach contents from 197
humpback whales sampled at the west coast of Australia, which showed food remains in just five. In each of thesewhales the quantity of food ingested was small (probably less than 2kg before decomposition began).

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Level of contaminants
No information is available for the relevant region.
It can be concluded that apart from the information on stock structure, which has been updated recently using
molecular techniques, other biological information of southern humpback whales are old dated, only available
from animals taken from the past commercial whaling about 40 years ago. Furthermore there is limited
information on time series for key biological parameters and other biological indicators of whale conditions. In
addition it should be noted that the interpretations of several biological parameters in the past was complicated by
the nature of whaling operations, which, among other aspects, concentrated operations in some particular areas.
EVALUATION OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDIES
1. The practicability and appropriateness of research methods
1.1. Sighting methods in the enlarged area
The feasibility study was planned to cover a wide longitudinal span: 140° (from 35°E to 175°E) in the 2005/06
survey, and 85° (from 130°E to 145°W) in the 2006/07 survey. These surveys were planned to be conducted
through early December to late March. It was planned that the search effort would be distributed mainly in Area
IV in the first survey and in Area V in the second survey, in the peak feeding season of baleen whales.
Due to external disturbances the sectors comprised from 35°E to 55°E and from 135°E to 139°E could not becovered in the first feasibility survey. Despite these disturbances sighting surveys was conducted in the peakfeeding season from early January to early March in the main research area from 55°E to 130°E, which included
Area IV. Without such disturbances the survey could have covered the entire research area.
Due to a fire accident at NM the western part of Area V could not be covered in the second feasibility survey.
However the survey had been conducted normally in the other sectors previous to the accident and clearly Area V
west could have been surveyed, if the fire accident not occurred.
Therefore it can be concluded that the practicability and appropriateness of the planned sighting methods anddesign were adequate and could be used to cover the entire research area under normal conditions. In particular theuse of two dedicated sighting vessels allowed the surveys to be conducted in the north and south of the researcharea simultaneously.
1.2. Sampling procedures given the increased sample size and additional species
In the first feasibility study, a total of 779 schools (1,879 individuals) of Antarctic minke whales were targeted forsampling. A total of 853 individuals were sampled from 4 December to 20 March. Sampling efficiency of thisspecies was 95.6%. A total of 11 schools (112 individuals) of the fin whales were targeted for sampling. A total of
10 individuals were sampled from 3 February to 13 March. Sampling efficiency was 90.16%.
In the second feasibility study, a total of 438 schools (1,027 individuals) of Antarctic minke whales were targeted
for sampling. A total of 505 individuals were sampled from 15 December to 14 February. The survey stopped on
27 February. Sampling efficiency of this species was 93.8%. Out of 20 schools (157 individuals) in the primarysightings of fin whales by SSVs, 3 schools and 9 individuals were targeted for sampling. A total of 3 individuals
were sampled. Sampling efficiency was 100.0 %.
One of the modifications that allowed the biological examination of larger sample sizes was the design of two
research teams that alternated the work in the period of 24 hours.
These results showed that sampling procedures were appropriate for the increased sample size of Antarctic minke
whale and for additional species. However it should be noted that in the full JARPA II survey the targeted sample
sizes for fin whales will be 50 (instead of 10 in the feasibility surveys) and humpback whales will be also sampledwith n=50 (no humpback whale was sampled in the feasibility surveys) (Government of Japan, 2005). The
efficiency will be improved to deal with such larger sample sizes during the full-scale program.
2. Methods for catching, flensing and taking biological measurements of large body-sized whales
Although it took more time to catch, transport, measure and dissect the fin whales than is the case for the Antarctic
minke whales, the process from catching to biological sampling of fin whales was successfully conducted at least
for animals less than 21m in body length or 65tons in body weight. Some facilities such as the strength of winches-9-and hauling methods, are being planned. Technical improvements will be continued during the full-scale JARPA II
program.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the evaluation above it can be concluded that the feasibility surveys of JARPA II was conductedsatisfactorily and that the objectives of the feasibility survey were covered adequately. However, the full JARPA II
survey will involve sample sizes for fin and humpback whales as specified in the original research plan
(Government of Japan, 2005) and therefore techniques and devices for handling these large animals will be
improved continuously through the full-scale JARPA II program.
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
Our acknowledgements to scientists and crew member that participated in the JARPA II feasibility surveys of
2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons for their dedication, hard work and efficiency despite external disturbances.
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14:149-290.
Nishiwaki, M. 1950. On the body weight of whales. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst., 4:184-209.
Nishiwaki, S., Tohyama, D., Yuzu, S., Bando, T., Watanabe, M., Kitajima, A., Takeda, S., Murase, H., Otose, S.,
OKubo, J.,Tsutsui, S., Takatsuki, M. and Kinoshita, T.1999. Cruise Report of the Japanese Whale Research
Program under special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA) Area V and Western Part of Area VI in 1998/1999. Paper
SC/51/O20 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished). 20pp.
Nishiwaki, S., Tohyama, D., Ishikawa, H., Otani, S., Bando, T., Murase, H., Yasunaga, G., Isoda, T., Nemoto, K.,
Mori, M., Tsunekawa, M., Fukutome, K., Shiozaki, M., Nagamine, M., Konagai, T., Takamatsu, T., Kumagai, S.,
Kage, T., Ito, K., Nagai, H. and Komatsu, W. 2006. Cruise Report of the Second Phase of the Japanese Whale
Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA II) in 2005/2006 -Feasibility study- . Paper
SC/58/O7 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, Jun 2006 (unpublished). 21pp.
Nishiwaki, S., Ogawa, T., Matsuoka, K., Mogoe, T., Kiwada, H., Konishi, K., Kanda, N., Yoshida, T., Wada, A.,
Mori, M., Osawa, T., Kumagai, S., Oshima, T., Kimura, K., Yoshimura, I., Sasaki, T., Aki, M., Matsushita, Y., Ito,
H., Sudo, S. and Nakamura G. 2007. Cruise Report of the Second Phase of the Japanese Whales Research Program
under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA II) in 2006/2007 -Feasibility study- . Paper SC/59/O4 at thismeeting, 24pp.

-11-

Ohno, M. and Fujino, K. 1952. Biological investigation on the whales caught by the Japanese Antarctic whaling
fleets, season 1950/51. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst., 7:125-183.
Omura, H. 1953. Biological study on humpback whales in the Antarctic whaling areas IV and V. Sci Rep Whales
Res Inst Tokyo 8:81-102.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Nishiwaki, S., Yoshida, H. and Kanda, N. 2006. Genetic characteristics and population
structure of humpback whales in the Antarctic feeding grounds as revealed by mitochondrial DNA control region
sequencing and microsatellite analyses. Paper SC/D06/J31 presented to the Workshop to Review Data and Resultsfrom Special Permit Research on Minke Whales in the Antarctic, Tokyo 4-8 December 2006 (unpublished). 48pp.

-12-

Table 1: Summary of whale sightings conducted by SV and SSVs in the whole research area in the 2005/06
JARPA II feasibility survey.

Sighting vessls
Sighting and sampling vessels
Total
VesslsPrimary
SecondlyPrimary
SecondlyPrimary
SecondlyType of the sightingsSpecies
Sch.
Ind.
Sch.
Ind.
Sch.
Ind.
Sch.
Ind.
Sch.
Ind.
Sch.
Ind.
Antarctic minke whales
837 2,424 170 470 821 1,959
20
64 1,658 4,383 190 534
Liked minkewhales
85 138
8
14
12
13
0
0
97 151
8
14
Blue whales
18
29
2
3
6
9
5
7
24
38
7
10
Fin whales
151 50312
40
37 24524 148 188 748
36 188Sei whales
2
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
Humpback whales
1,085 2,024
99 161 617 1,176
47
93 1,702 3,200 146 254
Southern right whales
33
44
4
4
20
29
4
5
53
73
8
9
Baleen whales
226 456
25
71
8
8
11
72 234 464
36 143
Sperm whales
138 139
12
12
43
43
6
6 181 182
18
18
Southern bottlenose whales
71 150
3
6
17
29
0
0
88 1793
6-13-

Table 2: Summary of biological data and samples collected from fin whales in the 2005/06 JARPA II feasibility
survey.

Samples and data
Photographic record of external character
Body length and sex identification
Measurement of external body proportion
Body weight by total weight of parts
Skull measurement (length and breadth)
Detailed measurement of blubber thickness (fourteen
points)Lactation status
Measurement of mammary gland
Breadth measurement of uterine horn
Testis weight
Epididymis weight
Weight of stomach content
Number of ribs
Diatom film observation
Diatom film sample
Blood plasma for physiological study
Earplug for age determination
Ocular lens for age determination
Tympanic bone for chemical analysis
Largest baleen plate for chemical analysis
Vertebral epiphyses sample
Ovary
Histological sample of endometrium
Histological sample of mammary gland
Milk sample for chemical analysis
Histological sample of testis
Histological sample of epididymis
Skin and liver tissues for genetic study
Blubber, muscle and liver tissues for environmental
monitoring
Lung tissue for air monitoring
Macro pathological observation (thyroid, lung, stomach,liver and gonad)
Tissues for histopathological study
Muscle, liver, kidney, lumbar and blubber tissues for lipid
analysis

Male
4
4
4
3
4

Number of whales
Female
Total
6
10
6
10
6
10
6
9
4
8

4

6

10

4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
4

6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
0
6

6
6
6
4
4
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
9
10
6
6
6
0
4
3
10

4

6

10

4

6

10

4

6

10

4

3

7

4

6

10

Muscle, liver and blubber tissues for chemical analysis

4

6

10

Muscle and blubber tissues for nutritional analysis
Stomach contents for food and feeding study
Stomach contents for environmental monitoring
Stomach contents for lipid analysis
External parasites
Internal parasites
Photographic record of fetus
Fetal length and weight
External measurements of fetus
Collection of whole fetus
Fetal ocular lens for age determination
Fetal skin for genetic study
Baleen plates for educational exhibition

4
4
2
2
3
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
1

6
5
3
4
2
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
0

10
9
5
6
5
1
2
2
2
0
2
2
1

-14-

Table 3: Some biological information obtained from fin whales in the 2005/2006 JARPA II feasibility survey.

F-001

Date ofcapture060203Body
length
19.17mBody
weight*－F-002

06020820.05m

F-003

060209

F-004
F-005

No.

M

Weight oftestis (L/R)
1.84/2.19kg

53.48tF－

Pregnant

Fetal length
127.5cm

19.47m52.05tF－

Pregnant

Fetal length
280.7cm

06021018.73m

41.87tM

5.36/5.54kg

06021319.14m47.28tM

10.10/10.60kg

Sex

Reproductive
information

Remarks

Spondylosis
deformans－
F-006 060214 19.15m 47.04t
FImmature－
F-007 060307 20.22m 61.52t
F
Mature/Resting－F-008 060309 18.22m 41.06t
F
Immature
F-009 060310 18.30m 42.27t
M
1.65/1.91kg－
F-010 060313 19.35m 47.24t
FImmature* Body weight was estimated by summing the weight of body parts.

Table 4: Summary of whale sightings conducted by SVs and SSVs in whole research areas in 2006/07 JARPA II
feasibility survey.

Type of the vessls
Type of the sightings
Whale species
Antarctic minke whale
Dwarf-formed minke whale
Like minke whale
Blue whale
Fin whale
Humpback whale
Baleen whales
Sperm whale
Southen bottlenose whale

SVs
Primary
Secondly
Sch. Ind. Sch. Ind.
526 1,126 41
105
1
1
0
0
20
32
2
4
5
8
0
0
18
97
0
0
91
171
8
16
33
50
2
4
33
33
0
0
25
41
0
0

SSVs
Sub total
Primary
Secondly
Sch. Ind. Sch. Ind. Sch. Ind.
567 1,231 443 1,043 13
66
1
1
0
0
0
0
22
36
8
8
2
4
5
8
2
4
1
3
18
97
19
156
4
14
99
187
69
112
3
9
35
54
0
0
3
7
33
33
30
30
0
0
25
41
26
39
1
1

-15-

Grand total
Sub total
Primary
Secondly
Sch. Ind. Sch. Ind. Sch. Ind.
456 1,109 969 2,169 54
171
0
0
1
1
0
0
10
12
28
40
4
8
3
7
7
12
1
3
23
170
37
253
4
14
72
121
160
283
11
25
3
7
33
50
5
11
30
30
63
63
0
0
27
40
51
80
1
1

Combined
Sch. Ind.
1,023 2,340
1
1
32
48
8
15
41
267
171
308
38
61
63
63
52
81

Table 5: Summary of biological data and samples collected from fin whales in the 2006/07 JARPA II feasibility
survey.
Samples and data
Photographic record of external character
Body length and sex identification
Measurement of external body proportion
Body weight by total weight of parts
Skull measurement (length and breadth)
Detailed measurement of blubber thickness (fourteen points)
Lactation status
Measurement of mammary gland
Breadth measurement of uterine horn
Testis weight
Epididymis weight
Weight of stomach content
Photographic record of fetus
Fetal length and weight
External measurements of fetus
Number of ribs
Number of vertebrae
Diatom film observation
Diatom film sample
Blood plasma for physiological study
Earplug for age determination
Ocular lens for age determination
Tympanic bone for chemical analysis
Largest baleen plate for chemical analysis
Number and length of baleen plates
Palate length
Vertebral epiphyses sample
Ovary
Histological sample of endometrium
Histological sample of mammary gland
Milk sample for chemical analysis
Histological sample of testis
Histological sample of epididymis
Skin and liver tissues for genetic study
Blubber, muscle and liver tissues for environmental monitoring
Lung and liver tissues for air monitoring
Macro pathological observation (thyroid, lung, stomach, gonad and liver)
Tissues for histopathological study
Tissues for lipid analysis(muscle, liver, kidney, lumbar, blubber)
Tissues for chemical study (muscle, liver, kidney)
Tissues for various studies (muscle, blubber)
Tissues for food study (muscle, blubber, ventral groove)
Tissues for nutritional study (muscle, blubber)
Stomach contents for food and feeding study
Stomach contents for environmental monitoring
Stomach contents for lipid analysis
External parasites
Internal parasites
Fetus
Fetus ocular lens for age determination
Fetal skin for genetic study
Blood samples for genetic study
Baleen plates for educational exhibition
Tympanic bone for educational exhibition
Pelvis bone for educational exhibition-16-

Number of whales(fin whale)
Male
FemaleTotal*
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
3
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0

2
2
1
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

3
3
1
0
3
2
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1

Table 6: Some biological information on fin whales sampled in the 2006/2007 JARPAII feasibility survey.

No.

Date ofcaptureBody length(m)

Body weight(ton)*

Sex

Testis weight Reproductive(L/R, kg)information

F001

Jan. 3, 2007

-

-

F

-

F002

Jan. 5, 2007

20.67

51.62

M

8.10 / 9.80

F003

Feb. 2, 2007

21.15

65.02

F

-

Remarks-

Pregnant

Fetal length
243.4cm* Body weight was represented by total weight of body parts.

Table 7: Summary of prey species found in the stomach contents of fin whales sampled during two JARPA II
feasibility surveys.

Stomach contents
NumberEuphausia
superba

(%)

None

Male

5

5

100%

0

Female

7

6

100%

1

Unknown

1

Combined

13

Unknown

1
11

100%

1

-17-

1

Figure 1: Geographic strata of the two-year JARPA II feasibility surveys.

-18-

Figure 2: Geographic strata used in the JARPA II feasibility survey in 2005/06. After Nishiwaki et al. (2006)

Figure 3: The design of survey track line of SVs from the minimum unit. After Nishiwaki et al. (2006).

Figure 4: The design of survey track line of SSVs from the minimum unit. After Nishiwaki et al. (2006)-19-

Figure 5: Geographic strata of the JARPA II feasibility survey in 2006/2007 JARPAII survey. Green line show theposition of the is ice edge estimated by observation of research vessels and the information from DMSP SSM / I
daily polar griddled sea ice concentration data set available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC,
Cavalieri et al. 1999). After Nishiwaki et al. (2007).

-20-

100.0

Ratio (%)

80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0

PPF=93.8%(2005/06
JARPAII)

PPF=92 .9%(JARPA)I-stock

2005/06

2003/042004/05

2001/022002/03

1999/002000/01

1997/981998/99

1995/961996/97

1993/941994/95

1991/921992/93

1989/901990/91

0.0

100.0

Ratio (%)

80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0

PPF=93.8%(2005/06
JARPAII)

PPF=92 .9%(JARPA)I-stock

2005/06

2003/042004/05

2001/022002/03

1999/002000/01

1997/981998/99

1995/961996/97

1993/941994/95

1991/921992/93

1989/901990/91

0.0

Figure 6: Temporal variation of PPF for I-stock (upper figure) and P-stock (lower figure) of Antarctic minke
whales. Close black circles and solid line indicate the PPF trend of I-stock during the JARPA period, and open
circles and broken line the PPF trend of P-stock during the JARPA period. Larger close and open circles indicate
the PPF estimations based on new data from JARPA II surveys.

-21-

Age at sexual maturity

I-stock
15
14

Male

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Age at sexual maturity

Cohort15
14

Female

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

CohortAge at sexual maturity

P-stock
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
1930

Male

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Age at sexual maturity

Cohort
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
1930

Female

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

CohortFigure 7: Temporal trend of mean age at sexual maturity derived from transition phase in earplug by cohort foreach sex and stock based on JARPA samples. Open circle is mean age and solid line is range of standard deviation.

-22-

80

Fin whale
70

Body weight (ton)

60

50

40
Published data
Lockyer (1976)

30

New data -JARPA II

20
16

17

18

19
20
21
Body length (m)

22

23

24

Fig. 8. Relationship between body length (m) and body weight (ton) for fin whales.
Small dot: published data from Nishiwaki (1950) and Ohno & Fujino (1952). Calculated curve isdrawn from a regression equation by Lockyer (1976)-23-