SC/67a/SCSP

Cruise Report of the Second Phase of the Japanese Whale
Research Program under Special Permit in the Western North
Pacific (JARPNII) in 2016 (part I) – Offshore component –Takeharu Bando1), Kenji Konishi1), Kazuyoshi Nakai1), Kaimu Sato2), Yuto Yamagata2), Masaomi
Tsunekawa2), Yuu Ueda2), Ryuichiro Moriyama2), Hiroya Mure2) and Tomoyuki Ogawa2)
1) Institute of Cetacean Research, 4-5, Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0055, Japan2) Kyodo Senpaku Co. Ltd., 4-5, Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0055, Japan
Contact e-mail: bando@cetacean.jp
ABSTRACTThe 15th and last cruise of the full-scale Second Phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special
Permit in the Western North Pacific (JARPNII) -offshore component- was conducted in sub-areas 7, 8 and 9of the western North Pacific. There were two main research components in the 2016 survey: whale sampling
survey and dedicated sighting survey. A total of five research vessels was used: two sighting/sampling vessels(SSVs) (whale sampling survey component), one research base vessel (Nisshin Maru, NM) (whale sampling
survey component) and two dedicated sighting vessels (SVs) (dedicated sighting survey component). The
whale sampling survey was carried out from 13 May to 26 July 2016. A total of 2,662n.miles was surveyed
in a period of 67 days by the SSVs. A total 444 sei, 104 Bryde’s, of two common minke, 147 sperm, threeblue, 15 fin and 26 humpback whales were sighted by the SSVs. A total of 90 sei and 25 Bryde’s whale was
sampled and biological surveys were conducted on board of NM. In May and June, sei whales fed mainly onmackerels followed by Japanese sardine, copepods and krill in sub-areas 8 and 9. Bryde’s whales fed mainly
on krill in sub-areas 8 and 9 in July. A dedicated sighting survey was carried out from 29 July to 6 September.
A total of 3,185n.miles was surveyed during the survey by the two SVs. Data obtained during the JARPNII
will be used in the elucidation of the role of whales in the marine ecosystem through the study of whale
feeding ecology in the western North Pacific.
KEYWORDS: SCIENTIFIC PERMITS; BRYDE’S WHALE; SEI WHALE; FOOD/PREY;MONITORINGINTRODUCTION
After the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Western North Pacific (JARPN)
was completed in 1999, the second phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in
the Western North Pacific (JARPNII) started in the 2000 summer season as a two-year feasibility study.
Based on the success of the feasibility study (Government of Japan, 2002a), JARPNII started as a full-scale
research program in 2002. The full-scale study aimed i) to examine feeding ecology for ecosystem studies,ii) to monitor environmental pollutants in cetaceans and the marine ecosystem and iii) to elucidate the stock
structure (Government of Japan, 2002b).
The full-scale JARPNII plan involved two survey components: the ‘offshore’ survey, which was covered by
the Nisshin Maru research unit and two ‘coastal’ surveys (Sanriku and Kushiro), which were covered bysmall type whaling catcher boats. The coastal component was necessary to cover the temporal and spatial
gaps which could not be covered by the Nisshin Maru unit (Government of Japan, 2002b).
The research area of the offshore component was set in sub-areas 7, 8 and 9, and the target species and sample
sizes for the lethal component of the research were set as follows: 100 common minke whales; 100 sei whales,
50 Bryde’s whales and 10 sperm whales (Government of Japan, 2002b). The survey was composed of threemain components: whale sampling survey, dedicated sighting survey and whale prey survey.
In January 2009, IWC/SC conducted an Expert Workshop to review the ongoing JARPNII Programme (IWC,2010) for the first period (2002-2007) and the final review of the JARPNII was conducted in February 2016
(IWC, 2017). The results presented on the three main objectives of JARPNII were discussed by an Experts1Panel. Constructive discussions were conducted and some recommendations were offered by the Panel. Someof those recommendations had already been responded to by Japanese scientists (Pastene, et al., 2010;
Tamura et al., 2016).
Following the March 31, 2014 Judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case Whaling in
the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening), the Government of Japan voluntarily reviewed
the state of JARPNII. This voluntary review resulted in the reprioritization of the research focus as well as
recalculation of sample sizes to be pursued during the 2014-2016 JARPNII surveys. The results of the threeyear’s surveys were utilized for the establishment of a new research plan (IWC, 2015). Sampling of sperm
and common minke whales in the offshore component was suspended because their role in the study ofinteractions between whales and fisheries seemed to be limited. Sei whale sample size of 100 (as in theoriginal plan) of which 10 were studied using only non-lethal methods. Bryde’s whale sample size of 50 (asin the original plan) of which 25 were studied using only non-lethal methods. A study for verifying thefeasibility of using non-lethal methods is currently in progress and a part of the results have already beenreported to the IWC/SC (Mogoe, et al., 2015, 2016; Yasunaga et al., 2017a).
This paper reports on the 15th and last cruise of the JARPNII conducted in the western North Pacific with theemphasis on the primary objective, feeding ecology of whale species. Results of pollution and stock structurestudies will be presented separately.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Whale sampling survey
Research area
Sub-areas 7, 8 and 9, excluding the EEZ zones of foreign countries, comprised the research area (Figure 1).
Research vessels
Three research vessels were used. The research base vessel Nisshin Maru (NM: 8,145GT) conducted theresearch and was the platform for biological examination of whale samples and processing of by-products.
The Yushin Maru (YS1: 724GT) and Yushin Maru No.2 (YS2: 747GT) were used as the sighting/sampling
vessels (SSVs), which conducted sighting activities, sampling of targeted whale species and various
experiments and observations.
Methods for setting cruise track line and sighting procedure
Track lines and allocation of vessels were made as in previous JARPN and JARPNII surveys (Fujise et al.,
1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003; Ishikawa et al., 1997; Zenitani et al., 1999; Tamura et al., 2004,
2005, 2006, 2009a, 2009b, 2012, 2015; Bando et al., 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016a, 2016b, 2016c; Matsuoka etal., 2008; Yasunaga et al., 2011). The zigzag-shaped track line was established on an arbitrary basis in each
sub-area. Furthermore, some ‘special monitoring surveys’ (SMS) were conducted in areas where theabundance of Bryde’s and sei whales were expected to be high. Track line for the SMS were designed
separately from the original track line. The research course for the SSVs consisted of one main track and one
parallel track established 7n.miles apart from the main course. Two SSVs were allocated to these tracks withthe allocation being changed every day.
Sighting procedure for the whale sampling survey was similar to the previous surveys of JARPN and
JARPNII (Fujise et al., 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003; Ishikawa et al., 1997; Zenitani et al.,
1999; Tamura et al., 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009a, 2009b, 2012, 2015; Bando et al., 2010, 2013, 2014,2016a, 2016b, 2016c; Matsuoka et al., 2008; Yasunaga et al., 2011). In the research area, sighting survey
was conducted mainly under closing mode. Furthermore two modalities of sighting in closing mode wereadopted, NSC and NSS modes, by taking into consideration weather and sea conditions. The conditions to
conduct surveys under NSC mode were similar to those established in Japanese sighting surveys conductedby the National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries (i.e. visibility of two n.miles or more and wind forceof four or below). The NSS mode was used under bad weather conditions such as strong wind, heavy rain or
fog but with the collection of whale samples still possible. These two modes for surveys were recorded
separately for future analysis. Also an ASP mode was used (closing mode survey without sampling activities
under normal sighting conditions). Closing was performed mainly on sightings of Bryde’s and sei whales.

2Furthermore closing was made on sightings of other large baleen whales, such as common minke, blue, fin,
humpback, sperm and right whales. In these cases, closing was done in order to confirm species and school
size and to conduct some experiments.
Sampling numbers and procedure of targeted whales
The target species and sample sizes in the 2016 JARPNII offshore component were set as follows: 90 sei
whales and 25 Bryde’s whales. Most of the whales sighted on the track line during the survey wereapproached for sampling. Furthermore sampling effort was applied outside the established research hours(main time: 06:00-18:00 (12 hrs) in local time), if collection of whale samples was considered possible. For
schools consisting of two or more animals, all of the whales in the school were numbered to set the samplingorder randomly in accordance with the table of random numbers (Kato et al., 1989). Cow and calf pairs were
not targeted for sampling. Sampled whales were immediately transported to the research base vessel (NM),where biological examinations were carried out.
Experiments
The following experiments and observations were conducted by the SSVs:
1. Sighting distance and angle experiments to examine the precision of sighting data.
2. Biopsy sampling on gray, blue, fin, sei, Bryde’s, common minke, humpback, right, bowhead and sperm
whales.
3. Photographic records of natural marks on blue, humpback and right whales.
4. Observation of feeding behaviour on blue, fin, sei, Bryde’s, common minke, humpback, right and sperm
whales.
5. Observation of excretion and vomiting behaviour on sei, Bryde’s and common minke whales.
6. Satellite tracking of sei whales.
Observation of marine debris
Observation of marine debris was conducted from the bridge of the research base vessel (NM) during transit
between home port and research area. Marine debris was also investigated in the stomach contents of Bryde’s
and sei whales.
Dedicated Sighting survey
A report of the dedicated sighting surveys is presented by Matsuoka et al. (2017). Here just a brief outline ispresented. One independent survey was conducted in this season.
Research area
Sub-area 7
Research vessel
The YS1 and YS2 were used as dedicated sighting vessels (SVs).
Methods for setting cruise track line and sighting procedure
An independent track line for the dedicated sighting survey was designed in the research area.
Experiments
The following experiments and observations were conducted by the SVs.
1. Sighting distance and angle experiments to examine the precision of sighting data.
2. Biopsy sampling on gray, blue, fin, sei, Bryde’s, common minke, humpback, right, bowhead and sperm
whales.
3. Photographic records of natural marks on blue, humpback and right whales.
4. Observation of excretion and vomiting behaviour on sei, Bryde’s and common minke whales.
RESULTS
Whale sampling survey

3Actual survey periods, track lines and searching distances
Cruise period: Between 13 May and 26 July (75 days)
Research period: Between 16 May and 21 July (67 days)
Track line: Track line set by the two SSVs is shown in Figure 2.
Searching distance: The total searching distance of two SSVs was 2,662n.miles
Sightings of sei, Bryde’s, common minke and sperm whales
A total of 270 schools (444 individuals) of sei, 94 schools (104 individuals) of Bryde’s, two schools (twoindividuals) of common minke and 56 schools (147 individuals) of sperm whales were sighted (Table 1,
Figure 2).
Sightings of other large cetacean species
Table 1 also shows the number of sightings for other large whale species made by the SSVs, such as blue
(three sch./three individuals), fin (13 schools./15 individuals) and humpback (21 schools/26 individuals)
whales (Figure 2).
Sampling and biological examination on sei and Bryde’s whales
A total of 90 sei whales (male: 38, female: 52 individuals) and 25 Bryde’s whales (male: 11, female: 14
individuals) were sampled. Sighting position of sampled sei and Bryde’s whales is shown in Figure 3. Sei
whales were sampled in wide longitudinal area of sub-areas 8 and 9. Bryde’s whales were mainly sampled
in southern part of sub-areas 8 and 9. Struck and lost did not occur in this survey.
Table 2 summarizes the biological data and samples collected from whales. A total of 45 research items wascovered. These items are related to the studies conducted under the three main objectives of the JARPNII.
Composition of sex and sexual maturity status of sei and Bryde’s whales are shown in Table 3. Statistics ofbody length of each whale species is shown in Table 4. Mean body length of sei whale was 13.24m and13.87m for males and females, respectively. For Bryde’s whales, those were 12.25m and 12.57m,
respectively.
Food habits of whales
In this survey, dominant prey species of sei whales was Mackerels (Scomber japonicus and S. australasicus)(45.8%) followed by copepods (25.0%), and Japanese sardine (18.8%) (Table 5). For Bryde’s whale, mostof the stomach contents consisted of krill (77.8%) (Table 5).
Experiments
A detailed report of the progress of non-lethal research activity in 2014-2016 JARPNII is presented in
Yasunaga et al. (2017a, b). In this section, the summary of the results is described.
Sighting distance and angle experiment
A sighting distance and angle experiment was performed on 21 June by YS1 and YS2. The results of thisexperiment will be used in calculation of abundance estimates.
Photo-ID
Photo-ID was collected from four humpback whales.
Biopsy sampling
Biopsy samples were collected from 19 sei, 28 Bryde’s, two common minke, two fin and four humpback
whales using the Larsen system. Details of biopsy sampling efficiency is reported in Yasunaga et al. (2017a,b).
Feeding behaviour
No case of feeding was observed during the survey.
Excretion and vomiting behaviour

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A total of two common minke, 440 sei and 103 Bryde’s whales were observed. As a result, 11 cases of
excretion behaviour were observed for sei whales but faeces samples were not collected. No case of vomiting
was observed during the survey.
Observation of marine debris
No large debris was observed in the environment. A small piece of plastic was observed in each of thestomachs of three Bryde’s and 46 sei whales. A small piece of wood was observed in one sei whale stomach.
A small piece of net was observed in the stomach of five sei whales.
Satellite tracking of sei whales
Three satellite transmitters were successfully attached to three sei whales, however, location information
could not be obtained from any of these.
Dedicated Sighting survey
Actual research periods and searching distance
Cruise period:
Between 29 July and 6 September (40 days; YS1, YS2)
Searching distance:
3,185 n.miles (YS1, YS2)
Sightings of Bryde’s, sei, common minke, and sperm whales
Sighting number of large cetacean species during the survey is shown in Table 1. A total of 182 schools (225individuals) of Bryde’s, 12 schools (12 individuals) of common minke and 133 schools (544 individuals) of
sperm whales were sighted.
Sightings of other large cetacean species
Large baleen whales such as fin (four schools/six individuals) and humpback (two schools/two individuals)
whales were sighted (Table 1).
Experiments
Photo-ID
A total of one humpback and one Bryde’s whales were photographed during the survey.
Biopsy sampling
Biopsy samples were collected from one fin and one humpback whales using the Larsen system.
Feeding behaviour
Feeding behaviour was not observed during the survey.
Excretion and vomiting behaviour
A total of 182 Bryde’s and 12 common minke whales were observed. As a result, four cases of excretion
behaviour by Bryde’s whales were observed. No case of vomiting was observed during the survey.
DISCUSSION
The 15th and last cruise of JARPNII was conducted in early summer season (May-July). Prey species andfood habits of sei and Bryde’s whales in this survey are discussed below in the context of previous survey
results.
Sei whale
From our research results of past JARPNII (2002 to 2015), drastic change of prey species was observed(Figure 4). At the early years of JARPNII, Japanese anchovy, copepod and krill were major prey species ofsei whales. However, the proportion of Japanese anchovy decreased over the years and almost disappearedin recent years. On the other hand, mackerels first appeared as main prey species of sei whales in 2004 andsince then, the proportion is gradually increased and became the most dominant prey species in 2013.
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Furthermore, Japanese sardine first appeared in 2014, then increased suddenly and became the dominant preyspecies in 2015. In the 2016 survey, more than half of the sei whale stomachs contained mainly mackerels
and Japanese sardine. These results indicate changes of dominant pelagic fish species and feeding habits ofsei whales in the research area during the JARPNII period.
Bryde’s whale
From our research results of past JARPNII (2000 to 2015), the dominant prey species of Bryde’s whale wereJapanese anchovy and krill (Figure 4). Seasonal change was observed for prey species of Bryde’s whale inthe sub-areas 7 and 8, with krill as the dominant prey in the early season (May and June) and Japanese
anchovy in late season (July to September). In the south-eastern part of sub-area 9, mesopelagic fishes suchas Vinciguerria nimbaria or Maurolicus japonicus were also an important prey species in August. In the2016 survey, most of the stomach contents of Bryde’s whales sampled in sub-areas 8 and 9 contained mainly
krill. The proportion of anchovy was very low in the recent two years, which might reflect recent changes of
distribution or abundance of Japanese anchovy.
Summary of yearly change of prey species
In recent years, Japanese sardine increasingly appeared in the stomach contents of sei whales sampledoffshore and common minke whales sampled in the Kushiro region (Kishiro et al., 2014, 2016; Yoshida etal., 2013, 2015, 2017). On the other hand, the proportion of Japanese anchovy as a prey species of baleen
whales has decreased and completely disappeared in the present survey. This might indicate fish species
replacement from Japanese anchovy to Japanese sardine/Mackerels occurred in the western North Pacificsince early 2000’s. These changes suggested sei and Bryde’s whales changed their prey species in response
to prey availability rather than preferred specific prey species.
Further surveys will be needed to detect possible ongoing changes of dominant pelagic fish species andchanges of feeding strategy of baleen whales in the western North Pacific.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We acknowledge the Fisheries Agency of the Government of Japan for their support of this research cruise.
The authors are greatly indebted to Hidehiro Kato, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, andYoshihiro Fujise, L.A. Pastene, Genta Yasunaga and Tsutomu Tamura of the Institute of Cetacean Research(ICR) for their guidance in the design and implementation of the research. We thank research technicians,
Tatsuo Sasaki and Nozomu Aizawa of Kyodo Senpaku Kaisya Ltd. for their contribution. Masao Kuramochiof the Government of Japan, served as onboard inspector. We thank all crew of the research vessels and thestaff of the ICR, Kyodo-Senpaku Co. Ltd and the Fisheries Research Agency of Japan for their effort andcollaboration.

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10

Table 1. Whale species and number of sightings in the 2016 JARPNII offshore survey.
Whale sampling survey (YS1 and YS2 )SpeciesPrimary

Secondary

Total

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sei

133

213

137

231

270

444

Bryde's

57

63

37

41

94

104

Common minke

0

0

2

2

2

2

Sperm

36

105

20

42

56

147

Blue

1

1

2

2

3

3

Fin

8

10

5

5

13

15

Humpback

15

20

6

6

21

26

Dedicated sighting survey (YS1 and YS2 )SpeciesPrimary

Secondary

Total

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Bryde's

180

222

2

3

182

225

Common minke

9

9

3

3

12

12

Sperm

131

540

2

4

133

544

Fin

4

6

0

0

4

6

Humpback

1

1

1

1

2

2

11

Table 2. Summary of biological data and samples collected during the 2016 JARPNII offshore survey.
Sei whale

Research items
Measurement of body length
Measurement of external body proportion
Photographic record of external characters
Record of Diatom film
Standard measurement of blubber thickness (five points)
Detailed measurement of blubber thickness (eleven points)
Measurement of body weight
Measurement of body weight by parts
Collection of earplug for age determination
Collection of eye lens for age determination
Collection of vertebral epiphyses for growth study
Measurement of skull length and breadth
Observation of lactation status
Measurement of mammary gland and collection of histological sample for reproductive study
Collection of endometrium histological sample for reproductive study
Collection of ovary
Photographic record of foetus
Identification of foetal sex
Measurement of foetal length and weightCollection of foetal tissue for genetic study
Collection of foetal eye for age determination
Collection of testis histological sample for reproductive study
Measurement of testis weightCollection of testis for epidemiological study
Photographic record of testis
Collection of plasma sample
Collection of skin tissue for genetic study
Collection of blubber, muscle, liver and kidney tissues for heavy metal analysis
Collection of blubber tissue for fatty acid analysis
Collection of blubber, muscle, liver tissues and stomach contents for stable isotope analysis
Collection of tissues for various analyses
Collection of lung tissue for pollutant analysis
Collection of blubber and muscle tissues for nutritional function analysis
Collection of blubber tissue for fat content analysis
Collecion of baleen plate for stable isotope analysis
Observation of stomach contents (conventional record)
Measurement of stomach content weight in each compartment
Collection of stomach contents for feeding study
Collection of stomach contents for various analyses
Measurement of stomach contents (prey length and weight)
Observation of appearance of marine debris in stomach
Collection of intestines contents for feeding study
Record of appearance of external parasites
Record of appearance of internal parasites
Collection of testis for sexual maturation study

12

Bryde's whale

M

F

T

M

F

T

38
38
38
38
37
1
38
1
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
38
10
2
38
7
38
38
25
7
7
38
38
38
38
-

52
52
52
52
52
0
52
0
52
52
52
51
52
52
11
52
25
25
25
25
25
51
52
52
52
52
52
3
52
12
52
52
36
10
11
52
52
52
52
-

90
90
90
90
89
1
90
1
90
90
90
89
52
52
11
52
25
25
25
25
25
38
38
38
38
89
90
90
90
90
90
10
5
90
19
90
90
61
17
18
90
90
90
90
0

11
11
11
11
11
0
11
0
11
11
11
10
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
5
2
11
3
11
11
5
0
0
11
11
11
11
1

14
14
14
14
13
1
14
1
14
14
14
13
14
14
8
14
4
4
4
4
4
14
14
14
14
14
14
3
14
6
14
14
10
4
0
14
14
14
14
0

25
25
25
25
24
1
25
1
25
25
25
23
14
14
8
14
4
4
4
4
4
11
11
11
11
25
25
25
25
25
25
5
5
25
9
25
25
15
4
0
25
25
25
25
1

Table 3. Sex and sexual maturity status composition of sei and Bryde’s whales sampled during the 2016
JARPNII offshore survey.
Species

Sei

Bryde's

Sub
area
SA7
SA8
SA9
Combined
SA7
SA8
SA9
Combined

Male
Imm. Mat. Total

Imm.

0
6
5
11
0
1
1

2
5
9
16
1
1
2

2
3
22
27
1
9
10

2
9
27
38
1
10
11

FemaleMat.
Ovu. Rest. Preg. Lact. Total
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
4
12
0
4
18
2
24
0
5
25
6
36
1
3
2
0
6
0
4
2
0
6
1
7
4
0
12

Total

Total
2
17
33
52
7
7
14

4
26
60
90
8
17
25

Table 4. Body length (m) of sei and Bryde’s whales sampled during the 2016 JARPNII offshore survey.
Sub
area

n

mean

S.D.

min

max

SA7

2

13.71

0.64

13.25

SA8

9

12.72

0.97

11.54

SA9

27 13.38

0.97

Combined

38 13.24

Species

Sei

Male

Female
n

mean

S.D.

min

max

14.16

2

12.70

0.68

12.22

13.18

13.89

17 14.19

1.30

11.32

15.84

10.99

14.65

33 13.78

1.02

11.86

15.29

52 13.87

0.99

10.99

14.65

1.13

11.32

15.84

SA7

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

SA8

1

13.04

-

13.04

13.04

7

12.72

1.28

10.21

13.61

SA9

10 12.17

0.78

10.26

12.89

7

12.42

0.95

10.38

13.14

Combined

11 12.25

0.79

10.26

13.04

14 12.57

1.10

10.21

13.61

Bryde's

Table 5. Prey species and stomach contents weight (1st. + 2nd. stomachs) in sei and Bryde’s whales
sampled during the 2016 JARPNII offshore survey.
Species

Dominant prey speciesn%Range of weight
(kg)

Krill
Copepods Neocalanus spp.
Fish
Japanese anchovy
Japanese sardine
Mackerels
Pacific saury

2
12
1
9
22
2

4.2
25.0
2.1
18.8
45.8
4.2

18.02
2.84
260.80
5.52
0.56
37.98

Krill
Fish

7
1
1

77.8
11.1
11.1

3.56
128.42
4.58

Sei- 32.80- 141.68- 478.73- 663.23- 189.35

Bryde's
Japanese anchovy
Maurolicus japonicus

13- 61.9298

7

Figure 1. Research area of the JARPNII full-scale program.

50N

Minke
Sei
Bryde's
Sperm
Blue
Fin
Humpback

45N

40N

35N
140E

150E

160E

170E

Figure 2. Track-lines and sighting positions of large whale species made by two sighting/sampling vessels(SSVs). Black line: Normal survey, Red line: SMS.

14

50N
Sei
Bryde's

45N

40N

35N
140E

150E

160E

170E

Figure 3. Sighting positions of sampled sei and Bryde’s whales. Black line: Normal survey, Red line: SMS.

Figure 4. Composition of main prey species of sei (upper) and Bryde’s (lower) whales sampled during the2016 JARPNII offshore survey, with comparison to the previous surveys. The numbers in thegraph show sample sizes.

15