TEREP-ICR is published annually by the Institute of Cetacean Research.

ISSN: 2433-6084

Copyright© 2021, The Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR).

Citation
Entire issue:
Institute of Cetacean Research. 2021. Technical Reports of the Institute of Cetacean Research (TEREP-/CR) No. 5. The Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo,」apan, 94 pp.
Individual reports:'Author Name'. 2021.'Report title'. Technical Reports of the Institute of Cetacean Research (TEREP­ICR} No. 5:'pp'-'pp'.

Editorial correspondence should be sent to:
Editor, TEREP-ICR
The Institute of Cetacean Research,
4-5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0055,」apan
Phone: +81(3) 3536 6521
Fax: +81(3) 3536 6522
E-mail: webmaster@icrwhale.org
TEREP-ICR is available online at W_W�.iqwhale.org/_TEREP-ICR.html

Cover photo: A researcher operating a drone (Phantom 4 Pro OJI) during a dedicated sighting sur­vey of whales in the Antarctic (top); checking the number of whales in a school of Antarctic minke
whales from a drone (middle); view of the dorsal side of an Antarctic blue whale from a drone(bottom).
Copyright© 2021, The Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR).

TECHNICAL REPORTS OF THE
INSTITUTE OF CETACEAN RESEARCHTEREP-ICR
No. 5

The Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR)
Tokyo, 2021

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. i

Foreword
It is a pleasure for me to introduce the ﬁ�h issue of the Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (TEREPICR-5). Consistent with its stated objec�ves, TEREP-ICR describes and reports on the process, progress, and results oftechnical or scien�ﬁc research, as well as the state of technical or scien�ﬁc research programs conducted by the ICR,
including those commenced recently as is the case of the Japanese Abundance and Stock structure Surveys in the
Antarc�c (JASS-A).
The Covid-19 pandemic has markedly aﬀected the ways of conduc�ng scien�ﬁc research at the ICR. Such consequences include ﬁeld surveys, physical assistance to the oﬃce and laboratories, and the necessity for online domes�cand interna�onal mee�ngs. Despite such diﬃcul�es and inconveniences, and despite some limita�ons regarding interna�onal sigh�ng surveys, the ICR has been able to safely and successfully conduct ﬁeld surveys that were scheduled for2021. In line with safety measures adopted by the government, ICR scien�sts combined working remotely from homeand physically assis�ng laboratories, while engaging in online mee�ngs with colleagues domes�cally and interna�onally.
These eﬀorts enabled the ICR to make progress on some priority and urgent works as well as advancing several researchworks during 2021 as shown in this issue of TEREP-ICR.
Similar to previous TEREP-ICR issues, TEREP-ICR-4 was widely distributed in Japan. However, distribu�on of the issue
to foreign colleagues and ins�tu�ons has not been possible due to Covid-19 pandemic restric�ons. We do, however,plan to distribute TEREP-ICR-4 together with this issue (TEREP-ICR-5) to our interna�onal colleagues and ins�tu�ons,
if condi�ons allow for it. Notwithstanding the challenges imposed by the pandemic, TEREP-ICR is on course towards
achieving its objec�ves. At the same �me, it has been a good opportunity for our scien�sts to compile and summarize
their research conducted over the years, as a precursor to submi�ng their works for peer review and publica�ons.
I sincerely hope that this ﬁ�h issue of the TEREP-ICR will contribute further to an increased understanding amongna�onal and interna�onal scien�ﬁc communi�es of the technical and research ac�vi�es conducted by the ICR.
Dr. Yoshihiro Fujise
Director GeneralIns�tute of Cetacean Research
Tokyo, December 2021iTechnical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. iii

Editorial
Welcome to the ﬁ�h issue of the Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (TEREP-ICR-5).
This issue contains eight technical reports and one commentary ar�cle. In TEREP-ICR-5, we con�nue with the seriesof reports summarizing the research ﬁndings on whales and the ecosystem in the Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c.
This �me, Pastene and colleagues focus on the studies on stock structure in large baleen whale species other thanthe Antarc�c minke whale. These studies have been possible because the ICR holds one of largest collec�ons of biopsy
samples of baleen whales from the Antarc�c region.
Results of three important dedicated sigh�ng surveys are summarized in this issue: Isoda and colleagues summarize
the results of the 2020/21 austral summer season survey of the Japanese Abundance and Stock structure Surveys in the
Antarc�c (JASS-A); Katsumata and colleagues summarize the results of several surveys conducted in the North Paciﬁc in2019 and 2020; and Matsuoka and Murase summarize the results of the 2020 Interna�onal Whaling Commission-Paciﬁc
Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) survey.
The basic concept of Density Surface Model (DSM) for es�ma�ng abundance of large whales is explained in a reportby Hakamada.
Goto and colleagues summarize the biological and ecological knowledge acquired by ICR on the J stock common
minke whales. Several biological and ecological studies of this stock have been possible by the gene�c iden�ﬁca�on ofindividuals of this stock based on nuclear DNA markers.
Mogoe and colleagues report on the ac�vi�es on stranding records by the ICR while Matsuoka and Yoshida outline thedevelopment and applica�on of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the cetacean research by ICR.
In the commentary ar�cle, Pastene presents his view on the importance of interna�onal collabora�on in the researchof marine mammals, especially of baleen whale species.
TEREP-ICR-5 issue also include sec�ons that outline the contribu�on of ICR scien�sts to interna�onal and na�onal
mee�ngs in 2021, as well as their contribu�on in terms of peer-reviewed publica�ons up to December 2021.
I trust that you will ﬁnd this ﬁ�h issue informa�ve and useful.
Dr. Luis A. Pastene
Editor, TEREP-ICR
Tokyo, December 2021

iii

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

p. v

Contents
Forewordi

Editorialiii

Contentsv

Technical Reports
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Taguchi, M. and Matsuoka, K. What do we know about whales and ecosystem in the Indo-Paciﬁc region of the Antarc�c? Part 3: popula�on gene�c structure of large baleen
whales other than Antarc�c minke whales

1

Isoda, T., Katsumata, T. and Matsuoka, K. Results of the dedicated sigh�ng survey under the JapaneseAbundance and Stock structure Surveys in the Antarc�c (JASS-A) in the western part of Area III in
the 2020/21 austral summer season

7

Katsumata, T. and Matsuoka, K. Results of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sigh�ng surveys in thewestern North Paciﬁc in 2019 and 202016
Matsuoka, K. and Murase, H. Results of the IWC-Paciﬁc Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC33
POWER) dedicated sigh�ng survey in 2020
Hakamada, T. An outline of the Density Surface Model for es�ma�ng abundance of baleen whales
undertaken by the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research
43
Goto, M., Tamura, T., Bando, T. and Yasunaga, G. Review of biological informa�on of the J stock common minke whale based on gene�cally iden�ﬁed individuals
49
Mogoe, T., Goto, M., Isoda, T. and Oikawa, H. Stranding record ac�vi�es at the Ins�tute of Cetacean
Research
58

Technical Reports-Note
Matsuoka, K. and Yoshida, T. Development of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and u�lity for the
research work of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research
64

Commentary
Pastene, L.A. Importance of interna�onal collabora�on in the study of cetaceans: experiences of theIns�tute of Cetacean Research
68Na�onal mee�ngs

72

Interna�onal mee�ngs

73

Peer-reviewed publica�ons

76v

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 1–6

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

What do we know about whales and ecosystem in the Indo-Paciﬁcregion of the Antarc�c? Part 3: popula�on gene�c structureof large baleen whales other than Antarc�c minke whales
Luis A. Pastene*, Mutsuo Goto, Mioko Taguchi and Koji Matsuoka
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: pastene@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACTThe Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) conducted whale research under special scien�ﬁc permit in the Antarc�c star�ng from the austral summer season 1987/88. The research was conducted systema�cally underdiﬀerent research programs such as JARPA and JARPAII, and more recently, under NEWREP-A. These research
programs employed both lethal and non-lethal methods. NEWREP-A ceased a�er the 2018/19 austral summer
season as a consequence of Japanʼs decision to withdraw from the Interna�onal Conven�on for the Regula�onof Whaling. Japanʼs whale research con�nues in the Antarc�c, using non-lethal methods only. This paper is acon�nua�on of the series of reports on research contribu�on in the Antarc�c by the ICR. This �me, the topic
is on stock structure of large baleen whale species other than Antarc�c minke whales, in the Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c. Gene�c analyses, which were based on the large biopsy sample collec�on of the ICR in
the Antarc�c, have provided important informa�on on the stock structure and movement of baleen whales,
including blue, ﬁn, humpback and southern right whales in the Indo-Paciﬁc sector.

INTRODUCTION
Japan conducted systema�c research on whales and theAntarc�c ecosystem for more than 30 years. The ﬁrst
research program was the Japanese Whale Research
Program under Special Permit in the Antarc�c (JARPA),
which was followed by JARPAII and subsequently by the
New Scien�ﬁc Whale Research Program in the Antarc�c
Ocean (NEWREP-A). The Ins�tute of Cetacean Research(ICR) was the ins�tu�on in charge of designing andimplemen�ng those research programs. Tamura et al.
(2017) have provided details on the objec�ves, sampling
and analy�cal methodology of the three research programs. Several interna�onal review workshops (e.g., IWC,
2015a) discussed and evaluated the large amount of data
and results from these research programs.
As a consequence of Japanʼs change in whaling policy,
the NEWREP-A ceased on 30 June 2019, the date of Japanʼs withdrawal from the Interna�onal Conven�on for
the Regula�on of Whaling (ICRW). From the 2019/20 austral summer season, Japan started whale research in the
Antarc�c using non-lethal methods. The new research
program is called the Japanese Abundance and Stockstructure Surveys in the Antarc�c program (JASS-A) (seeIsoda et al., 2020).

At this point, it was considered important to summarize the knowledge on whales and the Antarc�c ecosystem accumulated so far by Japanʼs whale research in
the Antarc�c. This paper is a con�nua�on of the series ofreports on research contribu�on in the Antarc�c by the
ICR. This �me the topic is stock structure of large baleen
whale species other than Antarc�c minke whales, in the
Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c. Gene�c analyses havebeen possible based on the large biopsy sample collec�on of the ICR in the Antarc�c, which is one of the largest
in the world. Biopsy samples were obtained during thesurveys of the JARPA/JARPAII and NEWREP-A but also
during the surveys of the Interna�onal Whaling Commission (IWC)ʼs Interna�onal Decade for Cetacean Research(IDCR) and Southern Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (SOWER) programs.
This paper is not exhaus�ve of the informa�on on stock
structure in Antarc�c large whales. More detailed results
will be presented by species in future issues of TEREP-ICR.

COLLECTION OF GENETIC SAMPLES
Biopsy sampling systems
Gene�c analyses have been carried out based on biopsy
samples collected by diﬀerent biopsy sampling systems
during systema�c sigh�ng surveys. These systems, which
1Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 1
Number of biopsy samples collected by the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research in the Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c between 1993/94
and 2014/15 during JARPA and JARPAII surveys.
SeasonBlue

Fin

Humpback

A. minke

Total

III

IV

V

VI

III

IV

V

VI

III

IV

V

VI

III

IV

V

III

IV

V

1993/94
1994/95
1995/96
1996/97
1997/98

1
-

1

4
-

1
-

-

-

-

-

2
5

20
8
19

12
5
-

15
-

-

5
1
4

-

1

-

8
-

29
20
12
21
30

1998/99
1999/00
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03

1
-

3
1
-

2
3
-

-

-

4
-

3
9
6

-

10
12
-

32
14
-

22
14
10

1
22
-

2
-

3
14
-

2

-

10
-

1

28
59
48
47
19

2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/06
2007/08

2
4

3
5
2

1
-

1
-

4
-

9
-

3
-

2
-

27
1
1

31
6
3

28
11
-

8
2
-

-

4
15
16

1
2

-

-

-

71
39
36
18
28

2008/09
2009/10
2011/122012/132014/15

-

3

-

-

1
-

9

-

-

12
3
-

26
10

13
38
1
-

1
-

-

1
39

3
-

-

-

-

14
78
4
3
61

Total

8

18

10

2

5

22

21

2

73

169

154

49

2

102

8

1

10

9

665

Figure 1.

Biopsy sampling using the Larsen system (le�) and a biopsy sample from a blue whale (right).

will be described in details in future TEREP-ICR issues,
include the ICR air gun system (Kasamatsu et al., 1991)
used between 1992/93 and 2001/02, a crossbow systemused between 2002/03 and 2013/14, and a Larsen system(Larsen, 1998) (Figure 1) used from 2014/15 to the present day.

2

Southern right

Number of biopsy samples
Surveys conducted by the ICR in the Indo-Paciﬁc sectorof the Antarc�c collected a total of 665 biopsy samples
between 1993/94 and 2014/15, 38 from Antarc�c blue
whales, 50 from ﬁn whales, 445 from humpback whales,
112 from southern right whales, and 20 from Antarc�cminke whales (Table 1). All samples collected were preserved onboard at −20°C un�l they were used at the ICR

What do we know about whales and ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific region of the Antarctic? Part 3

gene�c laboratory. An example of biopsy sample is shownin Figure 1.

OUTLINE OF THE LABORATORY WORK
The laboratory work for gene�c analyses in all casestudies involved the following steps: extrac�ons of total
genomic DNA, molecular sex determina�on, sequencing
of a por�on of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control
region and genotyping with a set of microsatellite DNA(msDNA) loci. Technical details of the laboratory work can
be found in Pastene and Goto (2016). A brief summary ispresented here based on that study.
Sampled skin �ssues were preserved frozen at −20°C
un�l use. Total genomic DNA was extracted from 0.05 g ofskin �ssue using either the standard phenol-chloroform
method or the Gentra Puregene kits (QIAGEN). Extracted
DNA was stored in TE buﬀer (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA,
pH 8.0).
The SRY locus located on the Y chromosome was also
used for sex determina�on following the method of Abeet al. (2001) with a slight modiﬁca�on. With the combina�on of loci of SRY and a microsatellite locus as a posi�ve
control, males show ampliﬁed products of both SRY anda microsatellite locus, while females show only a microsatellite locus.
An approximate 500 base pairs (bp) of the mtDNA control region were ampliﬁed by the polymerase chain reac�on (PCR) using a set of primers available at the ICR. PCR
products were puriﬁed using MicroSpin S-400HR columns(Pharmacia Biotech). Cycle sequencing was performed
using BigDye terminator cycle sequence Kit (Applied Biosystems) and the PCR primers, following the protocols of
the manufacturer. The cycle sequencing products were
puriﬁed using AutoSeq G-50 spin Columns (Pharmacia
Biotech). The labeled sequencing fragments were resolved using an ABI PRISM 377 or an ABI3500 Gene�cAnalyzers (Applied Biosystems) (Figure 2).
The samples were also genotyped at a number of
msDNA loci, which varies between 14 and 17 dependingon the species, in mul�plex ﬂuorescent PCRs. PCR products were electrophoresed on an ABI3500 DNA Analyzer(Applied Biosystems) (Figure 2), and allele sizes were determined using a 600 LIZ size standard (Applied Biosystems) and GeneMapper v. 4.0 (Applied Biosystems).

ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES
The analy�cal procedures for gene�c analyses on stock
structure are those used rou�nely in these kinds of studies, and they are men�oned brieﬂy below, together withthe progress in research.

Figure 2.

ABI3500 DNA Analyzer (Applied Biosystems) available at the ICR gene�c laboratory.

PROGRESS IN RESEARCH
The summary of research progress on stock structure forsome large whale species below are based on Pastene (inpress).
Blue whales
ICR scien�sts have collaborated with foreign scien�sts inthe study of popula�on gene�cs of blue whales.
One example is the gene�c study by LeDuc et al.
(2007), who used samples from the Antarc�c (n=30 from
IDCR/SOWER cruises and n=17 from JARPA), Chile (n=16from IDCR/ SOWER), the southern and western coasts ofAustralia (n=28 from IDCR/SOWER), around the Maldives(n=6 from IDCR/SOWER) and Peruvian and Ecuadorianwaters (n=12 from US SWFSC research cruises). Analysis
focused on inves�ga�ng the pa�ern of gene�c varia�on in Southern Hemisphere blue whales and the useof an assignment test to detect mixing on the feeding
grounds. Gene�c markers used were mtDNA control
region sequences and seven microsatellite loci. Strong
gene�c diﬀerences were found among samples fromthe southeast Paciﬁc Ocean, Indian Ocean and aroundthe Antarc�c con�nent. Gene�c diﬀeren�a�on between
the geographical ranges of the nominal sub-species (i.e.,
Antarc�c vs pygmy blues in the Paciﬁc and Indian Oceans)
was not markedly greater than between popula�ons ofpygmy blue whales.
3Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 3.

Hypothe�cal stock structure for Southern Hemisphere humpback whales. The areas and sub-areas iden�ﬁed reﬂect approximate, rather than necessarily exact, boundaries. A do�ed line represents hypothe�cal
connec�on, thin lines represent a small number of documented connec�ons between areas while thicklines represent a large number of documented connec�ons between areas (from IWC, 2005).

Fin whales
Gene�c analyses on stock structure of ﬁn whales in the
Antarc�c feeding grounds are very scarce. One of the few
studies was conducted by Goto and Taguchi (2019).
These authors examined popula�on gene�c structurein IWC Management Areas III, IV, V and VIW based on
mtDNA control region sequences (478 bp) and sixteen
microsatellite loci. The analysis was based on biopsy
samples collected by the JARPA and IDCR/SOWER cruises,
and samples from takes during JARPAII. The analyses
were conducted on the basis of three arbitrary sectors:
POP1 (0°–70°E, n=39), POP2 (70°E–160°E, n=48) andPOP3 (160°E–145°W, n=18). The study showed a highmtDNA diversity, which was comparable among groups.
Gene�c analyses based on heterogeneity test (mtDNA
and msDNA) and STRUCTURE, PCA and test for Hardy
Weinberg devia�on (msDNA) failed to ﬁnd evidences ofstock structure in the research area. A phylogene�c analysis based on mtDNA haplotype showed no rela�onshipbetween clusters and par�cular geographical group. The
authors noted that the sample sizes were small and thatthe results could be due to a low power of the sta�s�cal
analyses.
Humpback whales
The IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee (SC) has described hypothe�cal stock structure and migratory corridors for Southern Hemisphere humpback whales based mainly on informa�on such as Discovery marks, photo-iden�ﬁca�on,gene�cs and satellite tracks (IWC, 2005). Seven Breeding
Stocks (BS) are recognised, ʻAʼ–ʻG.ʼ Some (ʻB,ʼ ʻC,ʼ ʻEʼ andʻFʼ) were further subdivided into sub-stocks (Figure 3).
The IWC SC completed the assessment of most stocks
at its 2014 mee�ng (IWC, 2015b). For the assessment,
4

the informa�on on stock structure summarised below
contributed to the interpreta�on of stock abundance andtrend as well as for alloca�ng historical catches to thevarious stocks.
Pastene et al. (2006) examined the popula�on gene�c structure in IWC Management Areas IIIE, IV, V andVI based on mtDNA control region sequences and six microsatellite loci. The analysis was based on biopsy samples
collected by the JARPA and IDCR/SOWER cruises, namely:
n=81 for Area IIIE (JARPA: 50; IDCR/SOWER: 31); n=172
for Area IV (JARPA: 126; IDCR/SOWER: 46); n=97 for Area
V (JARPA: 90; IDCR/SOWER: 7); and n=61 for Area VI(JARPA: 44; IDCR/SOWER: 17). The analysis conﬁrmed thehigh level of gene�c diversity for both mtDNA and microsatellites. Both gene�c markers suggested diﬀeren�a�onamong these four Areas, with the diﬀerences being stronger for females than males. The authors did not reject thepossibility of some mixing of popula�ons on the bordersof the Management Areas.
Kanda et al. (2014) examined the popula�on gene�cstructure in IWC Management Areas IIIE, IV, V and VI
based on genotypes from 14 microsatellite loci. The
analysis was based on JARPA and IDCR/SOWER cruise
samples: n=93 for Area IIIE (JARPA: 62; IDCR/SOWER: 31);
n=218 for Area IV (JARPA: 172; IDCR/SOWER: 46); n=153
for Area V (JARPA: 146; IDCR/SOWER: 7); n=64 for Area VI(JARPA: 47; IDCR/SOWER: 17). Major gene�c diﬀerenceswere a�ributed to samples from diﬀerent Areas. Stronger
diﬀeren�a�on was seen in females than in males. Despite
the increase of the number of loci from six in the previous
analysis to 14, the level of stock diﬀeren�a�on was s�ll
too low for analysis at the individual level.
Pastene et al. (2013) used biopsy samples obtainedby JARPA/JARPAII and IDCR/SOWER surveys and mtDNA

What do we know about whales and ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific region of the Antarctic? Part 3

Figure 4.

Geographical distribu�on of humpback whale samples from breeding and feeding grounds analyzed in
Pastene et al. (2013).

control region sequences to study the distribu�on andmixing rates of breeding stocks BSD, BSE and BSF in Antarc�c Areas IIIE–VI (Figure 4). Breeding ground samples
were from Western Australia (n=185), Eastern Australia(n=104), New Caledonia (n=243), Tonga (n=240), Cook
Islands (n=56) and French Polynesia (n=62). They werecollected by several groups and research ins�tu�ons andwere provided for analysis under the IWC SC Data Availability Protocol. JARPA and IDCR/SOWER survey samples
were provided as outlined above (Pastene et al., 2006).
According to one of the hypotheses on baseline popula�ons, Western Australian whales were distributed mainly
in Management Areas IVW (84.5% SE: 0.043; FST: 0.0015)
and IVE (75.9% SE: 0.092; FST: −0.0015); whales from Eastern Australia in Area VW (64.7% SE: 0.074; FST: 0.0013);
whales from New Caledonia in Area VE (83.9% SE: 0.011;
FST: 0.0062), and whales from Tonga in Area VI (43.3% SE:
0.015; FST: 0.0010). Whales from Cook Islands and French
Polynesia were not represented on feeding ground Areas
IIIE–VI.
Southern right whales
Two gene�c studies based on biopsy samples collectedby the ICR have been conducted (Pastene et al., 2018; inpress). These studies were based on 157 biopsy samples
collected mainly in the Indian sector of the Antarc�c. Both
mtDNA control region sequencing (381 bp) and msDNA at
14 loci were used in the analyses. The mtDNA analysis
suggested that whales in the Antarc�c Indian sector insummer are closely related to the South West Australian
breeding grounds (Pastene et al., 2018). The msDNA
revealed eight individual matches (four males and four
females), which demonstrated that at least some males
and females returned to the same feeding grounds over
the years (Pastene et al., in press). The matching occurredin an area where visual surveys showed aggrega�ons ofwhales associated with high krill concentra�ons.

SUMMARY
The ICR, through its former whale research programs in
the Antarc�c (JARPA, JARPAII), collected a large numberof biopsy samples from diﬀerent baleen whale species.
In fact, the set of biopsy samples from the Antarc�c heldby the ICR is the largest in the world. These samples wereused in gene�c analyses on phylogeny, stock structure
and individual matching in some baleen whale species
that are key components of the Antarc�c ecosystem.
Results of these analyses have been important for theassessment of these species conducted by the IWC SC.
In the case of blue whales, the analyses contributed tounderstand the gene�c diﬀeren�a�on between Antarc�c and pygmy blue whales. The ICR started the gene�canalysis of ﬁn whales in the Antarc�c feeding grounds.
However it seems that the sample sizes are s�ll small toallow the detec�on of stocks. The gene�c analyses of biopsy samples of humpback whales contributed to understand the gene�c diversity and degree of diﬀeren�a�onof the species in the feeding grounds of Areas IIIE-VI andthe rela�onship between breeding and feeding groundsof several stocks. At least four stocks were conﬁrmed
in the Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c, which mix
spa�ally in some sectors. In the case of southern rightwhales, gene�c analysis suggested that whales in the
Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c belong to the same
stock as Western South Australia and that some whales
return to the same feeding grounds over the years. Morereﬁned analyses will be conducted on these species withaddi�onal biopsy samples collected by NEWREP-A andthe ongoing JASS-A program.

5Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the captain, crew members and researchers involved in the surveys of JARPA, JARPAII and IDCR/
SOWER for their eﬀort in collec�ng biopsy samples from
diﬀerent baleen whale species. The gene�c analyses on
stock structure summarized in this paper are based on
those samples.

REFERENCES
Abe, H., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Dewa, K. and Naito, E. 2001.
Prac�cal use of mul�plex ﬂuorescent PCR for cetacean sex
iden�ﬁca�on. Marine Mammal Science 17 (3): 657–664.
Goto, M. and Taguchi, M. 2019. Gene�c analyses on stock structure of ﬁn whales in the Indo Paciﬁc region of the Antarc�cfeeding grounds. Paper SC/68a/SH02 presented to the
IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May 2019 (unpublished). 13 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2005. Report of the
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on other Southern Hemisphere whale stocks. J. Cetacean Res.
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Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2015a. Report of the Expert
Workshop to Review the Japanese JARPAII Special Permit
Research Programme. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. (Suppl.) 16:
369–409.
Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2015b. Report of the
Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. (Suppl.) 16:
1–87.
Isoda, T., Katsumata, T., Matsuoka, K. and Pastene, L.A. 2020.
An outline of the Japanese Abundance and Stock structure
Surveys in the Antarc�c (JASS-A) including results of the ﬁrst
survey under this new research program. Technical Reports of
the Institute of Cetacean Research (TEREP-ICR) No. 4: 12–22.
Kanda, N., Goto, M. and Pastene, L.A. 2014. Stock structureof humpback whales in the Antarc�c feeding grounds asrevealed by microsatellite DNA data. Paper SC/F14/J31 presented to the JARPAII Special Permit Expert Panel Review
Workshop, February 2014 (unpublished). 5 pp. [Available
from the IWC Secretariat].
Kasamatsu, F., Iwata, S. and Nishiwaki, S. 1991. Developmentof biopsy skin sampling system for fast swimming whales inpelagic waters. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 41: 555–557.
Larsen, F. 1998. Development of a biopsy system primarily foruse on large cetaceans. Paper SC/50/O15 presented to the

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IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, April–May 1998 (unpublished).
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LeDuc, R.G., Dizon, A.E., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Kato, H.,
Nishiwaki, S., LeDuc, C.A. and Brownell, R.L. 2007. Pa�erns ofgene�c varia�on in Southern Hemisphere blue whales, andthe use of assignment test to detect mixing on the feeding
grounds. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 9 (1): 73–80.
Pastene, L.A. (in press). A review of biopsy sampling experiments and studies of stock structure, phylogeny and taxonomy of large whales based on samples obtained on IDCR/
SOWER cruises. J. Cetacean Res. Manage.
Pastene, L.A. and Goto, M. 2016. Gene�c characteriza�on andpopula�on gene�c structure of the Antarc�c minke whale
Balaenoptera bonaerensis in the Indo-Paciﬁc region of theSouthern Ocean. Fish Sci 82: 873–886.
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N. 2006. Gene�c characteris�cs and popula�on structureof humpback whales in the Antarc�c feeding ground as
revealed by mitochondrial DNA control region sequencing
and microsatellite analyses. Paper SC/A06/HW40 presented
to the IWC Workshop on Comprehensive Assessment ofSouthern Hemisphere Humpback Whales, April 2006. Also
paper SC/D06/J1 presented to the JARPA Review Workshop,
December 2006 (unpublished). 13 pp. [Available from the
IWC Secretariat].
Pastene, L.A., Kitakado, T., Goto, M. and Kanda, N. 2013.
Mixing rates of humpback whales of Stocks D, E and F in the
Antarc�c feedings grounds based on mitochondrial DNA
analyses. Paper SC/65a/SH13 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁcCommi�ee, June 2013 (unpublished). 11 pp. [Available fromthe IWC Secretariat].
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Acuna, P., Taguchi, M., Hakamada, T.
and Matsuoka, K. 2018. Popula�on iden�ty, site-ﬁdelity,
movement ranges and preliminary es�mates of abundance ofsouthern right whales in the Antarc�c Indian sector inferredfrom gene�c markers. Paper WG-EMM-18/18 presented to
the CCAMLR WG-EMM-18. 13 pp.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Taguchi, M. and Matsuoka, K. (in press).
Gene�c matches of southern right whales in the Indian sectorof the Antarc�c: a contribu�on towards understanding their
movement and site ﬁdelity. Cetacean Population Studies.
Tamura, T., Matsuoka, K. and Pastene, L.A. 2017. An overview
of the research programs on large whales conducted by
the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research. Technical Reports of theInstitute of Cetacean Research (TEREP-ICR) No. 1: 1–14.

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 7–15

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

Results of the dedicated sigh�ng survey under the JapaneseAbundance and Stock structure Surveys in the Antarc�c (JASS-A) inthe western part of Area III in the 2020/21 austral summer season
Tatsuya Isoda*, Taiki Katsumata and Koji Matsuoka
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: isoda@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACTThe results of the sigh�ng survey of the Japanese Abundance and Stock structure Surveys in the Antarc�c(JASS-A) in the 2020/21 austral summer season are reported. A dedicated sigh�ng vessel was engaged in theline transect method survey in the eastern part of Antarc�c Area III West (015°E–035°E) for 28 days, from 10
January to 6 February 2021. The total searching distance in the research area was 1,744.3 n.miles (3,230.4 km).
Four baleen whale species and at least three toothed whale species were sighted in the research area. Other
research ac�vi�es such as biopsy sampling, photo-ID, satellite tagging and oceanographic observa�ons werealso conducted. The Antarc�c Area III West (000°–035°E) was covered during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 JASS-A
surveys.

INTRODUCTION
Long-term systema�c surveys on whales and the ecosystem in the Antarc�c such as the JARPA/JARPAII1,
NEWREP-A2, and IDCR/SOWER3 obtained important data
to study the abundance and abundance trends of large
whales as well the biology and role of whales in the Antarc�c ecosystem. All these research programs have been
terminated. The last NEWREP-A survey was carried out inthe 2018/19 austral summer season.
The Japanese Abundance and Stock structure Surveys
in the Antarc�c (JASS-A) commenced in the 2019/20 austral summer season because it was considered important
to con�nue with the whale and ecosystem surveys in the
Indo-Paciﬁc region of the Antarc�c through dedicatedsigh�ng surveys and other non-lethal research tech-1

Japanese Whale Research Programs under Special Permit in
the Antarc�c, Phases I and II
2
New Scien�ﬁc Whale Research Program in the Antarc�c Ocean
3
Interna�onal Decade for Cetacean Research/Southern Ocean
Whale and Ecosystem Research
4Interna�onal Whaling Commission-Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee
5Commission for the Conserva�on of Antarc�c Marine Living Resources-Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring andManagement
6
North Atlan�c Marine Mammal Commission-Scien�ﬁcCommi�eeniques. JASS-A has two main research objec�ves, i) the
study of the abundance and abundance trends of large
whale species, and ii) the study of the distribu�on, movement and stock structure of large whale species. JASS-A
also has several secondary research objec�ves related tooceanography, marine debris, whale biology, and study
on the u�lity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The
JASS-A program was presented to the 2019 mee�ng of
IWC SC4 (GOJ, 2019a), the 2019 mee�ng of CCAMLREMM5 (GOJ, 2019b), and the 2019 mee�ng of NAMMCO
SC6 (GOJ, 2019c).
The approach of JASS-A is systema�c vessel-basedsigh�ng surveys u�lizing the ʻline transect methodʼ. Surveys are designed and conducted following the protocols
included in the ʻRequirements and Guidelines for Conduc�ng Surveys and Analysing Data within the Revised
Management Schemeʼ (IWC, 2012). Sigh�ng protocols
are the same as those used in the former IDCR/SOWER
surveys (Matsuoka et al., 2003). The JASS-A surveys are
conducted alterna�vely in IWC Management Areas III, IV,
V and VI by one or two specialized vessels, during a tenta�ve period of eight austral summer seasons.
The ﬁrst JASS-A survey was carried out in the 2019/20
austral summer season and covered the sector 000°–
015°E of Area III. The second survey was carried out during the 2020/21 season and covered the sector 015°E–
035°E of this Area. This paper presents a summary of theresults of the 2020/21 JASS-A survey.
7

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

SURVEY DESIGN
Research area
The research area of JASS-A is comprised by IWC Management Areas III, IV, V and VI, south of 60°S (Figure 1).
The research area in the 2020/21 season covered by thesurvey was the eastern part of Antarc�c Area III West(015°E–035°E), south of 60°S (Figure 1). The area wasdivided into northern and southern strata based on a line
45 n.miles from the ice-edge (Figure 2). In the northernand southern strata, the survey track lines consisted ofa zigzag course changing direc�on at 5°00ʹ and 2°30ʹ
longitudinal degree intervals in a 10 degrees longitudinalband, respec�vely (Figure 2). The star�ng point in thissurvey followed the last longitudinal point of the 2019/20
JASS-A survey (000°–015°E).

Research vessel
The dedicated sigh�ng vessel Yushin-Maru No. 2 (YS2) was
engaged in the survey. Its speciﬁca�ons are: gross tonnage 747GT, total length 69.6 m, top barrel pla�orm (TOP)19.5 m, Independent Observer Pla�orm (IOP) 13.5 m, andupper bridge pla�orm (UBP) 11.5 m (Figure 3). Three Japanese researchers par�cipa�ng in the survey had experience in conduc�ng line transect surveys, biopsy sampling,
photo-iden�ﬁca�on (photo-ID), satellite tagging, andoceanographic survey in the Antarc�c through the previous JARPA/JARPAII and NEWREP-A programs.
Sigh�ng procedures and mode
The sigh�ng survey was conducted using (1) Passing withabeam Closing mode (NSP) and (2) Passing with Independent Observer (IO) mode. For NSP mode, there were two
primary observers on the TOP. For IO mode, there were two
primary observers on the TOP and one primary observer on

Figure 2.
Figure 1.

Research area of JASS-A. The shaded area
(015°E–035°E) indicates the surveyed area in the2020/21 austral summer season.

Figure 3.
8

Research area (015°E–035°E) and searching eﬀorts
of the JASS-A survey in 2020/21. The research commenced at 60°00ʹS; 026°41ʹE and ended at 68°17ʹS;
015°00ʹE.

The dedicated sigh�ng vessel Yushin-Maru No. 2 and its equipped three pla�orms.

Results of the dedicated sigh�ng survey of JASS-A in the 2020/21 austral summer season

the IOP. There was no open communica�on between the
IOP and the TOP. Two primary observers were at the UBP,
regardless of the research mode. The observers conductedsearching for cetaceans by using angle board and binoculars with re�cles (7x), which include the distance es�mate
scales. Sigh�ng-informa�on by these TOP and IOP observers was reported to researchers and observers on the UBP
for data recording and tracking of cetaceans.
Sigh�ng ac�vi�es were classiﬁed into two principal
types: ʻOn-eﬀortʼ and ʻOﬀ-eﬀortʼ. On-eﬀort ac�vi�eswere �mes when full search eﬀort was being executedand condi�ons (such as weather and sea state) were
within acceptable condi�ons to conduct research. Oﬀeﬀort ac�vi�es were all ac�vi�es that were not On-eﬀort.
All sigh�ngs recorded while the vessel was On-eﬀort wereclassiﬁed as ʻPrimary sigh�ngsʼ, and all other sigh�ngs
were classiﬁed as ʻSecondary sigh�ngsʼ.
Guidelines for species iden�ﬁca�on and determining
group size were the same as those used during the IWCSOWER surveys (Anon, 2008).
For details of the procedures used for sigh�ng surveys
and other research ac�vi�es such as sigh�ng distance andangle experiment, photo-ID, biopsy sampling, satellite
tagging, oceanographic survey, marine debris observa�on, and survey using UAV see Isoda et al. (2021).

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY
Narra�ve of the survey
Table 1 shows the i�nerary of the survey. The dura�onof this cruise was 109 days. The YS2 departed Shiogama,
Japan on 4 December 2020 arriving in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique on 2 January 2021. The YS2 started
the sigh�ng survey in Antarc�c Area III West at 60°00ʹS;
026°41ʹE on 10 January. The survey was completed at
68°17ʹS; 015°00ʹE on 6 February. The YS2 arrived back in

Maputo on 20 February and Japan on 22 March.
Research eﬀort in the research area
Table 2 shows a summary of the eﬀort spent during thesurvey. The YS2 was engaged in the research for 28 days,
from 10 January to 6 February 2021. The total searchingeﬀort was 1,744.3 n.miles (3,230.4 km); 887.3 n.miles in
NSP mode for 84 hours 59 minutes and 857.0 n.miles in
IO mode for 83 hours 27 minutes. In the northern stratum, the total searching eﬀort was 1,097.7 n.miles (NSP:
528.3 n.miles; IO: 569.4 n.miles), and the searching eﬀort
coverage was 68%. In the southern stratum, the total
searching eﬀort was 646.6 n.miles (NSP: 359.0 n.miles;
IO: 287.6 n.miles), and the searching eﬀort coverage was90%. Therefore, a good distribu�on of eﬀort within both
strata and survey mode was achieved. The total experimental �me for photo-ID, biopsy sampling, tagging anddistance and angle experiment was 31 hours 41 minutes.
Whale sigh�ngs in the research area
Four baleen whale species and at least three toothed
whale species were sighted in the research area. The
dominant whale species in the research area was the
humpback whale (359 schools/697 individuals) followedby the ﬁn whale (136/228). Sigh�ngs of other species
were as follows; Antarc�c minke whale (51/120), Antarc�c blue whale (24/29), sperm whale (6/6), killer whale(4/13), southern bo�lenose whale (6/16), and Ziphiidae(10/16) (Table 3).
Antarctic blue whales
Blue whales were found more frequently in the southern
stratum (Figure 4) as found in previous surveys (Ensor
et al., 2005; Isoda et al., 2020). Nine schools (13 individuals) were sighted in the vicinity of 67°10ʹS; 030°10ʹE.

Table 1
Narra�ve of the 2020/21 JASS-A dedicated sigh�ng survey.
Date (y/m/d)

Event2020/11/20
2020/12/03
2020/12/04
2020/12/20
2021/01/02
2021/01/10
2021/02/06
2021/02/20
2021/03/04
2021/03/22

Planning mee�ng at Tokyo, Japan
Pre-cruise mee�ng at Shiogama, JapanYS2 departed Shiogama, Japan
Transit survey started at 10°11ʹS; 089°26ʹE
YS2 arrive in Maputo, Mozambique
Transit survey ﬁnished and survey started in the research area at 60°00ʹS; 026°41ʹE
Survey completed in the research area (28 days) and transit survey start at 68°17ʹS; 015°00ʹE
YS2 arrive in Maputo, Mozambique
Transit survey completed at 10°30ʹS; 085°20ʹE
YS2 arrived in Japan and post cruise mee�ng carried out in Shiogama, Japan
9

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 2
Summary of searching eﬀort (�me and distance) and �me (hours) spent during the 2020/21 JASS-A survey.
Searching eﬀort (distance [n.miles]and �me [hours:minutes])

Date and �me
Survey Sec�ons

NSP

Experiments �me
Es�mated angle andPhoto-ID, Biopsy,
distance training/tagging experimentexperiment

Start

End

IO

Transit survey(10°S-Entering MZ EEZ)

2020/12/20
06:10

2020/12/31
17:20

519.7

45:03

—

—

00:29

—

Transit survey(Leaving SA EEZ-60°S)

2021/01/04
12:00

2021/01/10
08:30

283.0

24:17

—

—

00:33

—

Research area
(Area IIIW 015°E-035°E)

2021/01/10
08:47

2021/02/06
14:30

887.3

84:59

857.0

83:27

25:08

06:33

Transit survey(015°E-Entering SA EEZ)

2021/02/06
14:30

2021/02/17
11:51

474.8

41:38

—

—

04:17

—

Transit survey(Leaving MZ EEZ-10°S)

2021/02/22
11:32

2021/03/04
16:35

593.4

50:02

—

—

—

—

Total

2020/12/20
06:10

2021/03/04 2,758.2 245:59
16:35

857.0

83:27

30:27

06:33

Table 3
Number of sigh�ngs in the research area, by stratum and species.
Eastern part of Area IIIW (015°E–035°E)
Species

Antarc�c blue whale
Fin whale
Like ﬁnAntarc�c minke whale
Like minke
Humpback whale
Like humpback
Baleen whales
Sperm whale
Killer whale (Undetermined ecotypes)
Southern bo�lenose whale
Ziphiidae
Uniden�ﬁed whales

Northern stratum

Primary

SecondaryPrimary

SecondaryPrimary

Secondary

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

21
14
0
23
0
96
0
4
1
2
0
2
2

25
17
0
42
0
128
0
4
1
7
0
2
2

1
0
0
12
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

1
0
0
57
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

2
117
2
13
1
256
1
4
5
2
6
8
4

3
201
2
18
1
559
1
4
5
6
16
14
4

0
5
0
3
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
10
0
3
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

23
131
2
36
1
352
1
8
6
4
6
10
6

28
218
2
60
1
687
1
8
6
13
16
16
6

1
5
0
15
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

1
10
0
60
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

24
136
2
51
1
359
1
8
6
4
6
10
7

29
228
2
120
1
697
1
8
6
13
16
16
7

Fin whales
Fin whales were mainly distributed in the northern
stratum (Figure 4). In a previous survey, this species was
hardly observed in this area (Ensor et al., 2005). This difference could be due to an increase in the abundanceof this species, as suggested previously (Matsuoka andHakamada, 2014).
10

Sub-total

Southern stratum

Total

Antarctic minke whales
Antarc�c minke whales were mainly sighted in the western part of the research area, in the southern stratum(near the ice-edge). They were infrequently sighted in
the southern stratum in the eastern part of the researcharea and in the northern stratum (Figure 4). In previous
surveys, this species was more frequently sighted in theResults of the dedicated sigh�ng survey of JASS-A in the 2020/21 austral summer season

Figure 4.

Posi�on of primary sigh�ngs of Antarc�c blue, ﬁn, Antarc�c minke, and humpback whales.

southern stratum in the western side of Area IIIW (Ensor
et al., 2005; Bando et al., 2019).

Other research ac�vi�es
Table 4 shows a summary of diﬀerent research ac�vi�es.

Humpback whales
Humpback whales were sighted frequently across theen�re research area (Figure 4) which is a diﬀerent pa�ern
from previous surveys (Ensor et al., 2005). This observa�on could be due to an increase in abundance and distribu�on of this species in the research area as suggested
previously (Hakamada and Matsuoka, 2014).

Sighting distance and angle experiment
The sigh�ng distance and angle experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the accuracy of sigh�ng distanceand angle provided by primary observers. The results ofthis experiment will be used for the calcula�on of abundance es�mates. A training for this experiment was conducted on 13 January. The actual experiments comprising
128 trials were successfully completed on 1 February.

Duplicate sightings
Duplicates sigh�ngs were those sigh�ngs made by boththe IOP and TOP barrel observers during the IO mode
survey. These data will be used to es�mate g(0), which inturn is used to adjust es�mates of abundance. Duplicateswere recorded for a total of 127 sigh�ngs (involving several whale species) in this survey.

Photo-ID
Photo-ID data is used for matching exercise to inves�gate
distribu�on and movement of those large whales (Figure 5). A total of 20 Antarc�c blue, 41 humpback and 1
killer whales were successfully photo-iden�ﬁed during
the en�re survey. These data will be registered with theIns�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) catalogue and submission of photographs be made to relevant interna�onal
11

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 4
Summary of experiments during the 2020/21 JASS-A survey.
Experiments
Sigh�ng distance and angle experiment
Photo-ID
Biopsy sampling
Satellite tagging
Data logger tagging
Oceanographic survey
Marine debris observa�on
UAV

Results and descrip�ons
128 trials completed by 1 February
Obtained from 20 Antarc�c blue, 41 humpback and 1 killer whales
Collected from 8 Antarc�c blue, 15 ﬁn, 14 Antarc�c minke, 16 humpbackand 1 Brydeʼs whales
Deployed on 7 ﬁn and 10 Antarc�c minke whales
Deployed on 2 humpback whales
99 XCTD casts
No debris was observed in the research area
Aerial images collected from 10 Antarc�c blue, 7 ﬁn and 2 humpback whales

Figure 5.

Examples of photo-ID of humpback whales during the 2020/21 JASS-A survey, ventral side of the ﬂukes(le�) and le� side of dorsal ﬁn (right).

Figure 6.

Biopsy sampling of blue whale using a Larsen system during the 2020/21 JASS-A survey (le� and middle);skin/blubber samples of a blue whale obtained by biopsy sampling (right).

catalogues (e.g. Matsuoka and Pastene, 2014).
Biopsy sampling for large whales
Biopsy samples are used for studies on stock structureof large whale based on gene�c analyses and for otherfeasibility studies included among the speciﬁc objec�vesof the JASS-A. A total of 54 biopsy samples were collectedfrom eight Antarc�c blue, 15 ﬁn, 14 Antarc�c minke, 16
humpback and 1 Bryde's whales, using the Larsen system(Larsen, 1998) for the en�re survey (Figure 6). Biopsy
samples were stored at −20°C.

12Satellite tagging
Satellite tagging is used for the study of movement,
distribu�on and stock structure of whales. The satellitemonitored tags (SPOT6, Wildlife Computers, Redmond,
Washington, USA) were deployed with the Air Rocket
Transmi�er System (ARTS) (LK-ARTS, Skutvik, Norway). The
detail of deployment system and protocols, and research
results to date were described in Konishi et al. (2020). In
the research area, seven and ten satellite tags were deployed on ﬁn and Antarc�c minke whales respec�vely.

Results of the dedicated sigh�ng survey of JASS-A in the 2020/21 austral summer season

Figure 7. Oceanographic observa�on sta�ons (XCTD cas�ng points); Red circle: research area; black circle: transit (le�).
Oceanographic observa�on using XCTD (upper-right); XCTD launcher with the probe launched (lower-right).

Feasibility study on data logger (TDR) tagging
The feasibility study of data logger tagging was conductedin order to obtain informa�on on dive-�me of large
whales using the satellite-linked Time-Depth Recorder(TDR) tags (SPLASH 10-F, Wildlife Computers, Redmond,
Washington, USA). The tags were successfully deployedon two humpback whales and the data (posi�on, �meand depth) were collected in both cases. This experimentwill be further reﬁned in the next ﬁeld surveys to obtaindata of mean dive-�me and diving behaviour of the animal, which are key parameters for abundance es�ma�onconsidering availability bias.
Oceanographic survey
Oceanographic observa�ons are important to understandthe rela�onship of whales and the physical environment.
The ver�cal distribu�on of water temperature and salinity were recorded from sea surface to 1,850 m water
depth using XCTD system (eXpendable Conduc�vity,
Temperature and Depth, Tsurumi-Seiki Co., Ltd., Yokohama, Japan) at 99 sta�ons along the survey track lines(Figure 7). Oceanographic data will be analysed to study
the oceanographic structure of the research area and therela�onship with whale distribu�on.
Marine debris observation
Studies on marine debris in the Antarc�c are very scarce.
However, it is important to con�nue with this kind of survey to monitor future trends in the occurrence of marine
debris. No marine debris objects were observed in the
research area during the survey.

Feasibility study on the utility of UAVThis technique will be used to determine the number ofindividuals in the schools, informa�on highly relevant forabundance es�ma�on. It will be used also in photogrammetry studies. Aerial images were collected in a total often Antarc�c blue, seven ﬁn and two humpback whales
using small UAV, DJI phantom 4 Pro, (Figures 8 and 9)(video clips can be accessed at h�ps://www.youtube.
com/channel/UCz3c9IIMiQPVeryAogmJIig). These data
will be registered with the photo-ID catalogue of ICR.
Sigh�ng survey in the transit areas
Sigh�ng survey was conducted between south of 10°S
and the research area, excluding areas of the foreigncountries EEZs. The searching eﬀort was 802.7 n.miles
and total sigh�ngs included ﬁn (8/13), Bryde's (1/1), Antarc�c minke (1/1), and humpback (3/6) whales. Biopsy
samples were collected from Bryde's (sighted posi�on
27°17ʹS; 039°29ʹE) and Antarc�c minke (sighted posi�on
29°01S; 050°09ʹE) whales (Figure 10). During the transit
survey from the Antarc�c research area to 10°S, thesearching eﬀort was 1068.2 n.miles and the total sightings included ﬁn (9/16), Antarc�c minke (1/1), humpback(22/36), and sperm (3/3) whales. During the transit in the
research area, biopsy samples were collected from threeﬁn and ﬁve humpback whales and satellite tags were attached on two ﬁn whales. Further biopsy samples werecollected from two ﬁn whales (a school comprising ﬁve
whales) at 43°49ʹS; 19°12ʹE and one humpback whale at
38°58ʹS; 26°55ʹE.

13

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 8.

UAV in ﬂight obtaining overhead images of Antarc�c blue (le�) and humpback (right) whales during the2020/21 JASS-A survey.

Figure 9.

Examples of aerial image of Antarc�c blue whales captured by UAV during the 2020/21 JASS-A survey.

Figure 10.

Brydeʼs whale sighted at 27°17ʹS; 039°29ʹE on 31 December 2020 (le�) and Antarc�c minke whale sighted
at 29°01ʹS; 050°09ʹE on 29 December 2020 (right) on sigh�ng survey in the transit area.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SURVEY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The 2019/20 and 2020/21 JASS-A surveys covered thefull Antarc�c Area III West (000°–035°E) and succeededin collec�ng sigh�ng data necessary for es�ma�on of cetacean abundance in this Area. In addi�on, several otherdata necessary for understanding stock structure, movement and the environment of whales were collected during the survey. The data collected through the JASS-A will
be analysed in conjunc�on with the data collected by theprevious JARPA/JARPA, NEWREP-A and IDCR/SOWER surveys in the same region so that the analyses can be basedon a long and consistent data set.

We thank the captain, crew members and researchers
who par�cipated in the 2020/21 JASS-A survey for theireﬀort in the collec�on of data and samples. Thanks also
to the Fisheries Agency of Japan for the funding and logis�c support for the JASS-A program including fuel supply,
ICR colleagues for logis�c support and useful sugges�ons
for the ﬁeldwork, the steering group of JASS-A for theirguidance in the design and implementa�on of the research, and Kenji Konishi (ICR) for planning and assis�ng
the satellite tagging. We are grateful to Luis A. Pastene(ICR) for assistance in preparing this report. Finally, we
acknowledge all of those who helped in the course of

14

Results of the dedicated sigh�ng survey of JASS-A in the 2020/21 austral summer season

conduc�ng the survey in a very diﬃcult situa�on complicated by COVID-19.

REFERENCES
Anon. 2008. IWC SOWER Cruise 2008/09, Informa�on for
Researchers. h�ps://iwc.int/private/downloads/-m4RVc06
JhBVw3ymd3oPcw/Guide%20%20for%20Researchers%20
2008-09.pdf.
Bando, T., Yoshida, T., Nakai, K., Yoneyama, Y., Oshiyama, D.,
Tsunekawa, M., Kawabe, S., Yamaguchi, F., Teruya, S., Eguchi,
H., Mogoe, T. and Tamura, T. 2019. Results of the fourth
biological ﬁeld survey of NEWREP-A during the 2018/19 austral summer season. Paper SC/68a/SP/01 presented to the
IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May 2019 (unpublished). 16 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Ensor, P., Findlay, K., Friedrichsen, G., Hirose, K., Komiya, H.,
Morse, L., Olson, P., Sekiguchi, K., Van Waerebeek, K. andYoshimura, I. 2005. 2004–2005 IWC-Southern Ocean Whaleand Ecosystem Research (IWC-SOWER) Cruise, Area III. Paper
SC/57/IA1 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May–
June 2005 (unpublished). 85 pp. [Available from the IWC
Secretariat].
Government of Japan. 2019a. Outline of a research program
to inves�gate the abundance, abundance trends and stock
structure of large whales in the Indo-Paciﬁc region of the
Antarc�c, including a survey plan for the 2019/20 australsummer season. Paper SC/68a/ASI8 presented to the IWC
Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May 2019 (unpublished). 16 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Government of Japan. 2019b. Outline of a research program
to inves�gate the abundance, abundance trends and stock
structure of large whales in the Indo-Paciﬁc region of the
Antarc�c, including a survey plan for the 2019/20 australsummer season. Paper WG-EMM-2019/68 presented to
CCAMLR mee�ng of Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoringand Management, June–July 2019 (unpublished). 16 pp.
Government of Japan. 2019c. Outline of a research program
to inves�gate the abundance, abundance trends and stock
structure of large whales in the Indo-Paciﬁc region of the
Antarc�c, including a survey plan for the 2019/20 australsummer season (revised version of document SC/68a/ASI08
presented to the IWC SC 2019 mee�ng). Paper SC/26/NPR-JP
presented to the 26th mee�ng of the NAMMCO Scien�ﬁcCommi�ee, October–November 2019 (unpublished). 16 pp.
Hakamada, T. and Matsuoka, K. 2014. Es�mates of abundance
and abundance trend of the humpback whale in Areas IIIE–

VIW, south of 60°S, based on JARPA and JARPAII sigh�ng data
(1989/90–2008/09). Paper SC/F14/J04 presented to the IWC
Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, February 2014 (unpublished). 36 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2012. Requirements andguidelines for conduc�ng surveys and analysing data within
the Revised Management Scheme. J. Cetacean Res. Manage.
(Suppl.) 13: 507–517.
Isoda, T., Katsumata, T., Yamaguchi, F., Ohkoshi, C. andMatsuoka, K. 2020. Results of the Japanese Abundance andStock structure Survey in the Antarc�c (JASS-A) during the
2019/20 austral summer season. Paper SC/68B/ASI/17 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May 2020 (unpublished). 26 pp. [Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Isoda, T., Katsumata, T., Yamazaki, M., Abe, N. and Matsuoka, K.
2021. Results of the Japanese Abundance and Stock structure
Survey in the Antarc�c (JASS-A) during the 2020/21 australsummer season. Paper SC/68C/ASI/03 presented to the IWC
Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, April–May 2021 (unpublished). 26 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Konishi, K., Isoda, T., Bando, T., Minamikawa, S. and Kleivane,
L. 2020. Antarc�c minke whales ﬁnd ice gaps along the iceedge in foraging grounds of the Indo-Paciﬁc sector (60°E and140°E) of the Southern Ocean. Polar Biol 43 (4): 343–357.
Larsen, F. 1998. Development of a biopsy system primarily foruse on large cetaceans. Paper SC/50/O15 presented to the
IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May 1998 (unpublished). 8 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Matsuoka, K., Ensor, P., Hakamada, T., Shimada, H., Nishiwaki,S., Kasamatsu, F. and Kato, H. 2003. Overview of minke
whale sigh�ngs surveys conducted on IWC/IDCR and SOWER
Antarc�c cruises from 1978/79 to 2000/01. J. Cetacean Res.
Manage. 5 (2): 173–201.
Matsuoka, K. and Hakamada, T. 2014. Es�mates of abundance
and abundance trend of the blue, ﬁn and southern rightwhales in the Antarc�c Areas IIIE–VIW, south of 60°S, basedon JARPA and JARPAII sigh�ng data (1989/90–2008/09).
Paper SC/F14/J05 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee,
February 2014 (unpublished). 27 pp. [Available from the IWC
Secretariat].
Matsuoka, K. and Pastene, L.A. 2014. Summary of photoiden�ﬁca�on informa�on of blue, southern right and humpback whales collected by JARPA/JARPAII. Paper SC/F14/J34
presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, February 2014
(unpublished). 11 pp. [Available from the IWC Secretariat].

15

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 16–32

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

Results of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sigh�ng surveys in thewestern North Paciﬁc in 2019 and 2020
Taiki Katsumata* and Koji Matsuoka
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: katsumata@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACT

Vessel-based sigh�ng surveys were conducted in 2019/2020 by Japan to examine the distribu�on and abundance of large whales in the western North Paciﬁc. The research area, set between 25°N–45°N and 128°E–
150°E, was covered between 10 May 2019 and 18 March 2020 involving four seasons: early summer, latesummer, autumn and winter. Previous surveys in autumn and winter were very scarce. The research vessels
Yushin-Maru, Yushin-Maru No. 2, Yushin-Maru No. 3 and Kaiyo-Maru No. 7 were engaged in the current surveys. A total of 9,415.9 n.miles was searched in the research area. The coverage of the planned track lines
on eﬀort was 94% in the early summer, 86% in the late summer, 75% in the autumn and 70% in the wintersurveys. In total, seven large whale species, including blue (7 schools/8 individuals), ﬁn (50/80), sei (44/66),
Brydeʼs (159/202), common minke (39/45), humpback (80/123) and sperm (168/438) whales were sighted
over the en�re research period. Photo-ID images were collected from blue (8 individuals), humpback (26 individuals), and killer (7 individuals) whales. Biopsy skin samples were collected from blue (n=5), ﬁn (n=7), sei(n=5), common minke (n=1), humpback (n=3), and killer (n=1) whales using a Larsen system. Satellite tags
were a�ached on ﬁn (n=6), sei (n=14) and Brydeʼs (n=1) whales. Data collected during these surveys will be
used in studies on abundance, distribu�on, movement and stock structure of several species. This informa�on
is essen�al for appropriate management and conserva�on of cetacean species in the western North Paciﬁc.

INTRODUCTION
Dedicated cetacean sigh�ng surveys in the western North
Paciﬁc have been conducted in the summer season since1995 as a part of the former Japanese Whale Research
Program under Special Permit in the western North
Paciﬁc (JARPN/JARPNII) and the New Scien�ﬁc Whale
Research Program in the western North Paciﬁc (NEWREPNP). Those surveys were based on the survey guidelines
and procedures of the Interna�onal Whaling Commission/Southern Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research(IWC/SOWER) (Anon, 2008). Based on the collected data
the distribu�on pa�erns of large whales such as blue,
ﬁn, sei, Brydeʼs, common minke, humpback, North Paciﬁc right and sperm whales, and abundance es�mates ofcommon minke, sei and Brydeʼs whales were inves�gatedand reported to the IWC SC (IWC, 2001; 2010; 2016).
The Na�onal Research Ins�tute of Far Seas Fisheries(NRIFSF) has also conducted dedicated sigh�ng surveys for cetaceans in the North Paciﬁc since the 1980s(Buckland et al., 1992; Miyashita et al., 1995., Kanaji
et al., 2012). In 2019 and a�er comple�ng the JARPN/
16

JARPNII and NEWREP-NP, the Government of Japandecided to con�nue the sigh�ng surveys in the North
Paciﬁc (IWC, 2019) based on the ra�onale that the collec�on of sigh�ng data to es�mate abundance and biopsy/
photo-iden�ﬁca�on data to examine stock structure havecontributed, in the past, to the work on management andconserva�on of large whales by the IWC SC (IWC, 2016).
This paper reports the results of the Japanese dedicated sigh�ng surveys conducted during May 2019 to March
2020 involving four seasons: early summer, late summer,
autumn and winter.

SURVEY DESIGN
Research season and area
In 2019/20, in addi�on to the usual summer season
survey, sigh�ng surveys were also conducted in autumn(October–November) and winter (February–March) seasons. The objec�ve of the extra surveys was to provide
basic informa�on on distribu�on and abundance of large
whales from seasons which have been poorly documented. Therefore, surveys in 2019/20 were conductedin four seasons: early summer, late summer, autumn andResults of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020

Figure 1.

The research area and pre-determined track lines in each season. Upper le�: early summer survey (May–
June 2019). Upper right: late summer survey (August–September 2019). Lower le�: autumn survey(October–November 2019). Lower right: winter survey (February–March 2020).

winter. Figure 1 illustrates the research areas covered ineach season.
In early summer (May to June 2019), the research area
was set up between 33°N–45°N and 128°E–150°E (forconvenience, we name the sub-areas as 6E, 7WR, and 7E
from the west).
In late summer (August to September 2019), the research area was set up between 35°N–45°N and 142°E–
147°E.
In the autumn season (October to November 2019),
the research area was set up between 35°N–45°N and
140°E–150°E. This research area was divided into ʻWestern partʼ and ʻEastern part.ʼ
Finally, in the winter season (February to March 2020),
the research area was set up between 25°N–35°N and

138°E–148°E and the research area was divided intoʻWesternʼ and ʻEasternʼ parts.
Research vessels
The surveys in 2019/20 were conducted by the research
vessels Yushin-Maru (YS1), Yushin-Maru No. 2 (YS2),
Yushin-Maru No. 3 (YS3) and Kaiyo-Maru No. 7 (KY7). The
vessels were equipped with a top barrel pla�orm (TOP),
independent observer barrel pla�orm (IOP) and upper
bridge (Figure 2).
Track line design
The survey blocks and pre-determined track lines areshown in Figure 1. The start point of each track line was
decided randomly using the Distance program ver. 7.0
17

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 2.

The dedicated sigh�ng vessel that par�cipated in the 2019/20 surveys: Yushin-Maru (YS1) (upper le�),
Yushin-Maru No. 2 (YS2) (upper right), Yushin-Maru No. 3 (YS3) (lower le�), Kaiyo-Maru No. 7 (KY7) (lower
right).

(Thomas et al., 2010), and the number of the lines (width
in the longitude) was decided by the research schedule,
based on the IWC survey guidelines (IWC, 2012).
Sigh�ng procedure and mode
The sigh�ng survey was conducted using (1) Normal
Passing mode (NSP) and (2) Passing with Independent
Observer mode (IO) in order to es�mate abundance withes�mated g(0) for large cetaceans. Both survey modes
followed the protocol endorsed for the SOWER surveys(e.g. Matsuoka et al., 2003).
For NSP mode, there were two primary observers in
the top barrel (TOP) and the captain and helmsman werein the upper bridge. All primary observers conductedsearching for cetaceans by using angle board and scaled
binoculars (7×).
For IO mode, there were two primary observers on
the TOP and the independent observer pla�orm (IOP),
respec�vely. These observers on TOP and IOP also conducted searching for cetaceans by angle board and scaled
binoculars (7×). There was no open communica�on
between the IOP and the TOP. The observers and researchers on the upper bridge communicated to the TOP(or IOP) independently, with the top-men only clarifying
informa�on and without distrac�ng the top-men fromtheir normal search procedure. These primary observers
reported sigh�ng-informa�on to researchers and otherobservers on the upper bridge for data recording. For
18

small cetaceans, sigh�ngs from the TOP and the upper
bridge were recorded.
The survey eﬀort began 60 minutes a�er sunrise andended 60 minutes before sunset, with a maximum of 12hours per day (maximum 06:00–19:00, including 30 minutes for lunch and supper, when surveying in IO mode)
when the weather condi�ons were acceptable for observa�ons: visibility be�er than 2.0 n.miles and wind speed
less than 17 knots in the early and late summer, 21 knots
in the autumn and winter season. The searching speed
was planned to be 10.5 to 11.5 knots with slight adjustment to avoid vibra�on of the vessel.
Distance and angle experiments were conducted in the
middle of the survey period, using a buoy with a reﬂector
that resembles a blow. The experiment to evaluate measurement error was conducted late in the survey following
the protocol of the IWC/SOWER and IWC-POWER surveys(IWC, 2012). The Es�mated Angle and Distance Training
Exercise were also conducted early in the surveys. During
the exercise, the observers familiarized themselves with
distance es�mates from the TOP and Upper Bridge.
Experiments
For each survey, when large cetaceans such as blueand humpback whales were encountered, photo-ID images were obtained using Canon EOS 7D Mark II (with
100–400 mm lens) from the bow or upper deck. Further,biopsy skin sampling using the Larsen sampling system

Results of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020

(Larsen, 1998) was conducted in early summer, late summer and autumn season survey when blue, ﬁn, sei andhumpback whales were sighted. In the early summer,
autumn and winter season surveys, a satellite tagging experiment using LK-ARTS was also conducted when ﬁn, sei
and common minke whales were sighted. These data collected in diﬀerent seasons will assist the interpreta�on ofstock structure hypotheses and abundance es�ma�ons
for these species.

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY
Narra�ve of the surveys
Early summer 2019
The YS1 and YS3 departed Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan on 10 May, and the YS2 departed Shiogama, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, on 11 May. The YS1 started
the survey in sub-area 7WR on 13 May and completed
it on 4 June. The YS2 started the survey in sub-area 6E
on 13 May and completed it on 14 June. The YS3 started
the survey in sub-area 7E on 14 May and completed it
on 2 June. Each vessel surveyed a pre-determined trackline from north to south of each stratum, taking into account the seasonal migra�on of baleen whales to avoid
double coun�ng (Figure 1). The YS1 and YS3 arrived in
Shimonoseki on 8 June, and the YS2 arrived in Shiogama
on 26 June.
Late summer 2019
The KY7 departed Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, Japan,

on 16 August. The vessel started the survey in sub-area
7WR on 19 August and completed it on 21 September.
The vessel arrived in Misaki, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan,
on 26 September. The vessel surveyed a pre-determinedtrack line from north to south (Figure 1).
Autumn in 2019
The YS3 departed Daiba, Tokyo, Japan, and started thesurvey in the western part of the research area on 8 October. The KY7 departed Misaki on 10 October and started
the survey in the eastern part of the research area on 16
October. The YS3 completed the survey on 10 November
and arrived in Shimonoseki on 15 November. The KY7
completed the survey on 17 November and arrived in
Hachinohe on 20 November. Both vessels surveyed apre-determined track line from south to north in eachstratum (Figure 1).
Winter 2020
The KY7 departed Shimizu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan,
on 6 February and started the survey in the western partof the research area on 11 February. The YS3 departed
Shimonoseki on 12 February and started the survey in theeastern part of the research area on 16 February. The KY7
and YS3 completed the survey on 13 March and arrived
in Shiogama on 16 March and Shimonoseki on 17 March,
respec�vely. Both vessels surveyed a pre-determinedtrack line from south to north in each stratum (Figure 1).
The Es�mated Angle and Distance Experiments wereTable 1
Summary of the searching eﬀort by each season and area.
Planned Searching Searching Searching Coveragecruise track eﬀort NSP eﬀort IO eﬀort Total of eﬀort(%)(n.miles) (n.miles) (n.miles) (n.miles)

Research
area

VesselResearch period

6E
7WR
7E

YS2
YS1
YS3

2019/5/13–6/14
2019/5/13–6/4
2019/5/14–6/2

2,021.1
1,177.2
871.8

959.4
566.5
397.2

932.4
580.1
408.2

1,891.8
1,146.6
805.4

94
97
92

Sub total—

2019/5/13–6/14

4,070.1

1,923.2

1,920.7

3,843.8

94

Late summer (Aug.–Sep.)

7WR

KY7

2019/8/19–9/21

1,193.0

511.9

518.9

1,030.7

86

Autumn (Oct.–Nov.)

Western
Eastern

YS3
KY7

2019/10/8–11/10
2019/10/16–11/17

1,597.8
1,611.0

635.9
578.1

647.4
557.8

1,283.3
1,135.8

80
71

Sub total—

2019/10/8–11/17

3,208.8

1,213.9

1,205.1

2,419.1

75

Western
Eastern

KY7
YS3

2020/2/11–3/13
2020/2/16–3/13

1,505.1
1,522.9

450.7
663.7

414.3
593.5

865.0
1,257.3

58
83

Sub total—

2020/2/11–3/13

3,028.0

1,114.4

1,007.8

2,122.2

70

—

—

—

11,499.9

4,763.4

4,652.5

9,415.982

Season

Early summer (May–Jun.)

Winter (Feb.–Mar.)
Total

19

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 2a
Numbers of sigh�ngs of large whales in early summer (May–June), by each sub-area.
Season

Early summer(May–Jun.)

Species

6E

7WR

7E

Total

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Blue whale

0

0

0

0

4

5

4

5

Fin whale

12

21

5

7

6

9

23

37

Sei whale

0

0

1

2

7

11

8

13

Bryde's whale

0

0

16

19

32

42

48

61

Like Bryde's

0

0

0

0

4

4

4

4

Common minke whale

37

43

1

1

0

0

38

44

Like minke

0

0

1

1

0

0

1

1

Humpback whale

1

1

21

29

15

21

37

51

Sperm whale

0

0

66

165

21

63

87

228

Uniden�ﬁed large baleen whale

0

0

1

1

5

5

6

6

Uniden�ﬁed large cetacean

1

1

1

1

0

0

2

2

Table 2b
Numbers of sigh�ngs of small cetaceans in early summer (May–June), by each sub-area.
Season

Early summer(May–Jun.)

Species

6E

7E

Total

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Cuvier's beaked whale

1

4

0

0

0

0

1

4

Uniden�ﬁed Ziphiidae

22

39

6

13

10

20

38

72

Uniden�ﬁed Mesoplodon

2

4

0

0

2

2

4

6

Common dolphin

1

200

3

48

9

435

13

683

Risso's dolphin

5

56

17

143

2

13

24

212

Paciﬁc white-sided dolphin

8

421

2

170

12

316

22

907

Dalli type Dall's porpoise

1

4

2

10

1

5

4

19

Truei type Dall's porpoise

1

1

0

0

2

8

3

9

Unid. type Dall's porpoise

9

30

4

12

5

51

18

93

conducted on 27 May by YS1 and YS3, on 2 June by YS2
and on 5 September by KY7. In winter, the Es�matedAngle and Distance Experiments were conducted again
on 7 March by KY7 and YS3 because there was a changeof observers. The results of this experiment will be usedin the calcula�on of abundance es�mates.
Research eﬀort in each season and research area
A summary of the searching eﬀort and coverage in eachseason and research area is shown in Table 1. A total of
9,415.9 n.miles (17,438.2 km) were searched in the whole
research area and during all seasons. In early summer, thetotal searching eﬀort was 3,843.8 n.miles (7,118.7 km),and the coverage exceeded 90% due to con�nued stable
weather condi�ons. In late summer, the searching eﬀort
was 1,030.7 n.miles (1,908.9 km), and the coverage was20

7WR

86.4%. The percentage dropped slightly in late summer because the survey was interrupted three �mes in September
to avoid typhoons. In the autumn season, the total searching eﬀort was 2,419.1 n.miles (4,480.2 km), and the coverage was rela�vely low (75.4%) because the available survey
hours of the day were only about eight hours due to �mesof the sunrise and sunset, and also because typhoons weres�ll ac�ve around Japan in October. In the winter season,
the total searching eﬀort was 2,122.2 n.miles (3,930.3 km),and the coverage was 70.1%. In the western part, the coverage was low (57.5%) because �me was lost on a number ofoccasions in avoiding stormy weather.
Sigh�ngs
Sigh�ngs were summarized by each season (Tables 2a to5b). The sigh�ng loca�on of each species in each season

Results of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020

Figure 3.

The sigh�ng loca�ons of large and small cetaceans during the early summer (May–June 2019) and informa�on on SST in that season (original data of SST: Ocean color web, from h�ps://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/).

is shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, together with sea surface
temperature (SST).

Early summer (May–June)
Blue whale
Four schools (ﬁve individuals including a mother and21

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

calf pair) were sighted between 38°20ʹN, 149°27ʹE and38°06ʹN, 148°46ʹE in sub-area 7E (Table 2a, Figure 3). One
blue whale formed a mixed school with a ﬁn whale. The
range of SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 14.5–15.2°C. All
ﬁve individuals were photographed, and biopsy samples
were collected from four individuals.
Fin whale
Fin whales were sighted in each research area (Table 2a,
Figure 3). In sub-area 6E, 12 schools (21 individuals including 2 mother and calf pairs) were sighted. Observed
mean school size was 1.75. The range of SST in the sighting posi�ons was 10.0–16.3°C. In sub-areas 7WR and 7E,
11 schools (16 individuals) were sighted. Observed meanschool size was 1.45. The range of SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 8.4–20.5°C.
Sei whale
Sei whales were sighted in sub-areas 7WR and 7E (Table
2a, Figure 3). A total of eight schools (13 individuals including 2 mother and calf pairs) were sighted. Observed
mean school of size was 1.63. The range of SST at thesigh�ng posi�ons was 14.1–16.4°C.
Brydeʼs whale
A total of 48 schools (61 individuals including 10 motherand calf pairs) were sighted in sub-areas 7WR and 7E (Table
2a, Figure 3). Because the survey was conducted at the beginning of the migra�on season of this species, they were
only sighted in the southern part of sub-areas 7WR and 7E.
The observed mean school size was 1.27. The range of the
SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 15.6–24.2°C.
Common minke whale
This species was the most frequently sighted species in
sub-area 6E (37 schools and 43 individuals including 2
mother and calf pairs) (Table 2a, Figure 3). The range of
SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 10.1–21.9°C, and theobserved mean school size was 1.16. In sub-area 7WR,
one school (one individual) was sighted. The SST at thesigh�ng posi�on was 16.5°C and the es�mated bodylength was 7.8 m. A picture of a common minke whale isshown in Figure 7.
Humpback whale
Humpback whales were sighted frequently in sub-areas
7WR and 7E (36 schools and 50 individuals) (Table 2a,
Figure 3). No mother and calf pair was sighted. They weremainly sighted in the northern part of sub-areas 7WR and7E. Observed mean school size was 1.38. The range of
SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 8.6–18.8°C. In sub-area
6E, one individual was sighted. The SST at the sigh�ng
posi�on was 10.4°C and the es�mated body length was
12.2 m. This individual was photographed and a biopsy
sample was obtained.
22

Sperm whale
A total of 87 schools (228 individuals) of this species
were sighted (Table 2a, Figure 3) in the North Paciﬁc sector. A high-density area of sperm whales was observedin the western part of sub-area 7WR. This high-density
area was formed across the Japan Trench. The observed
mean school size was 2.62. Because the opportunity toapproach the schools was limited, there was li�le informa�on on body length and calves. The range of SST at thesigh�ng posi�ons was 6.8–24.1°C.
Small cetaceans
The species sighted are shown in Table 2b and their distribu�on in Figure 3. In this season, one species was iden�ﬁed in the family Ziphiidae, three species were iden�ﬁedin the family Delphinidae and one species was iden�ﬁedin the family Phocoenidae. The most common species
sighted were Risso's dolphin (24/212), followed by Paciﬁcwhite-sided dolphin (22/907). There were many sigh�ngs
of the family Ziphiidae, but it was diﬃcult to iden�fy the
species because of their elusive behavior.
Late summer (August–September)Blue whale
One individual of es�mated body length of 24.5 m. wassighted at 40°54ʹN, 145°13ʹE (Table 3a, Figure 4). The
SST in the sigh�ng posi�on was 22.8°C This individual
was photographed and a biopsy sample was obtained(Figure 8).
Fin whale
Two schools (two individuals) were sighted north of 40°N
(Table 3a, Figure 4). The es�mated body lengths were
20.8 m and 22.8 m. The range of SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 22.5–22.8°C.
Sei whale
This species was not sighted in the research area. However, one individual of 14.2 m in body length was sighted
during the transit survey between Hachinohe and thestar�ng point of the research area. The SST at the sigh�ng
posi�on was 21.5°C.
Brydeʼs whale
A total of 67 schools (92 individuals include 8 mother andcalf pairs) were sighted. In comparison with the distribu�on of Brydeʼs whales in early summer, these were widely distributed except the southern part of the researcharea (Table 3a, Figure 4). In general, Brydeʼs whales were
widely distributed in summer (from July to September)in the western North Paciﬁc, north of 35°N, based on theprevious dedicated sigh�ng surveys (Shimada, 2004, Pastene et al., 2009, Hakamada et al., 2017). The observed
mean school size was 1.37. The range of the SST at theResults of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020
Table 3a
Numbers of sigh�ngs of large whales in late summer (August–
September).
SeasonLate summer(Aug.–Sep.)

Species

7WR
Sch. Ind.

Blue whale

1

1

Fin whale2

2

Sei whale

1

1

Brydeʼs whale

67

92

Like Brydeʼs55Like Sei/Brydeʼs

11

Sperm whale

30

91

Uniden�ﬁed large baleen whale

4

5

Uniden�ﬁed large cetacean

11Table 3b
Numbers of sigh�ngs of small cetaceans in late summer(August–September).
SeasonLate summer(Aug.–Sep.)

Species

7WR
Sch. Ind.

Bairdʼs beaked whale

1

2

Cuvierʼs beaked whale

1

2

Uniden�ﬁed Mesoplodon spp.

2

10

Uniden�ﬁed Ziphiidae

1226Common dolphin

14

961

Northern form short-ﬁnned pilot
whale

1

20

Rissoʼs dolphin

237Melon-headed whale

1

96

Striped dolphin

8278sigh�ng posi�ons was 22.0–27.0°C.
Common minke whale
This species was not sighted in the late summer season.
Humpback whale
Humpback whales were not sighted in the research area.
It was considered that humpback whales had migrated to
the northern area.
Sperm whale
A total of 30 schools (91 individuals) of this species weresighted in the research area (Table 3a, Figure 4). The
observed mean school size was 3.09. The range of thees�mated body length was 9.1–12.2 m. The range of SST
at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 6.8–24.1°C.
Small cetaceans
The species sighted are shown in Table 3b and their distri-bu�on in Figure 4. In this season, two species were iden�ﬁed in the family Ziphiidae and ﬁve species were iden�ﬁed in the family Delphinidae. The most common species
sighted were common dolphins (14/961), followed bystriped dolphins (8/278). In comparison with the resultsof the early summer (May–June), the distribu�on of thecommon, Rissoʼs and striped dolphins extended northof 40°N, and the Paciﬁc white-sided dolphin, which was
distributed around 40°N in the early summer season, was
not sighted in this season. The SST map shows a temperature around 24°C, even near 40°N (Figure 4), sugges�ng
that the distribu�on of these dolphins is shi�ing northward as the water temperature rises.
Autumn (October–November)Blue whale
Two schools (two individuals) with body lengths of 24.3 m
and 25.3 m were sighted in the western part (Table 4a,
Figure 5). The SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 16.7°C
and 17.2°C, respec�vely. These two individuals were
photographed.
Fin whale
A total of 22 schools (38 individuals) were sighted in the
research area. In this season, ﬁn whales were mainly
sighted north of 40°N (Table 4a, Figure 5). The observed
mean school size was 1.73. A school of three ﬁn whales
sighted at 42°23ʹN, 145°56ʹE on 13 November was chasedby a solitary adult male killer whale (Figure 9).
Sei whale
A total of 28 schools (38 individuals) were sighted northof 40°N in the research area. Sei whales were concentrated in the northern coastal part of the research area
(Table 4a, Figure 5). The observed mean school size was
1.36. The range of the SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was
9.1–18.1°C.
Brydeʼs whale
A total of 37 schools (42 individuals including 1 motherand calf pair) were sighted. In this season, Brydeʼs whales
were mainly sighted in the western part of the researcharea (Table 4a, Figure 5). The observed mean school size
was 1.14. Range of the SST in the sigh�ng posi�ons was
16.8–24.3°C.
Common minke whale
One school (one individual) of body length es�mated tobe 7.2 m was sighted in the most northern part of thewestern part of the research area (Table 4a, Figure 5). The
SST at the sigh�ng posi�on was 11.3°C.
Humpback whale
A total of 26 schools (42 individuals) of this species was
sighted. Sigh�ngs were concentrated between 41°N and23

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 4.

The sigh�ng loca�ons of large and small cetaceans during the late summer (August–September 2019) andinforma�on on SST in that season (original data of SST: Ocean color web, from h�ps://oceancolor.gsfc.
nasa.gov/).

42°N in the research area (Table 4a, Figure 5). The observed mean school size was 1.62. The range of SST at thesigh�ng posi�on was 8.8–18.8°C. More than half of the24schools (65%) were sighted in waters with SST of 11°C.
Sperm whale
A total of 41 schools (107 individuals) of this species wereResults of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020
Table 4a
Numbers of sigh�ngs of large whales in autumn (October–November) by each area.
Western part

Eastern part

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Blue whale

2

2

0

0

2

2

Fin whale

10

15

12

23

22

38

Like ﬁn

0

0

1

2

1

2

Sei whale

10

11

18

27

28

38

Brydeʼs whale

35

39

2

3

37

42

Common minke whale

0

0

1

1

1

1

Humpback whale

16

27

10

15

26

42

Sperm whale

26

52

15

55

41

107

Uniden�ﬁed large baleen whale

8

8

1

1

9

9

SeasonAutumn(Oct.–Nov.)

Species

Total

Table 4b
Numbers of sigh�ngs of small cetaceans in autumn (October–November), by each area.
Western part

Eastern part

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Bairdʼs beaked whale

3

29

0

0

3

29

Uniden�ﬁed Ziphiidae

9

23

4

8

13

31

Common dolphin

2

70

11

416

13

486

Southern form short-ﬁnned pilot whale

1

4

0

0

1

4

Rissoʼs dolphin

2

4

0

0

2

4

Paciﬁc white-sided dolphin

0

0

1

5

1

5

Killer whale

0

0

3

3

3

3

Spo�ed dolphin

0

0

3

75

3

75

Striped dolphin

1

100

19

537

20

637

Harbour porpoise

1

4

0

0

1

4

Dalli type Dallʼs porpoise

1

15

0

0

1

15

Truei type Dallʼs porpoise

2

12

1

25

3

37

SeasonAutumn(Oct.–Nov.)

Speciessighted (Table 4a, Figure 5). Sigh�ngs were concentrated
south of 38°N in the research area. The observed meanschool size was 2.61. The range of SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 11.9–26.7°C.
Small cetaceans
The species sighted are shown in Table 4b and theirdistribu�on in Figure 5. In this season, one species wasiden�ﬁed in the family Ziphiidae, and seven species wereiden�ﬁed in the family Delphinidae and two species wereiden�ﬁed in the family Phocoenidae. The most common
species sighted were striped dolphins (20/637), followedby common dolphins (13/486). Compared with the latesummer (August–September) results, the distribu�on of
the common and striped dolphins shi�ed to the south
and were mainly sighted between 37°N–39°N. The SSTs

Total

are decreasing from the north during this season, sugges�ng that the distribu�on of these dolphins is moving
south as water temperature changes.
Winter (February–March)
Blue whale
This species was not sighted in the winter season.
Fin whale
Three schools (three individuals) were sighted east of
147°E (Table 5a, Figure 6). The range of SST at the sigh�ng
posi�ons was 17.3–23.4°C. All four groups were solitary,
including one group sighted at 27°47ʹN, 138°07ʹE during
the transit survey.
Sei whale
A total of 7 schools (14 individuals including 3 mother and25

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 5.

The sigh�ng loca�ons of large and small cetaceans during the autumn (October–November 2019) andinforma�on on SST in that season (original data of SST: Ocean color web, from h�ps://oceancolor.gsfc.
nasa.gov/).

calf pairs) were sighted in the eastern part of the researcharea (Table 5a, Figure 6). The range of SST at the sigh�ng
posi�ons was 17.4–21.9°C. Sigh�ngs occurred only in theeastern part, and the ra�o of mother and calf pairs (3/7)
was higher than in the other seasons. These data would
26

be useful to iden�fy the breeding ground of sei whales in
the North Paciﬁc.
Brydeʼs whale
A total of seven schools (seven individuals) were sighted
in the research area (Table 5a, Figure 6). The range ofResults of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020
Table 5a
Numbers of sigh�ngs of large whales in winter (February–March).
Western part

Eastern part

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Fin whale

0

0

3

3

3

3

Sei whale

0

0

7

14

7

14

Like sei

0

0

1

1

1

1

Bryde's whale

4

4

3

3

7

7

Humpback whale

13

23

4

7

17

30

Sperm whale

2

4

8

8

10

12

Uniden�ﬁed large baleen whale

1

1

0

0

1

1

SeasonWinter
(Feb.–Mar.)Species

Total

Table 5b
Numbers of sigh�ngs of small cetaceans in winter (February–March).
Western part

Eastern part

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Sch.

Ind.

Uniden�ﬁed Ziphiidae

6

10

1

3

7

13

Common dolphin

1

40

0

0

1

40

Southern form short-ﬁnned pilot whale

2

106

0

0

2

106

Risso's dolphin

3

20

1

4

4

24

Killer whale

0

0

1

10

1

10

Spo�ed dolphin

1

22

0

0

1

22

Striped dolphin

1

35

3

270

4

305

Rough toothed dolphin

1

4

0

0

1

4

SeasonWinter
(Feb.–Mar.)Species

SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 17.2–22.6°C. All eightgroups were solitary. One group was sighted at 26°35ʹN,
144°52ʹE during the transit survey.
Common minke whale
This species was not sighted in the winter season.
Humpback whale
A total of 17 schools (30 individuals, including 3 motherand calf pairs) were sighted (Table 5a, Figure 6). Eight ofall schools (13 individuals) were sighted in the waters
around 27°N, 142°E on 23 February. This area was reported as breeding ground of humpback whales in thewestern North Paciﬁc (Darling and Mori, 1993). The rangeof SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons was 17.4–23.6°C. The observed mean school size was 1.76.
Sperm whale
A total of 10 schools (12 individuals) were sighted (Table
5a, Figure 6). The range of SST at the sigh�ng posi�ons
was 17.9–22.9°C and the observed mean school size was
1.20. The school size was compara�vely smaller than in
the other seasons. When the KY7 entered Suruga Bay
on 27 and 28 February in order to shelter from stormy

Totalweather, the vessel encountered 11 schools (52 individuals) of sperm whales (secondary sigh�ngs). In Suruga Bay,
sperm whales were distributed in waters at the center ofa submarine canyon (Figure 6). The range of SST at thesigh�ng posi�ons in Suruga Bay was 17.0–18.2°C. The
observed mean school size was 4.72.
Small cetaceans
The species sighted are shown in Table 5b and their distribu�on in Figure 6. No species was iden�ﬁed in the family
Ziphiidae because of their elusive behavior. Seven species
were iden�ﬁed in the family Delphinidae. Striped (4/305)
and Rissoʼs (4/24) dolphins were the most commonlysighted dolphin species.
Duplicate sigh�ngs
Duplicate sigh�ng data will be used for analysis of g(0) to
accoun� for percep�on bias. A total of 594 re-sigh�ngs
were recorded during IO mode throughout the wholeseason involving several species.

27Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 6.

The sigh�ng loca�ons of large and small cetaceans during the winter (February–March 2020) and informa�on on SST in that season (original data of SST: Ocean color web, from h�ps://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/).
Lower le�: the sigh�ng loca�ons of sperm whales in Suruga Bay (secondary sigh�ngs).

Experiments
Photo-ID
Photo-IDs will be used for inves�ga�on of movement,
28

stock structure and site ﬁdelity of cetaceans, and toes�mate abundance using the mark-recapture method.
Photographs were taken of blue (n=8), humpback (n=26)

Results of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020

Figure 7.

A common minke whale surfacing. The white ﬂipper band can be seen below the sea surface.
Table 6
Number of individuals photographed, by each season and sub-area.

Species

Early summer (May–Jun.)

Late summer(Aug.–Sep.)

Autumn (Oct.–Nov.)

Winter (Feb.–Mar.)

Total

6E

7WR

7E

7WR

Western part Eastern part Western part Eastern part

Blue whale
Humpback whale
Killer whale

0
1
0

0
0
2

5
4
5

1
0
0

2
5
0

0
2
0

0
6
0

0
8
0

8
26
7

Total

1

2

14

1

7

2

6

8

41

sei (n=5), common minke (n=1), humpback (n=3) andkiller (n=1) whales (Table 7). All samples were stored at
the ICR laboratory.
Satellite tagging
Tracking data obtained from satellite tags will contributeto the elucida�on of the movement of whales in eachseason and the �ming of the start of migra�on between
low la�tude breeding areas and high la�tude feedingareas. Satellite tags were successfully a�ached on ﬁn(n=6), sei (n=14) and Brydeʼs (n=1) whales (Table 8).
Figure 8.

Blow and body of a blue whale.

and killer (n=7) whales throughout the whole season(Table 6). Some small cetaceans were also photographed.
All photographs were stored in the Ins�tute of Cetacean
Research (ICR) catalogues.
Biopsy sampling
These samples will be used in gene�c analyses on stock
structure and studies to evaluate the u�lity of non-lethal
techniques for whale biological research. A total of 22
biopsy samples were collected from blue (n=5), ﬁn (n=7),

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SURVEY
The sigh�ng surveys conducted in 2019/20 were completed successfully. They provided unique data obtained
not only in summer, but also in autumn and winter seasons for which informa�on on cetacean distribu�on andabundance have been very scarce. Some main characteris�cs of the surveys are summarized below.
A large number of common minke and ﬁn whales weresighted in May–June in the southern part of the Sea ofJapan. These data are unique and will be analyzed in combina�on with available sigh�ng data from the northern29Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 9.

One adult male killer whale chasing a school of three ﬁn whales. Clipped from a video taken from a distance.

Table 7
Number of biopsy samples collected, by each season and research area. The biopsy sampling was conducted in early summer (allareas), late summer (7WR) and autumn (eastern part).
Early summer (May–Jun.)

Species

Late summer (Aug.–Sep.)

Autumn (Oct.–Nov.)

Total

6E

7WR

7E

7WR

Eastern part

Blue whale
Fin whale
Sei whale
Common minke whale
Humpback whale
Killer whale

0
0
0
1
1
0

0
1
0
0
0
1

4
3
2
0
2
0

1
0
0
0
0
0

0
3
3
0
0
0

5
7
5
1
3
1

Total

2

2

11

1

6

22

Table 8
Number of individuals a�ached with satellite tags, by each season and sub-area. The tagging was conducted in early summer (6E and7E), autumn (whole area) and winter (eastern part).
Species

Early summer (May–Jun.)

Autumn (Oct.–Nov.)

Total

6E

7E

Western part

Eastern part

Eastern part

Fin whale
Sei whale
Brydeʼs whale

1
0
0

1
2
0

3
4
0

1
3
0

0
5
1

6
14
1

Total

1

4

7

4

6

22

part of the Sea of Japan obtained in 2018. The purpose
will be to es�mate common minke whale abundance in
the Sea of Japan, an area where recent informa�on onabundance is scarce.
A large number of Bryde's, humpback and sperm
whales were sighted in May–June in the northern part of
the Paciﬁc side of Japan. No common minke whales weresighted during this season in this area which suggests thatmost common minke whales are likely to have already
moved north into the Russian EEZ.
The survey in August–September covered the northern
30

Winter (Feb.–Mar.)part of the Paciﬁc side of Japan, and provided importantsummer sigh�ng data for Brydeʼs whales, which will be
used for the abundance es�ma�on of this species. It wasalso conﬁrmed that blue, ﬁn and sperm whales were also
distributed in this area, though in small numbers.
A large number of sei and ﬁn whales were sighted in
October–November in the coastal area. This area had
never been surveyed in this season. These species weresighted north of la�tude 40°N. A large number of Bryde's
whales and a small number of blue whales were sighted
south of 40°N in this season. In addi�on, it was conﬁrmed

Results of the Japanese dedicated cetacean sighting surveys in the western North Pacific in 2019 and 2020

Figure 10.

Breaching of a Bairdʼs beaked whale. The long,stout beak and the prominent melon-shaped headiden�fy this species.

that sperm whales are s�ll distributed south of 38°N inthis season.
During the February–March survey in the waters
around Ogasawara Islands, several ﬁn and sei whales
were sighted possibly before their migra�on to the north.
Of par�cular value are the satellite tags a�ached onsome of these whales. In addi�on, Bryde's whales andhumpback whales were sighted possibly before theirmigra�on to the north. Several schools of sperm whales
were sighted in the central part of Suruga Bay in watersof 1,000 m depth.
As with the previous surveys, the 2019/20 surveys collected data on small cetaceans in the same way as large
whales. The analyses of these data will provide valuable
informa�on on the distribu�on and abundance of small
cetaceans in diﬀerent seasons.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors acknowledge the Government of Japan for
its assistance in providing the research permits and funding for these cruises. We also thank the captains Hidenori Kasai, Chikamasa Okoshi, Nobuo Abe, Yasuaki Sasaki,
Ryoji Kita and their oﬃcers and crew of the Yushin-Maru,
Yushin-Maru No. 2, Yushin-Maru No. 3 and Kaiyo-Maru
No. 7 for their hard work and dedica�on that led to thesuccessful execu�on of these surveys. We express our
deep gra�tude to Takashi Hakamada and Megumi Takahashi (ICR) for their assistance in the survey design andlogis�cal support. We thank Yoshihiro Fujise and the staﬀ
of the ICR, Kyodo Senpaku Co. Ltd. and Kaiyo Engineering
Co. Ltd., for their assistance and support for these cruises.
We thank Luis A. Pastene (ICR) for his assistance in preparing this report.

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Larsen, F. 1998. Development of a biopsy system primarily foruse on large cetaceans. Paper SC/50/O15 presented to the
IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee, May 1998 (unpublished). 8 pp.
[Available from the IWC Secretariat].
Matsuoka, K., Ensor, P., Hakamada, T., Shimada, H., Nishiwaki,S., Kasamatsu, F. and Kato, H. 2003. Overview of minke
whale sigh�ngs surveys conducted on IWC/IDCR and SOWER
Antarc�c cruises from 1978/79 to 2000/01. J. Cetacean Res.
Manage. 5 (2): 173–201.
Miyashita, T., Kato, H. and Kasuya, T. (eds.) 1995. Worldwide
Map of Cetacean Distribution based on Japanese Sighting

Anon. 2008. IWC SOWER Cruise 2008/09, Informa�on for31

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Data (Volume 1). Na�onal Research Ins�tute of Far Seas
Fisheries, Shimizu, Shizuoka. 140 pp.
Pastene, L.A., Hatanaka, H., Fujise, Y., Kanda, N., Murase, H.,
Tamura, T., Miyashita, T. and Kato, H. 2009. The Japanese
Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the western North Paciﬁc Phase-II (JARPNII): origin, objec�ves andresearch progress made in the period 2002–2007, including
scien�ﬁc considera�ons for the next research period. Paper
SC/J09/JR1 (Rev 1) presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee
Expert Workshop to review the JARPNII Programme,
January 2009 (unpublished). 73 pp. [Available from the IWC

32

Secretariat].
Shimada, H. 2004. Abundance es�mate of the western North
Paciﬁc stock of Brydeʼs whales using sigh�ng data from 1998
to 2002. Paper SC/56/PFI6 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁcCommi�ee, June 2004 (unpublished). 8 pp. [Available fromthe IWC Secretariat].
Thomas, L., Buckland, S.T., Rexstad, E.A., Laake, J.L., Strindberg,S., Hedley, S.L., Bishop, J.R.B., Marques, T.A. and Burnham,
K.P. 2010. Distance so�ware: design and analysis of distancesampling surveys for es�ma�ng popula�on size. J. Appl. Ecol.
47 (1): 5–14.

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 33–42

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

Results of the IWC-Paciﬁc Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research(IWC-POWER) dedicated sigh�ng survey in 2020
Koji Matsuoka1, * and Hiroto Murase2
1
2

Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, JapanTokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4–5–7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108–8477, Japan*Contact e-mail: matsuoka@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACTThis paper outlines the main results of the 2020 dedicated sigh�ng survey of the Interna�onal Whaling
Commission-Paciﬁc Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER). The IWC-POWER surveys aredesigned and implemented by the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee (SC), in special partnership with the Government of Japan. The long-term objec�ve of the IWC-POWER is to ʻprovide informa�on to allow determina�onof the status of popula�ons (and thus stock structure is inherently important) of large whales that are foundin the North Paciﬁc waters and provide the necessary scien�ﬁc background for appropriate conserva�on andmanagement ac�ons.ʼ To fulﬁll this objec�ve, the IWC-POWER originally iden�ﬁed short and medium-termac�vi�es and priori�es. The IWC-POWER is close to successfully comple�ng its ﬁrst-phase (2010–2021) related to the short-term priori�es. It has also updated the medium-term priori�es for this second phase. The
2020 survey was conducted successfully between 11 July and 24 September in the central North Paciﬁc by
the Japanese R/V Yushin-Maru No. 2. The following whale species were sighted during the en�re survey: blue
(22 schools /31 individuals), ﬁn (29/32), sei (131/181), Brydeʼs (6/8), common minke (3/3), humpback (7/8),
sperm (56/90) and killer (18/71) whales. Photo-iden�ﬁca�on data were collected from 26 blue, 3 humpbackand 17 killer whales. A total of 65 biopsy samples were collected from 13 blue, 9 ﬁn, 38 sei, 1 Brydeʼs, 2 humpback and 2 killer whales. A total of 67 objects of marine debris were observed and recorded. Data collectedduring this survey will be used mainly for abundance es�ma�on and stock structure purposes.

INTRODUCTION
The Interna�onal Whaling Commission-Paciﬁc Ocean
Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) programis an interna�onal research eﬀort in the North Paciﬁc coordinated by the IWC and designed by the IWC Scien�ﬁcCommi�ee (SC) in special partnership with the Government of Japan. Scien�sts from the Ins�tute of Cetacean
Research (ICR) par�cipate regularly in the IWC-POWER
program, both in designing and implemen�ng the surveys. The IWC-POWER surveys in the North Paciﬁc follow
the series of IWC Interna�onal Decade for Cetacean Research/Southern Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research(IDCR/SOWER) surveys that have been conducted in the
Antarc�c since 1978.
The long-term objec�ve of the IWC-POWER is to ʻprovide informa�on to allow determina�on of the status of
popula�ons (and thus stock structure is inherently important) of large whales that are found in the North Paciﬁcwaters and provide the necessary scien�ﬁc backgroundfor appropriate conserva�on and management ac�ons.ʼ
The ﬁrst survey of this program was conducted in 2010
and the most recent one in 2020 (IWC, 2021).
The IWC SC is close to comple�ng the ﬁrst phase of the
IWC-POWER, which is related to its short-term priori�es.
The IWC SC is preparing for the second phase related tomedium-term priori�es, based on the results of the ﬁrst
phase (see Matsuoka, 2020).
The objec�ve of this document is to summarize the results of the 2020 IWC-POWER survey (Murase et al., 2021).
For a general background of the IWC-POWER including
objec�ves, research area, and general methodology, see
Matsuoka (2020).

RESULTS OF THE 2020 IWC-POWER SURVEY
The main results of the 2020 IWC-POWER survey aresummarized here based on Murase et al. (2021).

33

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 1The 2020 IWC-POWER survey i�nerary.
Date

Event

10 July 2020

Pre cruise mee�ng at Shiogama, Japan

11 July

Vessel departs Shiogama

18 July

Vessel arrives in the research area and starts the ﬁrst part of the research

12 August

Vessel completes research and starts transit survey to Kushiro, Japan

17 August

Vessel arrives in Kushiro for replacement of researchers

19 AugustMid-cruise mee�ng at Kushiro

20 August

Vessel departs Kushiro

26 August

Vessel arrives research area and starts second part of the research

17 September

Vessel completes research and starts transit to Shiogama

24 September

Vessel arrives in Shiogama

25 September

Post-cruise mee�ng at Shiogama

Figure 1.

Research area and survey track lines with start and end points for the 2020 IWC-POWER survey.

I�nerary
The survey was conducted between 11 July and 24 September 2020 by the Japanese R/V Yushin-Maru No. 2. Thei�nerary is shown in Table 1.
Research area
The research area was between 160°E and 180° (Figure 1).
Research vessel and scien�ﬁc personnel
The R/V Yushin-Maru No. 2 was used for this survey. The
vessel is shown in Figure 2 and its speciﬁca�ons in Table 2.
Four interna�onal researchers were nominated by the
IWC SC for this survey:
34

Koji Matsuoka (Japan)—cruise leader/chief scien�st,sigh�ng, photo-ID, 1st half
Hiroto Murase (Japan)—cruise leader/chief scien�st,sigh�ng, 2nd half
Isamu Yoshimura (Japan)—sigh�ng data, marine debris
and biopsy sample managements, 1st half
Taiki Katsumata (Japan)—sigh�ng, photo-ID data
management, biopsy sample management, wholecruiseSouya Fujii (Japan)—sigh�ng, biopsy sample management, marine debris, 2nd half
Searching eﬀort
A total of 981.7 n.miles (NSP: 491.1 n.miles, IO: 490.7 n.

Results of the IWC-Pacific Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) dedicated sighting survey in 2020

miles) and 921.2 n.miles (NSP: 450.9 n.miles, IO: 470.3 n.
miles) of the original track line were surveyed in thewestern and eastern strata, respec�vely. Survey track line
coverage in the en�re research area was 84.0% (1,903.0
of the planned distance of 2,264.9 n.miles), with a totalof 942.0 n.miles in NSP and 961.0 n.miles in IO. A totalof 521.3 n.miles was surveyed during transit surveys between the port and the research area. The eﬀort spent insigh�ng and several experiments is shown in Table 3.
Figure 2.

Summary of the sigh�ngs
During the en�re survey, blue (22 schools /31 individuals), ﬁn (29/32), sei (131/181), Brydeʼs (6/8), common
minke (3/3), humpback (7/8), sperm (56/90) and killer(18/71) whales were observed. Several dolphin species
were also sighted (Table 4). These data will be used toes�mate abundance of several species.

Photography of the R/V Yushin-Maru No. 2.

Table 2
Speciﬁca�ons of the R/V Yushin-Maru No. 2.
Call sign

JPPV

Length overall [m]69.61

Molded breadth [m]11.5Gross tonnage (GT)

747

Barrel height [m]19.5

IO barrel height [m]13.5

Upper bridge height [m]11.5

Bow height [m]Geographical distribu�onBlue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Blue whales were the third most frequently encounteredbaleen whale species throughout the survey. They weremainly distributed in the northern part of the western
stratum. No blue whales were observed in the eastern

6.5

Engine power [PS/kW]

5303/3900

Table 3
Summary of the searching eﬀort (�me and distance), experimental �me (hours) and the area code during the 2020 survey. R.A.:
research area.

Area

Area
Code

Leg No. Start

End

Start

Date

Date

End

Time

Time

Shiogama to R.A.
(Leg 001)

1 HighSea001

12 Jul. 18 Jul.

—

6:00

Eastern stratum(Leg 201–217)

83 HighSea

201

18 Jul. 12 Aug.

217

8:52

R.A. to Kushiro(Leg 002)

1 HighSea

002

12 Aug. 16 Aug.

—

13:54

Kushiro to R.A.
(Leg 003)

2 HighSea

003

21 Aug. 26 Aug.

—

6:00

Western stratum(Leg 101–118)

82 HighSea

101

26 Aug. 17 Sep.

118

7:21

R.A. to Shiogama(Leg 004)

2 HighSea004

17 Sep. 22 Sep.

—

7:33

Total

8:52
13:54
12:00
7:21
7:33
12:00

12 Jul. 22 Sep.
6:00

12:00

NSP

Time

IO

Dist.
(n.m.)

Time

Es�matedangle andPhoto-ID, distance
Biopsy training/
experiment

NSP+IODist.
(n.m.)

TimeDist.
(n.m.)

TimeTime

10:13:51

120.14 14:16:00

167.5

24:29:51

287.64 1:19:35

0:00:00

40:10:17

450.9

41:53:28

470.34 82:03:45

921.24 18:14:19

3:17:12

0:00:00

0.00 0:00:00

0.00 0:00:00

0.00 0:00:00

0:00:00

20:04:53

233.68 0:00:00

0.00 20:04:53

233.68 1:04:09

7:19:58

43:12:57

491.06 43:22:42

490.67 86:35:39

981.73 24:30:59

0:00:00

0:00:00

0.00 0:00:00

0.00 0:00:00

0.00 0:00:00

0:00:00

113:41:58 1,295.78 99:32:10 1,128.51 213:14:08 2,424.29 45:09:02 10:37:10

35

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 4
Number of sigh�ngs for all species observed in the research area during the 2020 IWC-POWER survey (original track lines and transit
track lines), by eﬀort mode. NSP: Normal Passing with abeam closing mode; IO: Independent Observer mode, OE: Top down (TD) anddri�ing (DR). Numbers of Individuals include the number of calves.
Research area

Research area

Research area

Transit

NSP

IO

OE

NSP

Species

Total

Sch.

Ind.

Calf

Sch.

Ind.

Calf

Sch.

Ind.

Calf

Sch.

Ind.

Calf

Sch.

Ind.

Calf

Blue whale

10

15

1

11

15

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

22

31

1

Fin whale

15

16

1

10

12

1

0

0

0

4

4

0

29

32

2

Like ﬁn

0

0

0

2

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

2

0

Sei whale

50

65

1

51

68

2

4

5

1

26

43

0

131

181

7

Like sei

5

5

0

7

7

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

12

12

0

Brydeʼs whale

2

3

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

3

4

1

6

8

2

Like Brydeʼs

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

1

0

Common minke whale

2

2

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

3

0

Humpback whale

1

1

0

6

7

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

8

0

Sperm whale

14

25

0

25

25

0

1

1

0

16

39

1

56

90

1

Killer whale

9

30

2

5

25

0

0

0

0

4

16

2

18

71

4

Mesoplodon spp.

2

4

0

1

3

0

0

0

0

1

2

1

4

9

1

Ziphiidae

1

2

0

2

5

0

0

0

0

1

1

0

4

8

0

Rissoʼs dolphin

1

43

1

2

85

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

128

2

Striped dolphin

0

0

0

2

121

3

0

0

0

2

205

12

4

326

15

Common dolphin

8

326

15

4

229

21

0

0

0

28

1,032

43

40

1,587

79

Paciﬁc white-sided dolphin

4

113

3

4

176

10

0

0

0

1

85

8

9

374

21

Northen right whale dolphin

0

0

0

3

197

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

197

0

Dalli type Dallʼs porpoise

7

38

0

6

42

0

0

0

0

2

20

0

15

100

0

Unid. type Dallʼs porpoise

4

24

0

4

14

0

0

0

0

9

50

0

17

88

0

Unid. Pilot whale

1

18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

18

0

Unid. Dolphin

0

0

0

3

93

0

0

0

0

1

28

0

4

121

0

Unid. Cetacean

3

6

0

1

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

10

0

Unid. large baleen whale

4

4

0

12

15

0

0

0

0

2

3

0

18

22

0

stratum. In the research area a total of 22 schools (31 individuals, including 1 mother and calf pair) were sighted(Figure 3). Surface temperatures of the sigh�ng posi�ons
ranged between 10.4°C and 18.0°C.
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
Fin whales were the second most frequently encounteredbaleen whale species in the research area, and they
were widely distributed throughout both the westernand eastern strata. Fin whales were mainly distributed
north of 45°N of the research area but some aggrega�ons
36

were also observed to the south (Figure 4). A total of 25
schools (28 individuals) were observed in the researcharea, including two mother and calf pairs. A total of 2
schools (2 individuals) of ʻLike ﬁnʼ were recorded; theseappeared to be ﬁn whale blows but the white right lower
jaw could not be conﬁrmed. Surface temperatures of thesigh�ng posi�ons ranged between 9.3°C to 21.2°C.
Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)
Sei whales were the most frequently encountered baleen whale species in the research area, and they wereResults of the IWC-Pacific Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) dedicated sighting survey in 2020

Figure 3.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (blue circles) of blue whales during the 2020
IWC-POWER survey.

Figure 4.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (red circles) of ﬁn whales during the 2020 IWC-POWER
survey.

widely distributed throughout both the western andeastern strata (Figure 5). In the research area a total of
105 schools (138 individuals, including 7 mother and calf
pairs) were sighted (Table 4). Observed mean school size
was 1.38. Surface temperatures of the sigh�ng posi�ons
ranged between 8.9°C to 17.8°C. A total of 12 schools and
12 individuals of ʻLike seiʼ were recorded; these appeared
to be sei whale blows or body but the rostral ridge of thehead could not be conﬁrmed.
Brydeʼs whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei)
Brydeʼs whales were distributed south of 45°N of theresearch area (Figure 6). In the research area a total of 3
schools (4 individuals, including 1 mother and calf pair)

were sighted in the research area (Table 4). Observed
mean school size was 1.33. A total of 1 school and 1 individual of ʻLike Brydeʼsʼ were recorded; these appeared
to be Brydeʼs whale blows or body but the three ridges
in the head could not be conﬁrmed by. Surface temperatures of the sigh�ng posi�ons ranged between 12.5°C
and 18.4°C.
Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Common minke whales were the least frequently sighted
baleen whale species in the research area. They weresighted only in the northern part of the western stratum(Figure 7). In the research area a total of 3 schools (3individuals) were observed (Table 4). Surface tempera37

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 5.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (yellow circles) of sei whales during the 2020
IWC-POWER survey.

Figure 6.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (yellow circles) of Brydeʼs whales during the 2020
IWC-POWER survey.

tures of the sigh�ng posi�ons ranged between 10.4°C to
14.2°C. During this survey, sea states averaged 4–5 on the
Beaufort scale, which is considered to be unsuitable forsigh�ngs of common minke whales.

research area (Figure 9). In the research area a total of
40 schools (51 individuals) was sighted (Table 4). Surface
temperatures of the sigh�ng posi�ons ranged between
8.9°C to 18.1°C.

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Humpback whales were distributed close to the northernboundary of the research area (Figure 8). In the researcharea a total of 7 schools (8 individuals) were sighted(Table 4). Surface temperatures of the sigh�ng posi�ons
ranged between 9.4°C and 10.8°C.

Killer whale (Orcinus Orca)
Killer whales were mainly sighted in the northern part of
the research area (Figure 10). In the research area a totalof 14 schools (55 individuals, including 2 mother and calf
pairs) were sighted (Table 4). Surface temperatures of thesigh�ng posi�ons ranged between 9.0°C to 17.8°C.

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Sperm whales were widely distributed throughout theIden�ﬁca�on of duplicated sigh�ngs
A total of 153 resigh�ngs were made during IO Mode38

Results of the IWC-Pacific Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) dedicated sighting survey in 2020

Figure 7.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (pink circles) of common minke whales during the2020 IWC-POWER survey.

Figure 8.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (black circles) of humpback whales during the 2020
IWC-POWER survey.

involving several baleen whale species. These data will be
used to es�mate g(0), which in turn will be used to adjust
abundance es�mates.
Photo-ID experiments
Photo-ID data were obtained for a total of 47 whales:
blue (26 individuals), ﬁn (1), humpback (3) and killer (17)whales (Table 5). Images collected during the survey were
uploaded to the IWC master photographic database in
Adobe Lightroom (LR) (Anon, 2020). Preliminary coding
was completed for all cetacean images (4,054), including
the alloca�on of species name, sigh�ng number, school
size and biopsy eﬀort. Photo-ID data will be used to study
movement, distribu�on and stock structure of the spe-

cies involved.
Biopsy sampling
Biopsy samples were collected using the Larsen samplingsystem from 65 individual whales: 13 blue, 9 ﬁn, 38 sei, 1
Brydeʼs, 2 humpback, and 2 killer whales (Table 6, Figure11a). All biopsy samples (Figure 11b) were catalogued
and stored on the vessel in cryo-vials frozen at a temperature of −30°C. These samples will be used for moleculargene�cs analyses on stock iden�ﬁca�on.
Marine macro debris observa�on
During the survey, a total of 67 marine macro debris
objects were observed. These included 15 single ﬁshing39

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 9.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (red triangles) of sperm whales during the 2020
IWC-POWER survey.

Figure 10.

The searching eﬀort (thin line) and sigh�ng posi�ons (black cross) of killer whales during the 2020
IWC-POWER survey.

Table 5
Summary of the Photo-IDʼd experiments, by each species conducted during the 2020 IWC-POWER survey. R.A.: research area.

40

Photo-ID.

Blue

Fin

Humpback

Killer

Total

Transit from Japan to Eastern Stratum (R.A.) (High Sea, area code 1)
Eastern Stratum (High Sea, area code 83)
Transit from Eastern Stratum (R.A.) to Kushiro (High Sea, area code 1)
Transit from Kushiro to Western Stratum (R.A.) (High Sea, area code 2)Western Stratum (All High Sea, area code 82)
Transit from Western Stratum (R.A.) to Japan (All High Sea, area code 2)

0
0
0
0
26
0

0
1
0
0
0
0

0
1
0
0
2
0

0
14
0
2
1
0

0
16
0
2
29
0

Total

26

1

3

17

47

Results of the IWC-Pacific Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) dedicated sighting survey in 2020
Table 6
Summary of the number of species-speciﬁc biopsy samples collected during the 2020 IWC-POWER survey. R.A.: research area.
Biopsy samples

Blue

Fin

Sei

Transit from Japan to Eastern Stratum (R.A.) (All High Sea, area code 1)
Eastern Stratum (All High Sea, area code 83)
Transit from Eastern Stratum (R.A.) to Kushiro (High Sea, area code 1)
Transit from Kushiro to Western Stratum (R.A.) (High Sea, area code 2)Western Stratum (All High Sea, area code 82)
Transit from Western Stratum (R.A.) to Japan (All High Sea, area code 2)

0
0
0
0
13
0

0
0
0
1
8
0

5
27
0
2
4
0

0
1
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
2
0

0
0
0
0
2
0

5
28
0
3
29
0

Total

13

9

38

1

2

2

65

Figure 12.

Figure 11.

(a) Biopsy sampling of blue whale during the 2020
IWC POWER survey using the Larsen samplingsystem. (b) Dart and �p and ﬁn whale skin sample(black skin and blubber) collected by the Larsen
system.

ﬂoats, 10 styrofoam pieces (less than 1 square meter)and 8 plas�c bo�les (clear, 500–2,000 mL). All items wererecorded ʻon eﬀortʼ (i.e., during the ﬁrst 15 minutes ofeach hour).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SURVEY
It is concluded that the 2020 IWC-POWER survey wascompleted successfully by a group of interna�onal scien-

Brydeʼs Humpback Killer

Total

Researchers and crew of the 2020 IWC-POWER
survey with the Yushin-Maru No. 2 in the background. The picture was taken during a mid-cruisemee�ng in Kushiro.

�sts (Figure 12) and that valuable data were collected forseveral cetacean species. Such data will allow studies on
distribu�on, abundance and stock structure in this par�cular area of the North Paciﬁc.
There are two aspects of this survey that should behighlighted. The ﬁrst aspect is the hot spot of blue whales
detected southeast oﬀ Kamchatka Peninsula as shown in
Figure 3. Many blue whales (21 schools/ 31 individuals)
were sighted in the northern part of the western sideof the research area (north of 45°N). This hot spot wasalso reported during the JARPN/JARPNII and NEWREP-NP
surveys (e.g., Matsuoka and Hakamada, 2019). Photo-ID
data and biopsy samples obtained from diﬀerent research programs will allow studies on stock structure forthis par�cular spot.
The second aspect is the con�nuous distribu�on of sei
whales in the sector comprised between 160°E and 180°detected in this survey (Figure 5). In past surveys only alimited sigh�ng eﬀort was spent in the sector 170°E–180°,
so the con�nuous distribu�on in this sector conﬁrmed inthis survey is an important piece of informa�on to assist
41

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

the interpreta�on of stock structure of the species.
With the comple�on of this survey, the waters northof 40°N between 160°E and 135°W have been covered
since 2010, with the only excep�on being the Russian
EEZ. From 2021, it is an�cipated that the IWC-POWER
program will move toward its second phase, which will
be designed a�er examining in details the results fromthe ﬁrst phase.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Governments of the United States andJapan for their assistance in obtaining research permits
and for funding. We thank Greg Donovan and the IWC
Secretariat for their technical and logis�cal support
during the prepara�on for this survey. We also thankall interna�onal researchers, captain and crew of the
Yushin-Maru No. 2 for their hard work and dedica�on.
We appreciate the valuable advice of the Steering Groupand the Technical Advisory Group. Takashi Hakamada,
Megumi Takahashi, Taiki Katsumata (ICR) as well Isamu
Yoshimura (Kyodo Senpaku Co. Ltd.) made logis�calarrangements in prepara�on of this survey. Finally, we
thank Luis A. Pastene (ICR) for his assistance in preparing
this document.

42

REFERENCES
Anon. 2020. IWCʼs IDCR/SOWER and POWER cruise photographic database manual. 21 pp. [Available from the IWC
Secretariat].
Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2021. Report of the meeting of the IWC-POWER Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and
2021 Planning Mee�ng: November 2020, Tokyo, Japan. Paper
SC/68C/Rep01 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee,
May 2020 (unpublished). 24 pp. [Available from the IWC
Secretariat].
Matsuoka, K. and Hakamada, T. 2019. Distribu�on of blue,
ﬁn, humpback and North Paciﬁc right whales in the western North Paciﬁc based on JARPN and JARPNII surveys(1994–2014). Technical Reports of the Institute of Cetacean
Research (TEREP-ICR) No.3: 41–51.
Matsuoka, K. 2020. An outline of the IWC-Paciﬁc Ocean Whaleand Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) including resultsof the 2019 survey. Technical Reports of the Institute of
Cetacean Research (TEREP-ICR) No.4: 23–34.
Murase, H., Katsumata, T., Yoshimura, I., Fujii, S., Abe, N. andMatsuoka, K. 2021. Cruise report of the 2020 IWC-Paciﬁc
Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER). Paper
SC/68C/ASI/05 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee,
May 2020 (unpublished). 37 pp. [Available from the IWC
Secretariat].

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 43–48

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

An outline of the Density Surface Model for es�ma�ng abundance ofbaleen whales undertaken by the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research
Takashi Hakamada*Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: hakamada@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACTThe Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) is star�ng the use of the Density Surface Model (DSM), a model-based
approach, to es�mate abundance of large baleen whales. This is an alterna�ve approach to the design-based
approach used so far for the same purpose. This paper explains the concepts of DSM, and outlines the poten�al u�lity of this approach for the work on whale abundance undertaken by the ICR.

INTRODUCTION
The Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) conducts
regular sigh�ng surveys of large whales with the aimof es�ma�ng abundance in oceanic regions of interest.
The basic sigh�ng procedures for this purpose were described in Hakamada and Matsuoka (2017). Abundancehas been es�mated rou�nely by the ʻdesign-based approach,ʼ using the distance sampling method (Thomas
et al., 2010). Conven�onally, abundance is es�mated byequa�on (1) (Buckland et al., 1993; 2001).
AnE( s )2wL(1)

where,A is Area size of the survey area,n is the number of detected whale schools,
E(s) is the expected mean school size,
w is the eﬀec�ve half search width (esw), and
L is the searching distance.
The validity of the abundance es�mator based onequa�on (1) relies on the assump�on of a randomized survey design (Hedley and Buckland, 2004; Miller
et al., 2013). In the case that this assump�on is violated,
an abundance es�mator not requiring a randomized design is necessary.
Distribu�on of whales may be driven by environmental
covariates such as sea surface temperature (SST), depth
and salinity, each of which could vary in space. Rela�onships between environmental covariates and distribu�onof speciﬁc species is one of the interes�ng topics to inves�gate. Spa�al modelling of the whale distribu�on can beconstructed as a func�on of environmental covariates if
dependency of the covariates on density of whales is substan�al. Such constructed spa�al modelling can be used
to predict distribu�on in areas where the environmental
covariates are available. Inves�ga�on of environmental
covariates related to the distribu�on of the species canbe conducted by selec�ng covariates using sta�s�calcriterion.
The two aims of spa�al modelling are i) es�ma�on of
overall abundance in the area of interest (ʻmodel-based
approachʼ), and ii) inves�ga�on of the rela�onship between density/abundance and environmental covariates(Miller et al., 2013). Unlike conven�onal distance sampling (ʻdesign-based approachʼ), abundance es�matesobtained by spa�al modelling do not rely on the survey
design. Spa�al modelling can be applied to data obtained
from diﬀerent sources: pla�orms of opportunity suchas ferries, ﬁshing boats, incomplete surveys due to bad
weather or accident, and surveys that were designed
neither randomly nor systema�cally.
There are many kinds of spa�al modelling. Density Surface Model (DSM) (Miller et al., 2013) is one of them, andits use is star�ng to be u�lized at the ICR. The objec�ve of
this paper is to explain the basic concepts of DSM basedon Generalized Addi�ve Model (GAM) (Wood, 2006)
in the context of abundance es�mates of large baleen
whales. A secondary objec�ve of this paper is to outline
the future applica�ons of the DSM in the work on whale
abundance by the ICR.

GENERALIZED ADDITIVE MODEL (GAM)
DSM is expressed using the sta�s�cal model GAM. GAM
allows the assump�on that distribu�on of response vari43

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

ables is an ʻexponen�al family.ʼ A distribu�on belongs tothe exponen�al family if its probability density func�on orprobability mass func�on can be expressed by the formula { yθ − b(θ )}+ c ( y ,φ ) f (θ , y ) = exp 
a
(
)
φ



(2)

where a, b and c are arbitrary func�ons, ϕ is an arbitraryscale parameter and ϑ is known as the canonical parameter of the distribu�on (Wood, 2006). Proper�es and examples of exponen�al families are provided in McCullagh
and Nelder (1989) and Wood (2006). In this context, GAM
can model variables that follow not only normal distribu�on but also Poisson, binomial, and other distribu�ontypes. For example, the number of counts, probability,
presence/absence can be used as a response variable in
GAM. A formula of GAM can be wri�en as:

E ( y ) = g −1 ( f1 ( x1 ) ++ f k ( xk ))(3)

where,y is the response variable,
E(y) is the expecta�on of y,
g−1 is the inverse of link func�on g,
fj(xj) is a smooth func�on of xj.
A spline is a special func�on deﬁned piecewise by polynomials, and is usually used as a smooth func�on in the
GAM. When fj(xj) is a linear func�on with respect to xj,
equa�on (3) becomes a Generalized Linear Model (GLM)(McCullagh and Nelder, 1989). In this sense, GAM can be
regarded as an extension of GLM.

Figure 1.

Histogram of rela�ve frequency of detec�ons by intervals of perpendicular distance and plot of detec�on func�on (bold curve). The red zone represents
the propor�on of animal detec�ons missed as compared to the animals in the surveyed area within T
n.miles from the track line, where T is trunca�on
distance. Example of the histogram and the detec�on func�on models are taken from Hakamada
et al. (2013).

There are four steps in construc�ng a DSM from line transect survey data.
1. Fi�ng detec�on func�on with perpendicular distance data and other covariates that would aﬀect
detectability of whale schools.
2. Fi�ng count models in each grid with environmental covariates data.
3. Predic�on of abundance in each grid in the study
area using the models constructed above.
4. Summa�on of the predicted abundance in the grid
over the area of interest.
The abundance es�mate in the study area is obtained
as follows.

distance. It is assumed that the detec�on probability
decreases as the perpendicular distance increases. Figure
1 shows a histogram of rela�ve frequency of detec�on by
perpendicular distance and es�mated detec�on func�on.
T is the trunca�on distance (i.e., detec�ons of perpendicular distance more than T are excluded from the analysis).
Among the animals within T n.miles from the track line,
the zone below the detec�on func�on represents animals
actually detected. The red zone represents the animals
missed. The detec�on func�on predicts probability foreach detec�on. The propor�on of the former is p, thedetec�on probability and propor�on of the la�er is 1-p.
By dividing the number of the detec�ons by the detec�onprobability p, the number of whales that fail to be detected can be taken into account (i.e., red zone in Figure 1).
The detec�on func�on derived from Mul� Covariate
Distance Sampling (MCDS) can be used in this method.
The advantage of using MCDS is that the eﬀect of covariates on sigh�ng condi�ons, such as Beaufort scale, windspeed, and visibility, on the detec�on func�on can beassessed. As men�oned later, the detec�on func�on withassump�on g(0)<1 can be used in this method.

Step 1The detec�on func�on represents the rela�onship between the detec�on probability and the perpendicular

Step 2
Figure 2 illustrates the division into grids to constructcount models. As shown in the ﬁgure, the track line sur-BASIC CONCEPT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF
DENSITY SURFACE MODEL (DSM)44

An outline of the Density Surface Model for estimating abundance of baleen whales undertaken by the Institute of Cetacean Research

Figure 2.

Illustra�on of the division of track line into grids to construct count models. Black circle indicates a detected whale school. Bold line indicates the track line surveyed. T is trunca�on distance. Lj is the length of
the track line surveyed in the j th grid. Area size of the j th grid is Aj =2LjT.

Figure 3.

Scheme to predict abundance es�mate in each grid.

veyed were divided into several sec�ons.
The j th grid has a width of 2T and length of Lj. Lj is
not necessarily constant. The area size of the j th grid is
Aj =2LjT. The area size should be chosen, such that it issmall enough to ensure that density in the grid can be
regarded as almost uniform. The number of the detectedschool in the j th grid is nj. The count model has covariatesthat could change in response to space and other factors(e.g., longitude, la�tude, SST, depth, salinity) as explanatory variables and the number of counts per unit area size
as a response variable.
For simplicity, it is assumed that the values of the explanatory variables xjs are available for any posi�on in
the area of interest. When ﬁ�ng the model, explanatory
variables in the grid are usually obtained by averaging all
observed values in the grid. One example of the countmodel can be expressed by:i=kE(n j ) = A j pj exp  b0 +fi ( xij ) 


i=1





(4)

where,
E(nj) is the expected the number of the detec�on in thegrid j,Aj is the area size of the grid j as an oﬀset,
pj is the averaged detec�on probability for detectedschools in the j th grid derived from the detec�on func�on constructed in step 1,
b0 is intercept,
k is the number of the explanatory variables, andfi(xij) is the i th smooth func�on of the i th covariate xij at
the j th grid.
When the detec�on func�on has covariates on sigh�ng

condi�on derived by MCDS, it can be considered that pj
may be diﬀerent among the grids.
Step 3
The grids for predic�on of abundance are deﬁned inorder to cover the study area of interest. The shape ofthe grid is usually almost a square. The size of the gridshould be small enough so that density can be regarded
as almost uniform. These grids are diﬀerent from thosedeﬁned in Step 2.
The expected numbers of detec�on (abundance es�mate) in the grid can be predicted by using equa�on(4), if Aj, pj and xij for all i are available (Figure 3). Aj is thearea size of the grid j and is clearly available. pj can bepredicted in all the grids if one of the two following condi�ons are sa�sﬁed. The ﬁrst is that the covariate of thedetec�on func�on derived in Step 1 is only the perpendicular distance (in this case, pj is constant for all grids).
The second is that the detec�on func�on has covariates
on sigh�ng condi�ons and the value of the covariates areavailable for all the grids. The explanatory variables in thegrid are usually obtained by averaging all observed values
in the grid. Thus, abundance es�mate in all the grids canbe predicted.
Step 4The predicted abundance es�mate in each grid are totaled to obtain the abundance es�mate for the wholearea of interest. When the shape of the area of interest
is complex, only a part of the grid belongs to the area forsome of the grids at the edge of the area. In such case,equa�on 4 can be applied to the intersect of the grid andthe area.
45

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

numbers of grids constructed in Step 2 is larger than thenumbers of animals detected. Alterna�ve distribu�ons ofcount are, for example, quasi-Poisson, nega�ve binomial
and Tweedie distribu�on (Tweedie, 1984), which deal
with the higher propor�on of zero data. The latest version of R library dsm, which is so�ware that can conduct
DSM, can deal with quasi-Poisson, nega�ve binomial andTweedie distribu�on as the distribu�on of a response
variable (Miller et al., 2021).

Figure 4.

Illustra�ve example of a map for the predicted
abundance in each grid. Strong red indicates highdensity and strong blue indicates low density. Greenline indicates the boundary of the area of interest.

Figure 4 is an illustra�ve map for the predicted abundance in each grid. In this case, the model shows a tendency whereby the predicted abundance is ge�ng higher
from the right to the le�. For some of the grids, the wholeof the grid is not included in the area of interest. Predic�on can be conducted using the data in the intersect of
the grid and the area. One of the advantages of predic�ngabundance by the grids is that it is easy to calculate theabundance es�mate for any subset of the surveyed areaby summing the predicted abundance over the grids inthe subset.
Further aspects on DSM
One and two stage approaches
Explana�on in the previous sec�on is based on the twostage approach, which means ﬁ�ng DSM and detec�onmodel at each stage. A one-stage approach means ﬁt�ng both models simultaneously (Royle et al., 2004).
The disadvantage of the one-stage approach is that thecomputa�on to es�mate and check is more diﬃcult thanin the two-stage approach, because both steps must be
conducted at once. The disadvantage of a two-stage approach is that to es�mate uncertainty for the abundancees�mate, the uncertain�es in the detec�on func�onand the spa�al model must be combined appropriately(Miller et al., 2013).
Distribution of response variable
In the case of count models, Poisson distribu�on is usually assumed as the distribu�on of the count. In manycases, there is a high propor�on of the grids with zero
count (i.e., there is no sigh�ngs in the grid), because the46

Variance estimation
In previous studies on abundance es�mates derived from
DSM, the variance was es�mated using parametric bootstrap (Hedley et al., 1999; Hedley and Buckland 2004).
When the detec�on func�on model and the count model
are independent, the variance of the abundance can beapproximated as the sum of variance due to detec�onfunc�on and variance due to count model using delta
method (Seber, 1982). When the detec�on func�on andthe count model are not independent, the approxima�onby the delta method cannot be applied to es�mate thevariance of abundance. In this case, variance propaga�on
can be applied to es�mate the variance of the abundance. Details of the variance propaga�on are provided
in Bravington et al. (2021).
Evaluation of extrapolation using DSM
When applying DSM to areas outside of the reference data
(i.e., data used to construct the model), a�en�on shouldbe paid to the extrapola�on of DSM (Miller et al., 2013).
For example, when the DSM that has SST as a covariate isﬁ�ed using data from warm waters in a temperate zone,
predic�ons for cold waters in the sub-arc�c by the model
are unlikely to be reliable due to diﬀerence in the rangeof SST. Bouchet et al (2020a) reviewed several quan�ta�ve extrapola�on diagnos�cs and recommended to use
two of them, principally, the percentage of data nearby,%N (King and Zeng, 2007) and the Extrapola�on Detec�on, ExDet (Mesgaran et al., 2014), as standard tools forassessing extrapola�on in abundance models. %N is ametric that represents how close the data for extrapola�on and the reference data are. The higher the %N is,
the more reliable the extrapola�on is. ExDet is a metricthat characterizes both univariate and combinatorial extrapola�on and provides geographical distribu�on of themost inﬂuen�al covariate among the covariates (Bouchet
et al., 2020a). Assessment of extrapola�on using the two
metrics can be implemented by dsmextra library of R
(Bouchet et al., 2020b).

An outline of the Density Surface Model for estimating abundance of baleen whales undertaken by the Institute of Cetacean Research

POTENTIAL UTILITY OF THE DSM FOR THE WORKON WHALE ABUNDANCE BY THE INSTITUTE OFCETACEAN RESEARCH
The model-based approach can be applied to the case of
Antarc�c minke whales and common minke whales in thewestern North Paciﬁc. These are two of the target species
for abundance research by the ICR.
In the case of Antarc�c minke whales, the abundancees�ma�on in polynyas is problema�c. The pack ice prevents the research vessels entering the polynyas. The
shape of the polynyas is o�en complex and narrow,
therefore a random and/or systema�c survey design cannot be realized even if pla�orms other than the vessel(e.g., drone) are used for the survey. In such cases, thedata obtained can be used to es�mate abundance basedon DSM.
The common minke whales in the western North
Paciﬁc are distributed in the Okhotsk Sea, the western
North Paciﬁc Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Some areasof the distribu�on of this species cannot be surveyed,because they are in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of
third countries, from which permits are diﬃcult to obtain.
This situa�on results in underes�ma�on of the abundance because not all areas of distribu�on of the species
or stock are covered. If some environmental data in theunsurveyed areas are available, extrapola�on by modelbased approach can be applied. This study would beambi�ous and challenging, because it is diﬃcult to obtainreliable DSM given that the ranges of environmental covariates in areas where the DSM was extrapolated would
be expected to be diﬀerent from the reference data (i.e.,the data used to construct the model). However, the reliability of the extrapola�on can be evaluated using theindices men�oned above. By assessing condi�ons underwhich models are likely to fail or succeed in extrapola�onthrough this exercise, a be�er understanding of distribu�on pa�erns and their underlying drivers for this species
may be obtained (Yates et al., 2018).
The latest version of R library dsm can deal with detec�on func�on derived from mark-recapture distancesampling (MRDS) that allows g(0)<1 (Miller et al., 2021).
Concept and example of such detec�on func�on derived
from the MRDS are provided in Takahashi (2019). From
this update, DSM derives abundance es�mates that consider g(0) es�mate. This is par�cularly relevant for species that cannot be detected due to their behavior andwhose distribu�on is driven by environmental covariates
varying in space. DSM that allows g(0)<1 can be applied
to whales, such as common minke whales and Antarc�cminke whales, whose g(0) es�mates have been shown tobe less than 1 in previous studies (Okamura et al., 2010;
Okamura and Kitakado, 2012).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank Luis A. Pastene (ICR) for his assistance in preparing
this manuscript.

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Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 49–57

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

Review of biological informa�on of the J stock common minke whalebased on gene�cally iden�ﬁed individuals
Mutsuo Goto*, Tsutomu Tamura, Takeharu Bando and Genta Yasunaga
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: goto@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACT

The ﬁndings from a review of the biological and ecological informa�on of the J stock common minke whale
held at the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research are summarized in this paper. Informa�on reviewed included
spa�al/temporal distribu�on, morphology, morphometrics, reproduc�ve characteris�cs, feeding ecology,
environmental pollutants, and ecological markers, based on the individuals of this stock iden�ﬁed by gene�cmarkers. Results of this review conﬁrm biological and ecological diﬀeren�a�on of the J stock within the North
Paciﬁc common minke whale, and corroborate the view that this stock should be managed independently.

INTRODUCTION
In the western North Paciﬁc, at least two biological stocksof common minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata
are known to exist: the Okhotsk Sea-West Paciﬁc (Ostock) and the Sea of Japan-Yellow Sea-East China Sea (Jstock) (Omura and Sakiura, 1956; Ohsumi, 1977; 1983).
The two stocks are diﬀeren�ated in morphological andreproduc�ve characteris�cs (Omura and Sakiura, 1956;
Ohsumi, 1977; Kato, 1992), as well in gene�cs (Wada andNumachi, 1991 for allozymes; Goto and Pastene, 1997 for
mtDNA; and Kanda et al., 2009a; b for microsatellites),sugges�ng their reproduc�ve isola�on. The Interna�onal
Whaling Commission (IWC) had proposed some boundaries for these stocks (Donovan, 1991).
Previous gene�c studies showed that both stocks mix
with each other spa�ally and temporally in the southernpart of the Okhotsk Sea (northern Hokkaido) (Wada, 1991;
Pastene et al., 1998). Since then, a substan�al number ofgene�c samples of western North Paciﬁc common minke
whales became available, and modern and more powerful gene�c markers have been applied to those samples inrecent years. The applica�on of such markers to the new
samples enabled ﬁner studies on stock structure of thisspecies in this ocean basin (Pastene et al., 2016a; b).
In recent years microsatellite DNA data from a substan�alnumber of gene�c samples of common minke whales in thewestern North Paciﬁc have been used in gene�c analyses forindividual assignment, for example, by using the program
STRUCTURE (Pritchard et al., 2000). Gene�c individual iden�ﬁca�on has allowed the study of several biological and eco-logical aspects separately for both J and O stocks common
minke whales. The objec�ve of this document was to review
the biological and ecological informa�on accumulated on
the J stock based on these approaches.

INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFICATION BASED ON MICROSATELLITE DNA ANALYSES
Microsatellite DNA data and the program STRUCTURE
version 2.0 (Pritchard et al., 2000) were used to determine the most likely number of gene�cally dis�nct stocks
present in the samples of common minke whales in thewestern North Paciﬁc. The program is a model-based
clustering method for inferring stock structure (K, thenumber of stocks in the model) using mul�locus genotype data with and without informa�on on sampling loca�ons. Individual assignment was conducted for the mostplausible K using the es�mated individual propor�on ofmembership probability. The ancestry model used for thesimula�on was the admixture model, which assumes individuals may have mixed ancestry. The allele frequency
model used was the correlated allele frequencies model,
which assumes frequencies in the diﬀerent stocks arelikely to be similar due to migra�on or shared ancestry.
Further details of the gene�c analyses on individual
iden�ﬁca�on of common minke whales can be found in
Goto et al. (2017).

BIOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE J STOCK
Several biological and ecological studies have been conducted based on gene�cally-iden�ﬁed J stock individuals.
49Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)
Table 1
Summary of diﬀerent biological and ecological studies of the J stock common minke whales including focal points, samples used andkey references. JARPN: Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the western North Paciﬁc; JARPNII: JARPN Phase II;
NEWREP-NP: New Scien�ﬁc Whale Research Program in the western North Paciﬁc.
Focal points
Distribu�on and movementSpa�al distribu�on
Temporal distribu�on
Distance from the coastal line
Morphology and morphometry
Flipper color pa�ern
Fluke color pa�ern
Morphometry
Reproduc�onConcep�on dateFeeding ecology
Stomach contents
Ecological markers
Total Hg levels
Cookie cu�er shark scar

Figure 1.

Samples/Years/Sources
n=4,275 (1994 to 2014), JARPN/JARPNII; bycatch
n=2,522 (2001 to 2014), JARPNII; bycatch
n=986 (1994 to 2007), JARPN/JARPNII; bycatch

Goto et al. (2017)
Goto et al. (2017)
Kanda et al. (2010)

n=220 (2012 and 2013), JARPNII
n=164 (2007), JARPNII
n=500 (2000 to 2007), JARPN/JARPNII

Nakamura et al. (2016)
Nagatsuka (2008; 2010)
Hakamada and Bando (2009)

n=107 (1994 to 2007), JARPN/JARPNII

Bando et al. (2010a)

n=742 (1996 to 2018), JARPN/JARPNII; NEWREP-NP

Present study

n=59 (2012 and 2013), JARPNII
n=1,037 (2002 to 2007), JARPN/JARPNII

Yasunaga and Fujise (2016)
Bando et al. (2010b)

Spa�al occurrence of O and J stocks common minke whales in waters around Japan based on gene�c individual iden�ﬁca�on (modiﬁed a�er Goto et al., 2017).

Descrip�on of the results of the main focal points arepresented in this sec�on (Table 1).
Distribu�on and movement
Spatial distribution along the Japanese coast
As shown in Figure 1, almost all of the individuals collected from the Sea of Japan side belong to the J stock,
50

Referenceswhereas almost all of the individuals from the oﬀshore
North Paciﬁc belong to the O stock. The southern partof the Paciﬁc side of Japan was mainly occupied by the
J stock. Northern Hokkaido and the northern part of the
Paciﬁc side of Japan represent areas where both stocks
overlap geographically.

Review of biological information of the J stock common minke whale based on genetically identified individuals

Figure 2.

Propor�on of the minke whales assigned to the J
and O stocks collected from sub-area 7W by the
distance from the Japanese coastal line (a�er Kanda
et al., 2010).

Temporal distribution along the Paciﬁc coast of Japan
In the southern part of the Paciﬁc side of Japan, the J
stock was predominant throughout the year (around 80%
in propor�on). In the Northern part of the Paciﬁc side ofJapan, the propor�on of the J stock increased in autumn/
winter and decreased in spring/summer. Conversely, thepropor�on of O stock decreased in autumn/winter andincreased in spring/summer. The fact that the J stock
is distributed in the southern part of the Paciﬁc side ofJapan throughout the year suggests that the Kuroshio
Current—one of the strongest west-boundary currentsof the subtropical gyre—is serving as the stock boundary
between O and J stocks (Goto et al., 2017).
Distance from the coastal line
In terms of the distance from the Japanese coastal linein the North Paciﬁc side e.g., sub-area 7W (sub-areas
Ba and Bb in Figure 1), the propor�on of the common
minke whales was diﬀerent between the J and O stocks(Figure 2). The propor�on of the J stock whales decreased
from coastal areas towards oﬀshore areas. Such a clinal
distribu�on supports the mixing of the two stocks in subarea 7W.
Migratory routes
The migratory routes to feeding areas of adult and juvenile J stock animals are schema�cally shown in Figure 3.
Migratory routes to breeding areas are assumed to be
the reverse in the case of adults. Adult animals were assumed to migrate northward and southward for feeding
and breeding, respec�vely, through the central corridorof the Sea of Japan. The northward migra�on limit was
not clear at this stage because there were no gene�csamples available from the central and northern parts of
the Okhotsk Sea. In the case of juveniles, it was assumed
that they were making short northward and southward

Figure 3.

Assumed feeding migra�on route of J stock animals(modiﬁed a�er Hatanaka and Miyashita, 1997 andGoto et al., 2010). Solid line: mature, do�ed line:
immature.

migra�ons along the coastal area for feeding because
bycatch juvenile animals were observed throughout theyear on the Japanese coast.
Morphology and morphometry
Morphology
Nakamura et al. (2016) studied the unique white patchon the ﬂipper of whales sampled by JARPNII during 2012
and 2013 to elucidate stock diﬀerences. They focused on
the morphological diﬀerences in the size and pa�ern of
the white patch on the ﬂipper of each whale. The lengthof the white patch along the anterior (ventral) marginof the ﬂipper tends to be propor�onally smaller in the
J stock. The pa�ern of the boundary area of the whitepatch named as the ʻGrayish Accessary Layer (GAL)ʼ wasremarkably diﬀerent between the two stocks (Figure 4).
Among animals with ʻno GALʼ type, 94% were J stock.
Conversely, 96% of the animals with GAL expanding overthe half the ﬂipper width were O stock.
Fluke color pattern
Nagatsuka (2008) found that common minke whales had
diﬀerent black and white pa�erns on the underside of
their ﬂukes. She then separated the sampled whales into
three diﬀerent ﬂuke color types (Figure 5). Diﬀerences
51

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 4.

Characteris�cs of the white patch along the ventral part of the ﬂipper in common minke whales from thewestern North Paciﬁc. The pictures show the basis for the classiﬁca�on based on the GAL types (GAL: surrounded by do�ed line) (a�er Nakamura et al., 2016).

Figure 5.

Propor�on of the minke whales assigned to J and O stock collected from sub-area 7W by the ﬂuke colorpa�ern, and diagram of the ﬂuke color pa�ern (a�er Kanda et al., 2010).

Figure 6.

External measurements of western North Paciﬁc common minke whales examined for compara�ve stock
analyses (a�er Hakamada and Bando, 2009). Measurements V3, V4, V7, V10 and V11 showed signiﬁcantdiﬀerences in morphometrics between J and O stocks.

in the frequencies of these three types were observed
between the individuals assigned gene�cally as J and O
stocks sampled during the 2007 JARPNII coastal and oﬀshore surveys (Nagatsuka, 2010). The frequencies of the52

three types were recalculated for the samples collected
only from sub-area 7W (Figure 5). The frequencies were
diﬀerent between the individuals assigned to J and O
stocks (p<0.001).

Review of biological information of the J stock common minke whale based on genetically identified individuals

Morphometry
Hakamada and Fujise (2000) examined the diﬀerence
between the J and O stocks, using the external measurement data obtained during the 1994–1999 JARPN
surveys. Signiﬁcant diﬀerences were observed between
the two stocks, especially that J animals exhibited shorter
lower body than O stock animals. Hakamada and Bando(2009) examined morphometric data of common minke
whales sampled by JARPNII to inves�gate the diﬀerences
between J and O stocks (Figure 6). Analysis of covariance(ANCOVA) using body length as a covariate was used totest if there were signiﬁcant diﬀerences in morphometricmeasurements among the groups compared. Measure-

Figure 7.

ments V3, V4, V7, V10 and V11 showed signiﬁcant diﬀerences in morphometrics between J and O stocks.
Reproduc�onConception date
Bando et al. (2010a) examined the distribu�on of concep�on dates of J and O stock animals collected from thecoastal area of western North Paciﬁc (sub-area 7W) andthe Okhotsk Sea (sub-area 11) during 1994–2007 JARPN/
JARPNII surveys (Figure 7). In sub-area 7W the concep�on date of the J stock was in August (n=1) and January(n=2); in sub-area 11 they were distributed between October and March (n=8). These results suggested that the

Seasonal distribu�on of concep�on dates of the J and O stock common minke whales in ten-day periods(a�er Bando et al., 2010a).

Figure 8.

Yearly and geographical change of main prey species of J stock common minke whales.
53Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

concep�on period of the J stock extends from autumn towinter. However, the sample sizes are too small to reach adeﬁni�ve conclusion.
Feeding ecology
The feeding ecology of common minke whales around
Japan has been examined in previous published papers(Kasamatsu and Tanaka, 1992; Tamura and Fujise, 2002;
Konishi et al., 2009). However, there have been few published papers speciﬁcally on the feeding habits of J stock
common minke whales. Results of the analyses of gene�cally iden�ﬁed J stock individuals showed that thesewhales fed on various prey species such as Paciﬁc krill(Euphausia paciﬁca), Japanese sandlance (Ammodytes
personatus), Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus),
Paciﬁc saury (Cololabis saira), walleye pollock (Gadus
chalcogrammus), and Japanese common squid (Todarodes paciﬁcus), and that the main prey species changed
both yearly and geographically (Figure 8). These results
suggested that J stock common minke whales appear to54

be an opportunis�c feeder, changing their prey species in
response to prey availability.
Environmental pollutant (total Hg levels)
Yasunaga and Fujise (2016) compared the accumula�on patterns of total Hg concentra�ons in muscle and liver between
J and O stocks of common minke whales. The analyses werebased on 35 O stock and 24 J stock immature animals takenfrom sub-area 7W in the 2012 and 2013 JARPNII surveys(Figure 9). Mul�ple linear regression analyses in total Hgconcentra�ons of the whales adjusted for confounders (ageindex, sex, blubber thickness and year) showed no discernible eﬀect between the two stocks. Results suggested that
there is no stock-dependent diﬀerence of total Hg and that
there is no exposure risk among the common minke whales
from the coastal waters of Japan.
Ecological markers
Cookie cutter shark scar
Bando et al. (2010b) inves�gated cookie cu�er shark-

Figure 9.

Rela�onship between Hg concentra�ons (ppm wet wt.) in muscle in rela�on to age (le�) and Hg concentra�on in liver in rela�onship to age (right) in common minke whales from sub-area 7W (a�er Yasunaga andFujise, 2016).

Figure 10.

Three types of cookie cu�er shark-induced scars in common minke whales. J stock animals had fewer
scars than O stock animals.

Review of biological information of the J stock common minke whale based on genetically identified individuals
Table 2
Types of cookie cu�er shark-induced scars in common minke
whales in the coastal areas of western North Paciﬁc oﬀ sub-area
7W (North: oﬀ Hokkaido, South: oﬀ Sanriku) and Paciﬁc oﬀshore
area (sub-areas 8 and 9) (modiﬁed from Bando et al., 2010b).
Subarea

7W
North

Type of scar
Type 1 None
Type 2 1–20 scars
Type 3 more than 20 scars
Total

7W
South

Type 1 None
Type 2 1–20 scars
Type 3 more than 20 scars
Total

8

Type 1 None
Type 2 1–20 scars
Type 3 more than 20 scars
Total

9

Type 1 None
Type 2 1–20 scars
Type 3 more than 20 scars
Total

Microsatellite DNA
O

?

J

0
14
291

2
5
31

17
31
5

305

38

53

0
10
213

3
5
25

19
22
2

223

33

43

0
3
95

0
1
11

0
0
0

98

12

0

0
4
203

0
1
23

0
0
1

207

24

1

induced scars as an ecological marker to determine stock
structure in western North Paciﬁc common minke whales
collected by JARPNII surveys during 2002–2007. Threetypes of common minke whales were iden�ﬁed from thedensity of scars (Figure 10). Prevalence of scars diﬀered
clearly between J and O stock animals. However, thisecological marker cannot be considered as an absolutemarker to diﬀeren�ate the two stocks as evidenced inTable 2. J stock animals had fewer scars than O stock
animals. In both stocks, prevalence increased with bodylength, and almost all animals of more than 7 m in bodylength had scars. Nevertheless, these results were consistent with the occurrence of the two stocks J and O, theformer with fewer scars distribu�ng in coastal areas while
the la�er with more scars distribu�ng in both coastal andoﬀshore areas.

SUMMARY
Table 3 shows a summary of the biological and ecologicalcharacteris�cs of J stock individuals. The individual iden�ﬁca�on by the gene�c markers has been very useful inlooking for stock characteriza�on and diﬀerences in several traits, such as distribu�on and movement, morphology and morphometry, reproduc�on, feeding ecology
and environmental pollutant, as presented in this paper.
Except for feeding ecology and environmental pollutant(total Hg levels), these traits indicate that J stock individuals are biologically and ecologically dis�nguished from O

Table 3
Summary of the studies on biological and ecological characteris�cs of the gene�cally iden�ﬁed individuals of J stock common minke
whales reviewed in this study.
Focal point

Characteris�c

Spa�al distribu�on

Whales occupy the Sea of Japan side and the southern part of the Paciﬁc side of Japan; they overlapped geographically with O stock in northern Hokkaido and the northern part of the Paciﬁc sideof Japan.
Temporal distribu�on
Whales are predominant throughout the year in the southern part of the Paciﬁc side of Japan.
Their propor�on increases in autumn/winter and decreases in spring/summer in the Northernpart of the Paciﬁc side of Japan.
Distance from the coastal line Their propor�on decreases from coastal areas towards oﬀshore.
Flipper color pa�ern
Characterized for almost no GLA in their ﬂippers in comparison with the O stock (Figure 4).
Fluke color pa�ern
Characterized by a higher propor�on of white color in ﬂukes in comparison with the O stock (Figure 5).
Morphometry
Characterized by short lower body in comparison with the O stock.
Concep�on date
Most likely extends from autumn to winter.
Feeding ecology
Feed on various prey species such as krill, schooling pelagic ﬁshes, and Japanese common squid.
They appear to be an opportunis�c feeder changing their prey species in response to prey availability in their feeding ground.
Environmental pollutant (total Levels are similar to those of the O stock animals in the coastal waters of Japan. Levels suggest
Hg levels)that the health risk is low.
Cookie cu�er shark scar
Fewer scars in comparison with the O stock (Figure 10).
55

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

stock individuals. The J stock can be deﬁned as a groupof individuals sharing a common gene pool maintainedby random ma�ng and should therefore be managed
independently.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Luis A. Pastene (ICR) for his assistance in preparing this document.

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pp. 58–63

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

Stranding record ac�vi�es at the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research
Toshihiro Mogoe*, Mutsuo Goto, Tatsuya Isoda and Hiroyuki Oikawa
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: mogoe@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACTThe Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) has been engaged in collec�ng and analyzing cetacean stranding
records along the coast of Japan for a number of years. Stranding records are reported to the ICR voluntarily
by the general public as well as staﬀ from local governments, universi�es, aquariums and museums. In thisdocument, the stranding record ac�vi�es of the ICR are described brieﬂy. A total of 4,275 individual records
involving toothed and baleen whales were made during 1996–2015. Of these, 297 related to baleen whale
species and 3,943 to toothed whale species. In 35 cases the species could not be determined due to insufﬁcient morphological informa�on or evidence from gene�c analysis. When possible, samples and data havebeen collected from stranded cetaceans and used in diﬀerent studies.

INTRODUCTION
Cetaceans can become stranded along the coast line
due to a variety of reasons. They can be stranded alive
or found dead a�er dri�ing to the shore. A mass stranding is deﬁned as two or more individuals (excluding
parent-calf pairs) stranded in the same loca�on at thesame �me (Geraci and Lounsbury, 2005). This kind of
stranding is common in a few species of toothed whales
that strand in groups of 15 to 100 or more (Geraci andLounsbury, 2005). There are records of at least 19 species of toothed whales and four species of baleen whales
related to mass stranding events (Mar�n et al., 1990).
While mass stranding is generally rare in baleen whales,
one excep�on is the mass stranding of sei whales that
occurred in the Chilean Central Patagonia region in early2015 (Häussermann et al., 2017).
As a review study by Sergeant (1982) shows, there area variety of possible reasons for stranding. Cetaceans candri� to the shore as a result of natural death. In manycases, calves separate from their parents and become
stranded. In other cases, animals can be stranded due to
weakness or diseases. Some of the diseases are causedby virus (Hinshaw et al., 1986; Groch et al., 2020), bacteria (Guzmán-Verri et al., 2012), or parasite infec�ons(Bowater et al., 2003). In addi�on, whales may become
lost due to the inﬂuence of wind, �de, or ocean currents
and become beached or dri� into harbors. In some cases,
whales have been stranded because of man-made causes,
such as entanglement or ship strike. The mass strandingof beaked whales has been related to mid-frequency ac58

�ve sonar (Piantadosi and Thalmann, 2004; Bernaldo deQuirós et al., 2019). Further, some mass stranding events
have been related to the geomagne�c ﬁeld.
Cetacean stranding provides biologists with a wide
range of informa�on. This includes gene�c samples foraddressing taxonomic ques�ons (Wada et al., 2003;
Yamada et al., 2019; Rosel et al., 2021), and biologicalsamples for pathological (Hinshaw et al., 1986; Bowater
et al., 2003; Guzmán-Verri et al., 2012) and environmental pollutant studies (Law et al., 2012; Bowater et al.,
2003; Garcia-Cegarra et al., 2021). Also, data and samples
have been used in popula�on studies (Pel�er et al.,2012; 2013). Necropsies provide informa�on to ascertain
possible causes of death. A recent study based on stranding inves�gated microplas�cs inges�on (Burkhardt-Holmand N'Guyen, 2019). Analyses of stranding data allow theassessment of the impact of human ac�vi�es on cetaceans (e.g., ﬁshing gear entanglement, ship strikes, etc.).
In this document, the stranding record ac�vi�es of theIns�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) are described brieﬂy.

STRANDING RECORD HELD AT THE ICR
Network
ICR has been collec�ng whale stranding records along thecoast of Japan for a number of years. Stranding events
can be reported by volunteers from the general public,
local governments, universi�es, aquariums and museums. There is an established protocol and as well as adata sheet form available for providing stranding informa�on to the ICR.

Stranding record ac�vi�es at the Ins�tute of Cetacean ResearchProtocol for data recording and species iden�ﬁca�on
The objec�ve of this protocol is to facilitate and standardize the collec�on of data and samples from stranded animals. Such samples and data can be useful in understanding the reasons for the stranding as well as being useful indiﬀerent research ac�vi�es. The data sheet in Appendix
1 is a key part of the protocol, and show the basic items
on data and samples to be collected. This form should becompleted for each stranding event. Collec�on of samples are avoided when animals are found alive or when
there are any safety concerns (Ishikawa and Ogino, 2001).
The collec�on of gene�c samples is important because
subsequent gene�c analyses allow the conﬁrma�on of
the species iden�ty of the stranded animal. Furthermore,such gene�c samples can be added to a larger collec�onof samples at the ICR, contribu�ng to other studies a suchas taxonomy and stock structure of the species involved.

temperature (Figure 1). Other types of samples are kept
in a frozen state.

NUMBER OF STRANDING EVENTS
Between 1996 and 2015 a total of 4,275 cetacean individuals were recorded in the ICR database related to stranding events (Table 1). Most of the cases corresponded totoothed whales.

EXAMPLES OF STRANDING RECORDS
The ﬁrst example is on a large baleen whale foundstranded on 1 April 2003 at Hitachi City, on the Paciﬁccoast of Ibaraki prefecture, Japan (36°39ʹN, 140°42ʹE).
Local authori�es towed the carcass (via sea) to a sandy
shore area within the Kawajiri Harbor, where the whale
was buried. Prior to burial, however, biological research
was conducted by staﬀ of the Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai
Aquarium, Ibaraki Nature Museum, Na�onal Museum

Database
The basic informa�on of stranding events recorded in theform in Appendix 1 is stored electronically in an Excel ﬁle.
When the exact loca�on in terms of la�tude and longitude is not provided, geographic coordinates are assigned
using geocoding from the address submi�ed. Only thecases where the species iden�ty has been conﬁrmed are
added to the Excel ﬁle. The Excel ﬁle is updated annuallyand is upload to the ICR site h�ps://www.icrwhale.org/
zasho2.html (accessed 2021-09-30).
Sample storage
Samples for gene�cs analysis are kept in 99% ethanol ina sealed bo�le that is pre-labeled and stored at room

Figure 1.

Storage samples for gene�cs analysis.

Table 1
Number of stranded cetaceans recorded in the ICR database during 1996–2015.
SuborderFamilyMys�ce� (Baleen whales)

Balaenidae
Balaenopteridae
Eschrich�idae
Unknown 1)

Odontoce� (Toothed whales)

Delphinidae
Kogiidae
Phocoenidae
Physeteridae
Ziphiidae
Unknown 1)

Unknown 1)
1)

EventsIndividuals

Gene�c samples(percentage of individuals)

7
264
4
22

7
264
4
22

6 (85.7)
115 (43.6)
2 (50.0)
6 (27.3)

577
143
1,763
123
259
235

1,357
156
1,777
139
265
249

86 (6.3)
24 (15.4)
161 (9.1)
27 (19.4)
75 (28.3)
15 (6.0)3535

1 (2.9)The cetacean could not be iden�ﬁed to the family level because extreme decomposi�on and/or lack of gene�c samples.
59Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

of Nature Science and ICR. The procedure followed theprotocol and the Stranding Recording Form (Appendix 1)
was used to take photographs and collect biological �ssue samples (Figure 2).
The whale was morphologically iden�ﬁed as a maleNorth Paciﬁc right whale with a body length of 12.95 m
and body weight of approximately 33,000 kg. Three yearsa�er its burial, the carcass was cleaned, and the skeleton,
together with relevant informa�on, were displayed for
educa�onal purpose at the Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai
Aquarium in January 2006.
The second example is that of a whale found stranded
on 14 May 2015 in a decomposed state in the city of Takahagi (Figure 3). Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium inves�gated the carcass and completed the sheet in Appendix
1, which was sent to ICR together with a skin sample forgene�c analysis. The length of the whale was 4.6 m. Due

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

60

to the advanced state of decomposi�on, only subsequent
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses were able to iden�fy the animal as a North Paciﬁc common minke whale.
Gene�c analyses on stock structure have been conducted based on gene�c samples from stranded whales.
For example, Pastene et al. (in review) used mtDNA
analyses for inves�ga�ng the stock structure of westernand eastern North Paciﬁc right whales. The westernsamples included a number of stranded whales along theJapanese coast. Results of the analyses were consistent
with the hypothesis that separate popula�ons inhabit theeastern and western North Paciﬁc Ocean respec�vely.
As shown in these cases, gene�c samples from stranded animals make valuable contribu�ons to the gene�canalyses for species iden�ﬁca�on/conﬁrma�on, and tostudies on stock structure.

Inves�ga�on of a stranded North Paciﬁc right whale.

A stranded baleen whale. Subsequent gene�c analyses iden�ﬁed the animal as a North Paciﬁc common
minke whale.

Stranding record ac�vi�es at the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Tsutomu Tamura (ICR) for his comments pertaining to this manuscript. We also express our gra�tude
to those working on stranding records and the contributors of informa�on. Thanks also to Luis A. Pastene (ICR)
for his assistance in preparing this manuscript.

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Jr, R.L., Aguilar de Soto, N., Allen, D., Arbelo, M., Arregui,M., Cos�dis, A., Fahlman, A., Frantzis, A., Gulland, F.M.D.,
Iñíguez, M., Johnson, M., Komnenou, A., Koopman, H., Pabst,
D.A., Roe, W.D., Sierra, E., Tejedor, M. and Schorr, G. 2019.
Advances in research on the impacts of an�-submarine sonar
on beaked whales. Proc. R. Soc. B 286: 20182533.
Bowater, R.O., Norton, J., Johnson, S., Hill, B., OʼDonoghue, P.
and Prior, H. 2003. Toxoplasmosis in Indo-Paciﬁc humpbacked
dolphins (Sousa chinensis), from Queensland. Aust Vet J
81 (10): 627–632.
Burkhardt-Holm, P. and NʼGuyen, A. 2019. Inges�on of microplas�cs by ﬁsh and other prey organisms of cetaceans, exempliﬁed for two large baleen whale species. Marine Pollution
Bulletin 144: 224–234.
Garcia-Cegarra, A.M., Jung, J.L., Orrego, R., Padilha, J.A., Malm,
O., Ferreira-Braz, B., Santelli, R.E., Pozo, K., Pribylova, P.,
Alvarado-Rybak, M., Azat, C., Kidd, K.A., Espejo, W., Chiang,
G. and Bahamonde, P. 2021. Persistence, bioaccumula�on and ver�cal transfer of pollutants in long-ﬁnned pilot
whales stranded in Chilean Patagonia. Science of the Total
Environment 770: 145259.
Geraci, J.R. and Lounsbury, V.J. 2005. Marine mammals ashore:
a ﬁeld guide for strandings. 2nd Edition. Na�onal Aquarium inBal�more, MD. 371 pp.
Groch, K.R., Díaz-Delgado, J., Santos-Neto, E.B., Ikeda, J.M.P.,
Carvalho, R.R., Oliveira, R.B., Guari, E.B., Flach, L., Sierra,E., Godinho, A.I., Fernández, A., Keid, L.B., Soares, R.M.,
Kanamura, C.T., Favero, C., Ferreira-Machado, E., Sacristán,C., Porter, B.F., Bisi, T.L., Azevedo, A.F., Lailson-Brito, J. andCatão-Dias, J.L. 2020. The pathology of cetacean morbillivirus infec�on and comorbidi�es in Guiana dolphins during
an unusual mortality event (Brazil, 2017–2018). Veterinary
Pathology 57 (6): 845–857.
Guzmán-Verri, C., González-Barrientos, R., Hernández-Mora,G., Morales, J.A., Baquero-Calvo, E., Chaves-Olarte, E. andMoreno, E. 2012. Brucella ceti and brucellosis in cetaceans.
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 2: 3.
Häussermann, V., Gutstein, C.S., Bedington, M., Cassis, D.,
Olavarria, C., Dale, A.C., Valenzuela-Toro, A.M., Perez-Alvarez,
M.J., Sepúlveda, H.H., McConnell, K.M., Horwitz, F.E. andFörsterra, G. 2017. Largest baleen whale mass mortality during strong El Niño event is likely related to harmful toxic algal
bloom. PeerJ 5: e3123.
Hinshaw, V.S., Bean, W.J., Geraci, J., Fiorelli, P., Early, G. andWebster, R.G. 1986. Characteriza�on of two inﬂuenza A viruses from a pilot whale. J. Virol. 58 (2): 655–656.
Ishikawa, H. and Ogino, M. 2001. Rescue of live stranding—Considera�on in the case of large whale stranding in Japan—.
Nihonkai Cetology 11: 21–29 (in Japanese with English
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R.J., Brownlow, A., Penrose, R., Barne�, J., Loveridge, J.,
Smith, B. and Jepson, P.D. 2012. Contaminants in cetaceansfrom UK waters: status as assessed within the Cetacean
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Mar�n, A.R., Donovan, G.P, Leatherwood, S., Hammond, P.S.,
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C.H., Jeﬀerson, T.A. and Webber, M.A. 1990. Whales and dolphins. Salamander Books Ltd., London. 192 pp.
Pastene, L.A., Taguchi, M., Lang, A., Goto, M. and Matsuoka, K.
(in review). Popula�on gene�c structure of North Paciﬁc rightwhales. Marine Mammal Science.
Pel�er, H., Dabin, W., Daniel, P., Van Canneyt, O., Dorémus, G.,
Huon, M. and Ridoux, V. 2012. The signiﬁcance of stranding
data as indicators of cetacean popula�ons at sea: Modellingthe dri� of cetacean carcasses. Ecological Indicators 18:
278–290.
Pel�er, H., Baagøe, H.J., Camphuysen, K.C., Czeck, R., Dabin,W., Daniel, P., Deaville, R., Haelters, J., Jauniaux, T., Jensen,
L.F., Jepson, P.D., Keijl, G.O., Siebert, U., Van Canneyt, O. andRidoux, V. 2013. The stranding anomaly as popula�on indicator: the case of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena inNorth-Western Europe. PLoS ONE 8 (4): e62180.
Piantadosi, C.A. and Thalmann, E.D. 2004. Pathology: whales,
sonar and decompression sickness. Nature 428 (6984): 1.
Rosel, P.E., Wilcox, L.A., Yamada, T.K. and Mullin, K.D. 2021. A
new species of baleen whale (Balaenoptera) from the Gulf of
Mexico, with a review of its geographic distribu�on. Marine
Mammal Science 37 (2): 577–610.
Sergeant, D.E. 1982. Mass strandings of toothed whales (odontoce�) as a popula�on phenomenon. Sci. Rep. Whales Res.
Inst. 34: 1–47.
Wada, S., Oishi, M. and Yamada, T.K. 2003. A newly discovered
species of living baleen whale. Nature 426 (6964): 278–281.
Yamada, T.K., Kitamura, S., Abe, S., Tajima, Y., Matsuda, A.,
Mead, J.G. and Matsuishi, T.F. 2019. Descrip�on of a new species of beaked whale (Berardius) found in the North Paciﬁc.
Sci Rep 9 (1): 12723.

61

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Appendix 1.

62Stranding record ac�vi�es at the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research

63Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 64–67

Technical Report-Note (not peer reviewed)

Development of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and u�lity forthe research work of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research
Koji Matsuoka* and Takashi Yoshida
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, Japan*Contact e-mail: matsuoka@cetacean.jp
The usage of drones is increasing for the observa�on andresearch of wild animals including the cetaceans. Drones
are replacing helicopters and small airplanes which require
airﬁeld for departure and arrival. The key characteris�cs ofdrones are their small sizes and maneuverability. Furthermore, they can be operated from the pla�orm of vessels.
This increases their u�lity in diﬃcult environments that areo�en encountered in cetacean research ac�vi�es. Whale
research using drones has already begun (e.g., Hodgson
et al., 2017), and they are used for various observa�on purposes in the polar regions (e.g., Funaki et al., 2014).
The Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) has acquired
some commercially-available drones, e.g., the Phantom
4 Pro (DJI), with the aim of studying whales. Also the
ICR has started the development of its own Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This technical note describes thisdevelopment, and summarizes the applica�on of UAVs
in the context of the research work on cetaceans by theIns�tute.
UAV development at the ICR
Since 2019, the ICR has been working on the development of new whale research methods for cetaceansusing small UAVs. It has developed a Ver�cal Take-oﬀ andLanding (VTOL) type UAV, speciﬁcally to operate from acetacean research vessel. Flight tests in open seas fromseveral oceanic regions, including the Antarc�c Ocean,
have been conducted to examine the performances of
the UAVs. From such tests, and to ensure good performance, several important factors were iden�ﬁed. Amongthese factors were strong winds at open sea, hull swaying, magne�c disturbance and radio wave interference,

Table 1
Speciﬁca�on of the newly-developed VTOL-UAV in 2021.
Name

Prototype ASUKA Mk 4

Overall length

1,920 mmWing length

2,500 mm

Overall height

620 mmBody weight

12.44 kg

Cruising range

Approx. 100 km (51 km in Level 3 ﬂight mode)

Maximum speed

160 km/h

Payload5 kg maximum

Seaworthiness

Figure 1.
64

Normal opera�on at 20 kt wind speed, level ﬂight maintained at 40 kt wind speed

Photograph of the VTOL ASUKA aircra� (Prototype ASUKA Mk 4) developed in 2021.

Development of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and u�lity for the research work of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Researchand geomagne�c devia�on in the polar regions. The new
UAV ʻASUKA,ʼ a VTOL type, was designed to minimize allsuch detrimental factors. The main data of the ASUKA are
shown in Table 1 and the UAV itself is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2 is a conceptual image of the opera�on of
VTOL-ASUKA from the pla�orm of a cetacean research
vessel in the Antarc�c. No airﬁeld is required as the UAV
can depart and return using the pla�orm of a cetacean
research vessel conduc�ng rou�ne line transect surveys.
Flight opera�ons can be conducted in shallow waters
and ice bound seas where research vessels are unable toenter.
UAV performance during a ﬁnless porpoise survey
The ASUKA was used in a survey for ﬁnless porpoise(Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Mikawa Bay, Aichi prefecture in March 2021. The UAV departed and arrived
using the pla�orm of the research vessel and conducted

a total of six aerial visual surveys (total distance: 71.2 km).
It succeeded in detec�ng and iden�fying three ﬁnless
porpoise pods (four individuals). The sigh�ng rate was
0.56 individuals/10 km. Figure 3 shows the ASUKA operating during the ﬁnless porpoise survey in Mikawa Bay on
29 March 2021.
In March 2021, ASUKA achieved an autonomous ﬂight
distance of 51 km in the North Paciﬁc Ocean (Figure 4,le�), which is considered a Japanese record for UAVs (adomes�c record for ﬂight distance under the condi�onsof Level 3 ﬂight (unmanned area with no visual line ofsight and no assistants) as speciﬁed in the ʻRoadmap for
the Industrial Revolu�on in the Skyʼ promoted by Japan.
Figure 4 (right) shows the track lines of the UAV during
the ﬁnless porpoise survey in Mikawa Bay on 29 March
2021. Figure 5 shows ﬁnless porpoise detected and iden�ﬁed by the ASUKAʼs camera.

Figure 2.

Conceptual image of the opera�on of VTOL-ASUKA from the pla�orm of a vessel. Unlike small airplanes
and helicopters, ASUKA do not require an airﬁeld, and can operate over shallow waters as well as in polynyas in the Antarc�c where the vessels cannot operate. In coastal areas, ASUKA can provide informa�on on
the presence of ﬁshing nets.

Figure 3.

VTOL-ASUKA undertaking ver�cal take-oﬀ from the research vessel (le�) and launch landing on the vesselin strong winds (right) during a survey in Mikawa Bay on 29 March 2021.
65

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Figure 4.

Long-distance (51 km) survey trial (le�) and track lines of the survey (right) by ASUKA during the ﬁnless
porpoise survey in Mikawa Bay on 29 March 2021.

Further improvement
Further performance development of ASUKA con�nues
to be focused on aspects related to shoo�ng equipment
and image processing technology. The eﬀorts will also be
focused on increasing the dura�on of surveys (distances)by the crea�on of a lightweight vehicle with a large capacity ba�ery. The idea is to further develop and implement an UAV capable of carrying out research on marine
mammals under stringent condi�ons, while ensuring that
disturbance to the animals is minimal.

Figure 5.

Photographs of ﬁnless porpoise taken during a
ﬂight at an al�tude of 50 meters by ASUKAʼs camera(using zoom) during the ﬁnless porpoise survey in
Mikawa Bay on 29 March 2021.

Japan 2021 Drone Exposi�on
The ASUKA was introduced at the Japan 2021 Drone Exposi�on for the Commercial Unmanned Aircra�s Systems(UAS) Market, together with its results from aerial cetacean surveys. The exposi�on was held between 14 and
16 June 2021 at the Makuhari Messe (Chiba City, Japan),and was organized by Japan UAS Industrial Development
Associa�on (JUIDA). During the event, ASUKA a�racted
the a�en�on of many engineers as an aircra� capableof taking oﬀ and landing from vessels. During the Exposi�on, useful informa�on was obtained regarding, forexample, the development of technology for moun�ng
biopsy equipment as well as surveys on marine debris
and red �de. Such advances will be useful for research on
cetaceans.

66

Applica�on to the study of cetaceans at the ICR
The ICR regularly conducts vessel-based dedicatedcetacean surveys. In general, UAVs operated from thepla�orm of the vessels will increase and improve theobserva�onal capacity during the surveys. For example,
the use of UAVs will allow the survey of cetaceans even incircumstances where vessel movement is inhibited, suchas the polynyas in the Antarc�c.
The use of UAVs will also complement the observa�onsof researchers on board regarding species iden�ty, number of animals in a school and behavior of the sighted
cetaceans. UAVs can also obtain data for photogrammetry studies, which are important for taxonomical or stock
structure studies.
Addi�onally, the use of UAVs will enable the collec�onof environmental data from above when opera�ng overshallow waters, as well as the detec�on of areas whereﬁshing gears are installed. That is, it is an�cipated thatthe use of drones will enhance informa�on collec�onfrom a wider range of oceanographic condi�ons and sea
areas, thus providing more precise ﬁndings from researchac�vi�es.

Development of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and u�lity for the research work of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES

We thank the Fisheries Agency of Japan for researchpermit and funding for the development and implementa�on of UAVs. We also thank Yoshihiro Fujise, Takashi
Hakamada, Megumi Takahashi, Taiki Katsumata andMasato Hayashi (ICR) for their logis�cal support. Our
gra�tude to all engineers who were involved in the development work. Finally, our thanks to Luis A. Pastene (ICR)
for his assistance in the prepara�on of this manuscript.

Funaki, M., Higashino, S., Sakanaka, S., Iwata, N., Nakamura, N.,
Hirasawa, N., Obara, N. and Kuwabara, M. 2014. Small unmanned aerial vehicles for aero-magne�c surveys and theirﬂights in the South Shetland Islands, Antarc�ca. Polar Science
8: 342–356.
Hodgson, A., Peel, D. and Kelly, N. 2017. Unmanned aerial vehicles for surveying marine fauna: assessing detec�on probability. Ecological Applications 27 (4): 1253–1267.

67

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 68–71

Commentary
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the Institute of Cetacean
Research

Importance of interna�onal collabora�on in the study of cetaceans:
experiences of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research
Luis A. Pastene
Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, JapanThe Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) is an ins�tute
focused on the studies of cetaceans. This includes the baleen whale species, which have been the target of several
studies by the ICR. Baleen whales are par�cularly diﬃcult
to study, because they are migratory animals and theirhabitat is mainly oceanic. They move seasonally between
low la�tude breeding areas and high la�tude feedingareas. Interna�onal research collabora�on on cetaceans,par�cularly on baleen whales, is relevant and importantfor several reasons. In this ar�cle, these are explained
and illustrated by use of case studies at the ICR.
Interna�onal research collabora�on facilitates the access to samples and informa�on from wider areas
The study on some research topics of cetaceans requires
samples and informa�on not only from wider areas
within an oceanic basin, but also globally. For example,
the studies on taxonomy, stock structure, abundance andthe impact of cetaceans on the marine ecosystem fall into
this category. The ICR has succeeded in addressing some
important scien�ﬁc ques�ons related to such topics, especially regarding baleen whales. This has been achievedo�en through interna�onal research collabora�ons.
The taxonomy of some baleen whale species is yet to
be se�led, and the elucida�on of their taxonomical status
requires studies based on samples collected worldwide.
The ICR has collaborated with interna�onal colleagues
in studies on the taxonomy of blue, right, Brydeʼs andminke whales. Here, I explain brieﬂy the collabora�ve
study on minke whale taxonomy. Two species of theminke whale are recognized, the Antarc�c minke whale(Balaenoptera bonaerensis), which is restricted to theSouthern Hemisphere, and the common minke whale(B. acutorostrata), which is distributed globally. Furthermore, three sub-species of the common minke whale arerecognized, one in the North Paciﬁc (B. a. scammoni),
one in the North Atlan�c (B. a. acutorostrata), and one
in the Southern Hemisphere (dwarf or diminu�ve minke
whale). The la�er is an un-named sub-species of the com68

mon minke whale. In order to elucidate the taxonomical
status of the dwarf minke whale, interna�onal researchcollabora�on was carried out between ICR scien�sts
and scien�sts from regions where dwarf minke whales
are distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, speciﬁcallyscien�sts from several research ins�tutes in Chile andBrazil. The last published work based on mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite DNA (msDNA) indicatedsigniﬁcant gene�c diﬀerences between western South
Paciﬁc and western South Atlan�c dwarf minke whales,sugges�ng that the taxonomical status of common minke
whales in the Southern Hemisphere should be revised(Milmann et al., 2021).
Within an oceanic basin, a species of baleen whales
is composed of stocks, which are demographically independent units. The iden�ﬁca�on of such units, throughgene�c and non-gene�c analyses, is very important,because conserva�on and management policies should
be based on these units. Interna�onal collabora�on by
ICR has been important in inves�ga�ng the number anddistribu�on of stocks in some baleen whale species distributed through the en�re North Paciﬁc Ocean. In thecase of North Paciﬁc right whales, gene�c analyses basedon mtDNA were conducted to inves�gate the stock structure of this species in this oceanic basin. The analyses
were facilitated by the collabora�on between Japanesescien�sts who contributed gene�c data from the western
sector of the North Paciﬁc Ocean, and US scien�sts who
contributed gene�c data from the eastern sector. Resultsof the study conﬁrmed that at least two stocks occur in
the North Paciﬁc Ocean, one in the western side and theother in the eastern side (Pastene et al., in review). This is
key informa�on for developing conserva�on policies forthis depleted species.
Other examples include the gene�c analyses on stock
structure of sei and Brydeʼs whales in the North Paciﬁc
Ocean, carried out with gene�c samples from diﬀerent
sources. Gene�c samples from the western North Paciﬁc
Ocean were collected by ICR scien�sts during the former

Importance of international collaboration in the study of cetaceans: Experiences of the Institute of Cetacean Researchwhale research programs conducted under the IWC special permit (JARPN, JARPNII and NEWREP-NP), and biopsy
samples were also obtained during Japanese dedicatedsigh�ng surveys. Gene�c samples from the central andeastern North Paciﬁc Ocean were mainly biopsy samples
collected during dedicated sigh�ng surveys of the Interna�onal Whaling Commission Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee (IWC
SC) POWER (Paciﬁc Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research). This is a collabora�ve research program between
Japan and the IWC. Gene�c analyses based on mtDNA
and msDNA suggested two stocks of Brydeʼs whales in
the central-western North Paciﬁc Ocean with spa�ally
overlapping distribu�on, and one stock of sei whalesin the whole of the North Paciﬁc Ocean. Interna�onal
research collabora�on enabled large areas in the North
Paciﬁc Ocean to be covered, and the results of the gene�canalyses on the stock structure of these two species were
important for the work on assessment and management
carried out by the IWC SC. The analyses presented in IWC(2018) is one example of this kind of research.
Abundance es�mates of sei and Brydeʼs whales as wellof other species in large areas of the North Paciﬁc Ocean
have also beneﬁted from the Japan-IWC interna�onal
research collabora�on through the POWER surveys (seeIWC, 2020).
The research of the impact of baleen whales on themarine ecosystem also requires samples and informa�on
from wider areas within an oceanic basin. Once again,interna�onal collabora�on plays an important role. Qualita�ve and quan�ta�ve analyses of prey consump�on bywhales are commonly used to inves�gate the impact ofwhales on the ecosystem. Es�mates of prey consump�onby marine mammals in the North Paciﬁc Marine Science
Organiza�on (PICES) region, which cover the en�re North
Paciﬁc Ocean, were made in collabora�on between the
ICR and scien�sts from research organiza�ons in Canada(Tamura et al., 2019). This collabora�ve research was animportant contribu�on to the 5-year PICES project �tled
ʻClimate and Trophic Ecology of Marine Birds and Mammals.ʼ
Interna�onal research collabora�on facilitates the access to, and interchange of, ﬁeld, laboratory and analy�cal techniques
Research groups from diﬀerent ins�tutes have diﬀerent
levels of exper�se on ﬁeld, laboratory and analy�cal techniques used for diﬀerent scien�ﬁc purposes. In science,the development and improvement of such techniques
progress rapidly. In such an environment, it is clear thatcollabora�on among ins�tutes will facilitate access, inter-change and use of new techniques among collabora�ng
laboratories.
It should be noted that access to, and interchangeof, new ﬁeld, laboratory and analy�cal techniques are
not restricted to cetaceans nor solely to interna�onal
collabora�on. Collabora�on among research ins�tutes
within one country, irrespec�ve of target species, could
also contribute in achieving the same purpose.
Below are some cases of ICRʼs interna�onal collabora�ons that have resulted in the interchange of new techniques.
New techniques acquired by ICR as a result of international research collaboration
Survey design and analy�cal techniques for abundancees�mates
Abundance es�mates of whale species is essen�al for deﬁning policies on conserva�on and management. Given
the importance of this topic, and to ensure the design
and implementa�on of sigh�ng surveys as well as analyses of the data are in line with the guidelines adopted
by the IWC SC, scien�sts of ICR have received technicaland scien�ﬁc advice from experts of several interna�onal
research ins�tutes and universities. These have included
organiza�ons in South Africa and Scotland, and also the
IWC POWER program (IWC, 2020).
Kinship analysis
This technique was acquired by ICR following collabora�on with a university in Germany regarding the North
Paciﬁc common minke whale stock structure. Kinshipinforma�on based on the analyses of gene�c data isvery important in addressing ques�ons on ecology, stock
structure and abundance es�mates.
Ecological markers
The occurrence of external and internal parasites inwhales can be used as ecological markers to resolve,
among others, ques�ons on stock structure. ICR scien�sts
have beneﬁted from a recent collabora�on with scien�sts
from a university in Spain to inves�gate the use of parasites as ecological markers for Antarc�c minke whales. As
a result, techniques for the iden�ﬁca�on and analyses ofparasites were acquired by ICR.
Satellite tracking
Satellite tracking of whales is a useful tool to study movement, stock structure and behavior of whales. ICR scien�sts are using this technique to study such aspects inwhales from both the Antarc�c and North Paciﬁc Oceans.
69

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

The technique used by ICR scien�sts has improved considerably, thanks to the interna�onal collabora�on withexperts from an ins�tute in Norway. More recently, Japanand the North Atlan�c Marine Mammal Commission(NAMMCO) commenced a collabora�ve project to develop miniature tags (MINTAG project) to be used on fastswimming whale species in the North Atlan�c, the North
Paciﬁc and other oceans.
Krill surveys
ICR scien�sts have collaborated with specialists fromthe Conven�on for the Conserva�on of Marine Living
Resources in the Antarc�c (CCAMLR) regarding the design and implementa�on of krill surveys using dedicatedsigh�ng vessels for cetaceans as a pla�orm. The advice
from visi�ng CCAMLR specialists resulted in an improved
data collec�on method in es�ma�ng the abundance anddistribu�on of krill.
Sta�s�cal models
ICR scien�sts have beneﬁted from an interna�onal collabora�on with Norwegian scien�sts in developing andapplying sta�s�cal models to study yearly trends of
biological characteris�cs of whales. In par�cular, thesesta�s�cal models were applied in a study on the trend of
blubber thickness and stomach-content weight in Antarc�c minke whales, in order to assess yearly change in body
condi�ons of this species. See Cunen et al. (2021) for thelatest applica�on of the sta�s�cal models that address
this research topic.
Technical assistance of ICR to scientists from foreigncountries
ICR scien�sts have par�cipated in programs of collabora�on that included the transfer of new survey, laboratory and analy�cal techniques to colleagues from foreigncountries.
Some examples include the collabora�ve programswith scien�sts from Caribbean and western African countries. To learn sigh�ng surveys techniques for the purposes of abundance es�ma�on and gene�c analyses on stock
structure, scien�sts from St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the
Grenadines in the Caribbean, as well as from the Republicof Guinea and other countries from western Africa havevisited ICR. At the same �me, some ICR scien�sts havevisited those countries to par�cipate in ﬁeld works andhold lectures on relevant research topics.
Other examples include research collabora�ons with
Brazilian and Mexican scien�sts on popula�on gene�canalyses pertaining to large whales. As a result of such
70

collabora�on, foreign colleagues increased their knowledge on gene�c techniques available at the ICR (laboratory and analy�cal), which in turn, allowed them to apply
such techniques in their respec�ve countries.
Final remarks
Based on just some of ICRʼs experiences outlined above,it is clear that interna�onal collabora�on is important forthe studies of cetaceans, including the diﬃcult group of
baleen whales. Interna�onal research collabora�on on
topics such as stock structure, abundance, and impactof cetacean on the ecosystem is important because suchcollabora�on enables coverage of wider areas of the
distribu�on of species and stocks. It is also important
for access to, and interchange of, laboratory, ﬁeld andanaly�cal techniques among research ins�tutes from different regions and countries.
Despite the advances and beneﬁts of internet communica�ons, research ac�vi�es of many research organiza�ons in the world are s�ll not well known to many people,
and even to a large part of the scien�ﬁc community.
The ICR is not an excep�on in this respect. Interna�onal
research collabora�on, with interchange of scien�sts
between laboratories on speciﬁc scien�ﬁc projects, will
facilitate the mutual understanding of objec�ves and ac�vi�es of the research ins�tutes involved.
Further, interna�onal research collabora�on will allow
the interchange of ideas and modes of working amongscien�sts from diﬀerent countries. This should facilitate
the understanding of the diﬀerent cultures involved. Ignoring such diﬀerences may result in misunderstandings
or miscommunica�on during scien�ﬁc debates amongscien�sts from diﬀerent countries.
Responding to and appropriately addressing scien�ﬁcques�ons on baleen whales are indispensable for theirconserva�on and management. Interna�onal collabora�on contributes greatly to this end, as evidenced by the
results of several cases at the ICR. Therefore, the ICR
should con�nue to seek and engage in interna�onal collabora�on on research topics relevant for the conserva�on and management of cetaceans.

REFERENCES
Cunen, C., Walløe, L., Konishi, K. and Hjort, N.L. 2021. Decline inbody condi�on in the Antarc�c minke whales (Balaenoptera
bonaerensis) in the Southern Hemisphere during the 1990ʼs.
Polar Biol 44 (2): 259–273.
Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2018. Report of theWorkshop on the Implementation Review of western North
Paciﬁc Brydeʼs whales. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 19 (Suppl.):Importance of international collaboration in the study of cetaceans: Experiences of the Institute of Cetacean Research
563–593.
Interna�onal Whaling Commission. 2020. Report of the mee�ngof the IWC-POWER Technical Advisory Group (TAG), January
2020. Paper SC/68B/Rep01 presented to the IWC Scien�ﬁcCommi�ee, May 2020 (unpublished). 23 pp. [Available fromthe IWC Secretariat].
Milmann, L., Taguchi, M., Siciliano, S., Baumgarten, J.E., Oliveira,L.R., Valia�, V.H., Goto, M., O�, P.H. and Pastene, L.A. 2021.
New gene�c evidences for dis�nct popula�ons of the common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in theSouthern Hemisphere. Polar Biol 44 (8): 1575–1589.
Pastene, L.A., Taguchi, M., Lang, A., Goto, M. and Matsuoka, K.
(in review) Popula�on gene�c structure of North Paciﬁc rightwhales. Marine Mammal Science.
Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Matsuoka, K., Hakamada, T. and Trites,
A.W. 2019. Es�ma�on of prey consump�on by marine mammals in the PICES regions–Update to Hunt et al. (2000). Oralpresenta�on to the 2019 PICES Annual Mee�ng, October 2019,
Victoria, BC, Canada. h�ps://mee�ngs.pices.int/Publica�ons/
Presenta�ons/PICES-2019/S13-D2-1200-Tamura.pdf.

71Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 72National meetingsPar�cipa�on of scien�sts from the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research inNa�onal Mee�ngs in 2021
The 2021 mee�ng of the Japanese Society ofFisheries Science (JSFS)The 2021 mee�ng of the Japanese Society ofFisheries Oceanography (JSFO)

The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science (JSFS) wasestablished in 1932. It is a non-proﬁt, registered society
dedicated to the promo�on of all aspects of ﬁsheriesscience. The society fulﬁlls its global commitment by promo�ng science, striving to achieve sustainable development in the ﬁeld of ﬁsheries, while recognizing the crucial
need to preserve the natural aqua�c resources. It also
strives to forge rela�onships with the ﬁshing industry,comprising both capture and culture ﬁsheries. The main
events organized by the society are the biannual meetings held in spring and autumn in one of the main ci�esof Japan. This forum is where members present theirresearch ac�vi�es, exchange informa�on, and foster collabora�ve research in areas of common interest.
The 2021 spring mee�ng of the JSFS was held onlinefrom 26 to 29 March. Two scien�sts from the Ins�tuteof Cetacean Research (ICR) (Tamura and Wada) par�cipated in the mee�ng. They presented the study en�tled
ʻResults of krill sampling by IKMT and Maruchi nets in the
Antarc�c Ocean during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 australsummer seasons.ʼ Tamura was also a co-author of another study presented at the mee�ng en�tled ʻProposalof criteria for dis�nguishing sand lance using the acous�cdata in Sendai Bay.ʼ

The Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography (JSFO) wasestablished in 1962. Its aim is to iden�fy scien�ﬁc issuesof local ﬁsheries, and to promote studies in coopera�onwith local scien�sts and ﬁshers in order to address such
issues. Recent ﬁeld research ac�vi�es in JSFO include, forexample, the study on the rela�onship between marine organism distribu�on and oceanographic condi�ons, acous�cassessment of ﬁsh abundance, oceanographic approach
using satellite image, popula�on dynamics and modelingapproaches. The research ac�vi�es of the JSFO are within
the framework of the ﬁsheries oceanography deﬁni�on,which is ʻthe study of oceanic processes aﬀec�ng marine
ecosystems and the rela�onship of these ecosystems to theabundance and availability of ﬁsh.ʼ
The 50th Symposium on North Paciﬁc Studies was heldon 13 March as part of the 2021 mee�ng of the JSFO.
Tamura, Konishi, Isoda and Kato from the ICR par�cipatedin the mee�ng and presented their study ʻThe feeding
habits and prey consump�on by common minke whales
around Hokkaido.ʼ

72

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 73–75

International meetingsPar�cipa�on of scien�sts from the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research inInterna�onal Mee�ngs in 2021
Annual mee�ng of the Interna�onal Whaling
Commission Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee (IWC SC)
The Interna�onal Whaling Commission (IWC) is an interna�onal body set up by the terms of the Interna�onal
Conven�on for the Regula�on of Whaling (ICRW), which
was signed in Washington, D.C., United States, on 2 December 1946, to ʻprovide for the proper conserva�on ofwhale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.ʼ One of the important
subsidiary bodies of the IWC is its Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee(SC), which meets annually.
Originally, the 2021 mee�ng of the IWC SC was planned
for Bled, Slovenia, between 27 April and 9 May (SC68C).
The in-person mee�ng was cancelled due to the Covid-19
pandemic. Instead, the mee�ng was carried out througha series of virtual sessions between 27 April and 14 May.
A total of twelve scien�sts from the Ins�tute of Cetacean
Research (ICR) par�cipated in the mee�ng as observers
from Japan (Fujise, Kato, Pastene, Tamura, Matsuoka,
Hakamada, Taguchi, Konishi, Goto, Isoda, Takahashi and
Katsumata). They presented a total of 10 documents:
six documents at the Standing Working Group on Abundance Es�mates, Stock Status and Interna�onal Cruises(ASI), one document at the Working Group on StockDeﬁni�on and DNA tes�ng (SDDNA), one document at
the Sub-Commi�ee on Conserva�on Management Plans(CMP) and two general documents (O: PICES Observer
Report and Japanʼs Scien�ﬁc Progress Reports).
The report of the IWC SC mee�ng can be found on thewebsite of the IWC (h�ps://iwc.int/home).
ICR scien�sts also par�cipated in the mee�ng of theʻIWC-POWER Technical Advisory Group (TAG)ʼ and theʻPlanning Mee�ng for the 2021 IWC-POWER Cruise,ʼ held
online from 9 to 10 November, 2020. Another online
mee�ng was held on 21 April 2021 to discuss the eﬀectof the Covid-19 pandemic on the logis�cal aspects of the2021 IWC-POWER survey. Kato, Matsuoka and Takahashi
from the ICR par�cipated in these mee�ngs. The report ofthese mee�ngs can be found on the website of the IWC(h�ps://iwc.int/home).

Annual mee�ng of the Conven�on on the Conserva�on of Antarc�c Marine Living ResourcesWorking Group on Ecosystem Monitoring andManagement (CCAMLR-EMM)
The Conven�on on the Conserva�on of Antarc�c Marine
Living Resources (CCAMLR) is part of the Antarc�c Treaty
System. The Conven�on was opened for signature on
1 August 1980 and entered into force on 7 April 1982,
thereby establishing the Commission for the Conserva�on of Antarc�c Marine Living Resources. Its goal is topreserve marine life and environmental integrity in andnear Antarc�ca. It was established in large part in response to concerns that an increase in krill catches in theSouthern Ocean could have a serious impact on popula�ons of other marine life, which are dependent upon
krill for food. The CCAMLR has a Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee
and several Working Groups. One of these is the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management(EMM), which meets annually.
The in-person mee�ng of the EMM Working Groupwas cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, an
online mee�ng was held between 5 and 12 July, 2021.
The main items on the mee�ng agenda were: Krill Management including risk analyses, Spa�al Management
and Climate Change. Under the risk analyses approach,several papers on distribu�on, abundance and prey consump�on of whales in western Antarc�c were presented.
Three scien�sts from the ICR par�cipated in the mee�ng(Pastene, Isoda and Katsumata).
The report of the e-mail group discussion can be foundon the website of the CCAMLR (h�ps://www.ccamlr.
org/).

Annual mee�ng of the North Atlan�c Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Scien�ﬁcCommi�ee (SC)The North Atlan�c Marine Mammal Commission(NAMMCO) is an interna�onal body for coopera�on on
the conserva�on, management and study of marine
mammals in the North Atlan�c. The NAMMCO Agreement was signed in Nuuk, Greenland on 9 April 1992 by
Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, andentered into force on 8 July 1992. The agreement focuseson modern approaches to the study of the marine eco73

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Scien�sts from the ICR par�cipa�ng in the online mee�ng of the NAMMCO Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee (25–29 January 2021).

system as a whole, and to be�er understanding the roleof marine mammals in the ecosystem. NAMMCO has a
Scien�ﬁc Commi�ee (SC), which meets annually.
The 2020 NAMMCO SC mee�ng was held online
between 25 and 29 January 2021. The in-person meeting was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fourscien�sts from ICR par�cipated in the mee�ng (Pastene,
Konishi, Inoue and Takahashi) as observers from Japan.
They presented the following documents: the 2019–2020
Japan progress report on large cetacean research, the2018–2019 Japan progress report on small cetacean
research, and the 2019–2020 report on satellite tagging
experiments at the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research. The
report of the mee�ng can be found in the website of
NAMMCO (h�ps://nammco.no/).

NAMMCO-Japan MINTAG project mee�ng
NAMMCO and Japan have agreed on a collabora�ve
project to develop a new satellite tag suited for use on
fast-swimming baleen whales which are of most interest
to NAMMCO countries and Japan. The project is called
ʻMiniature Tagʼ or MINTAG project. The project started in
2021 and will run for ﬁve years. The project is divided into
phases: development phase, tes�ng phase, deploymentdata collec�on-analyses phase, and publica�on-ﬁnal repor�ng- workshop phase. The project is led by a SteeringGroup composed of scien�sts from NAMMCO countries
and Japan, the Secretariat of NAMMCO and the Fisheries
Agency of Japan (FAJ).
The ﬁrst organiza�onal mee�ng of the MINTAG Steering Group was held online on 4 August 2021. The main
topics of the mee�ng were the tender material for tags,
web blog and the schedule for the project. Two scien�sts from the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (Pastene
and Konishi), and one member from the FAJ (Moronuki)
74

par�cipated in the mee�ng as members of the SteeringGroup.

Annual mee�ng of the North Paciﬁc Marine
Science Organiza�on (PICES)The North Paciﬁc Marine Science Organiza�on (PICES) isan intergovernmental science organiza�on established in
1992. It aims to promote and coordinate marine scien�ﬁcresearch in the North Paciﬁc Ocean and its adjacent seas,
and to provide a mechanism for informa�on and dataexchange among scien�sts in its member countries. Itspresent members are Canada, Japan, People's Republic ofChina, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federa�on, and theUnited States of America.
The 2021 mee�ng of the PICES was originally plannedfor Qingdao, China. The in-person mee�ng was cancelled
due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, the mee�ng washeld online between 18 and 29 October. The businessmee�ng of the Marine Bird and Mammals (S-MBM) sec�on was held on 30 September. One scien�st from ICR
par�cipated in the mee�ng (Tamura) introducing the observer report of IWC/SC mee�ng. The report of the PICES
mee�ng can be found in the website of PICES (h�ps://mee�ngs.pices.int/).
The Annual Science Conference of the Interna�onal
Council for the Explora�on of the Sea (ICES) was held
online between 6 and 10 September 2021. The joint
ICES/PICES session on top predators, food webs, andecosystem-based ﬁsheries management was held on 10
September. One scien�st from ICR par�cipated in thissession (Tamura). He presented the study �tled ʻEs�ma�on of prey consump�on by marine mammals in the
PICES regions —Update to Hunt et al. (2000)—ʼ.

Participation of scientists from the Institute of Cetacean Research in International Meetings in 2021

by Ten, Konishi, Nakai, Raga, Pastene and Aznar, was presented at the symposium as an oral presenta�on.

Conference 2021/UK&Ireland Regional Student
Chapter

A scien�st from the ICR giving a presenta�on at the joint ICES/PICES session of the online ICES Annual Science Conference.

48th Annual Symposium of the European Associa�on for Aqua�c Mammals
The 48th Annual Symposium of the European Associa�onfor Aqua�c Mammals was held online between 11 and
13 March 2021. The study �tled ʻEpibio�c macrofaunaof Antarc�c minke whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Burmeister, 1867, in the Southern Ocean,ʼ co-authoredThis conference, organized by the Sea Mammal Research
Unit, University of St. Andrews, was held online between
23 and 25 June 2021. The study �tled ʻThe epibiont
Xenobalanus globicipitis as a mul�faceted indicator of
cetacean biology: a review,ʼ co-authored by Ten, Konishi,
Raga, Fernandez, Pastene and Aznar, was presented at
the conference as a poster presenta�on.

XXIV Biennial of the Real Sociedad Española deHistoria Natural
This biennial was held between 8 and 10 September 2021
in Valencia, Spain. The study �tled ʻXenobalanus globicipitis: un crustaceo epibionte possible indicador de migraciones de ballenas,ʼ co-authored by Ten, Konishi, Nakai,
Raga, Pastene and Aznar, was presented at the biennial
as an oral presenta�on.

75

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

pp. 76–94

Peer-reviewed publications

List of peer-reviewed publica�ons based on the Ins�tute of
Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021
This sec�on presents a list of peer-reviewed publica�ons
based on data collected by surveys conducted underformer special scien�ﬁc permit programs (JARPA/JARPAII/
NEWREP-A and JARPN/JARPNII/NEWREP-NP), including
both lethal and non-lethal techniques. Peer-reviewed
publica�ons based on these surveys are focused mainly
on topics related to assessment and management oflarge whales. However samples and data collected by
the surveys have also been useful to carry out studies ofa more academic-oriented nature. Publica�ons based onsuch studies are also listed here.
This sec�on also includes a list of peer-reviewed publica�ons resul�ng from other surveys and research ac�vi�es, diﬀerent from special scien�ﬁc permit surveys.
Publica�ons having as a ﬁrst author a non-ICR scien�st commonly followed a data request or collabora�onresearch agreement with ICR. In a few cases, externalscien�sts used published data from ICR surveys in theiranalyses and publica�ons, without a formal agreementwith ICR. These cases are indicated by an asterisk (*).

JARPA/JARPAII/NEWREP-A surveys
1989 (2)Kato, H., Hiroyama, H., Fujise, Y. and Ono, K. 1989.
Preliminary report of the 1987/88 Japanese feasibility study of the special permit proposal for Southern
Hemisphere minke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 39:
235–248.
Nakamura, T., Ohnishi, S. and Matsumiya, Y. 1989. A
Bayesian cohort model for catch-at-age data obtained
from research takes of whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn
39: 375–382.
1990 (8)Bu�erworth, D.S. and Punt, A.E. 1990. Some preliminary
examina�ons of the poten�al informa�on content
of age-structure data from Antarc�c minke whale research catches. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 40: 301–315.
Ichii, T. 1990. Distribu�on of Antarc�c krill concentra�ons
exploited by Japanese krill trawlers and minke whales.
Proc. NIPR Symp. Polar Biol 3: 36–56.
Itoh, S., Takenaga, F. and Tsuyuki, H. 1990. Studies on lipidsof the Antarc�c minke whale. I. The fa�y acid composi�ons of the minke whale blubber oils caught on 1987/88
76

season. Yukagaku 39 (7): 486–490 (in Japanese).
Kasamatsu, F., Kishino, H. and Hiroyama, H. 1990. Es�ma�on of the number of minke whale (Balaenoptera
acutorostrata) schools and individuals based on the
1987/88 Japanese feasibility study data. Rep. int. Whal.
Commn 40: 239–247.
Kato, H., Fujise, Y., Yoshida, H., Nakagawa, S., Ishida, M.
and Tanifuji, S. 1990. Cruise report and preliminary
analysis of the 1988/89 Japanese feasibility study ofthe special permit proposal for southern hemisphereminke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 40: 289–300.
Kato, H., Kishino, H. and Fujise, Y. 1990. Some analyses on
age composi�on and segrega�on of southern minke
whales using samples obtained by the Japanese feasibility study in 1987/88. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 40:
249–256.
Nagasaki, F. 1990. The Case for Scien�ﬁc Whaling. Nature
334: 189–190.
Tanaka, S. 1990. Es�ma�on of natural mortality coeﬃcient of whales from the es�mates of abundance andage composi�on data obtained from research catches.
Rep. int. Whal. Commn 40: 531–536.
1991 (9)Bergh, M.O., Bu�erworth, D.S. and Punt, A.E. 1991. Further examina�on of the poten�al informa�on content
of age-structure data from Antarc�c minke whale
research catches. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 41: 349–361.
Ichii, T. and Kato, H. 1991. Food and daily food consump�on of southern minke whales in the Antarc�c. Polar
Biol 11 (7): 479–487.
Kasamatsu, F., Kishino, H. and Taga, Y. 1991. Es�ma�onof southern minke whale abundance and school size
composi�on based on the 1988/89 Japanese feasibility
study data. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 41: 293–301.
Kato, H., Fujise, Y. and Kishino, H. 1991. Age structure andsegrega�on of southern minke whales by the data obtained during Japanese research take in 1988/89. Rep.
int. Whal. Commn 41: 287–292.
Kato, H. and Miyashita, T. 1991. Migra�on strategy ofsouthern minke whales in rela�on to reproduc�ve
cycles es�mated from foetal lengths. Rep. int. Whal.
Commn 41: 363–369.
Kato, H., Zenitani, R. and Nakamura, T. 1991. Inter-reader
calibra�on in age readings of earplugs from southern

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

minke whale, with some notes of age readability. Rep.
int. Whal. Commn 41: 339–343.
Kishino, H., Kato, H., Kasamatsu, F. and Fujise, Y. 1991.
Detec�on of heterogeneity and es�ma�on of popula�on characteris�cs from the ﬁeld survey data: 1987/88
Japanese feasibility study of the Southern Hemisphereminke whales. Ann. Inst. Statist. Math. 43 (3): 435–453.
Nakamura, T. 1991. A new look at a Bayesian cohortmodel for �me-series data obtained from researchtakes of whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 41: 345–348.
Wada, S., Kobayashi, T. and Numachi, K. 1991. Gene�cvariability and diﬀeren�a�on of mitochondrial DNA in
minke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn (special issue)
13: 203–215.
1992 (2)Nakamura, T. 1992. Simula�on trials of a Bayesian cohortmodel for �me-series data obtained from researchtakes of whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 42: 421–427.
Tanaka, S., Kasamatsu, F. and Fujise, Y. 1992. Likely precision of es�mates of natural mortality rates fromJapanese research data for Southern Hemisphereminke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 42: 413–420.
1993 (7)Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H., Saino, S., Nagano, M., Ishii, K.,
Kawaguchi, S., Tanifuji, S., Kawashima, S. and Miyakoshi H. 1993. Cruise report of the 1991/92 Japanese research in Area IV under the special permit for Southern
Hemisphere minke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 43:
357–371.
Hasunuma, R., Ogawa, T., Fujise, Y. and Kawanishi,
Y. 1993. Analysis of selenium metabolites in urine
samples of minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
using ion exchange chromatography. Comp. Biochem.
Physiol. 104C (1): 87–89.
Itoh, S., Takenaga, F. and Tsuyuki, H. 1993. Studies onlipids of the Antarc�c minke whale. II. The fa�y acidcomposi�ons of the blubber oils of minke whale anddwarf minke whale caught on 1988/89 and 1989/90
seasons. Yukagaku 42 (12): 1007–1011 (in Japanese).
Iwata, H., Tanabe, S., Sakai, N. and Tatsukawa, R. 1993.
Distribu�on of persistent organochlorines in the oceanic air and surface seawater and the role of ocean on
their global transport and fate. Environ. Sci. Technol.
27: 1080–1098.
Kasamatsu, F., Yamamoto, Y., Zenitani, R., Ishikawa, H.,
Ishibashi, T., Sato, H., Takashima, K. and Tanifuji, S.
1993. Report of the 1990/91 southern minke whale
research cruise under scien�ﬁc permit in Area V. Rep.

int. Whal. Commn 43: 505–522.
Nakamura, T. 1993. Two-stage Bayesian cohort modelfor �me-series data to reduce bias in the es�mate ofmean natural mortality rate. Rep. int. Whal. Commn
43: 343–348.
Pastene, L.A., Kobayashi, T., Fujise, Y. and Numachi, K.
1993. Mitochondrial DNA diﬀeren�a�on in Antarc�cminke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 43: 349–355.
1994 (3)Kimoto, H., Endo, Y. and Fujimoto, K. 1994. Inﬂuence ofinteresteriﬁca�on on the oxida�ve stability of marine
oil triacylglycerols. JAOCS 71 (5): 469–473.
Pastene, L.A., Fujise, Y. and Numachi, K. 1994. Diﬀeren�a�on of mitochondrial DNA between ordinary anddwarf forms of southern minke whale. Rep. int. Whal.
Commn 44: 277–281.
Yoshioka, M., Okumura, T., Aida, K. and Fujise, Y. 1994. A
proposed technique for quan�fying muscle progesterone content in the minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Can. J. Zool. 72: 368–370.
1995 (3)
Fukui, Y., Mogoe, T., Terawaki, Y., Ishikawa, H., Fujise,
Y. and Ohsumi, S. 1995. Rela�onship between physiological status and serum cons�tuent values in minke
whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Journal of Reproduction and Development 41 (3): 203–208.
Ishikawa, H. and Amasaki, H. 1995. Development andphysiological degrada�on of tooth buds and development of rudiment of baleen plate in Southern minke
whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 57(4): 665–670.
Kasamatsu, F., Nishiwaki, S. and Ishikawa, H. 1995. Breeding areas and southbound migra�ons of southernminke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Mar. Ecol.
Prog. Ser. 119: 1–10.
1996 (7)Bakke, I., Johansen, S., Bakke, O. and El-Gewely, M.R.
1996. Lack of popula�on subdivision among the minke
whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from Icelandic
and Norwegian waters based on mitochondrial DNA
sequences. Marine Biology 125: 1–9.
Bu�erworth, D.S. and Geromont, H.F. 1996. On the provision of advice on the eﬀect on stock(s) of scien�ﬁcpermit catches, with par�cular reference to proposed
research catches of minke whales from Antarc�c Area
IV. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 46: 653–655.
Bu�erworth, D.S., Punt, A.E., Geromont, H.F., Kato, H. and77

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Miyashita, T. 1996. An ADAPT approach to the analysis
of catch-at-age informa�on for Southern Hemisphereminke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 46: 349–359.
Fukui, Y., Mogoe, T., Jung, Y.G., Terawaki, Y., Miyamoto, A.,
Ishikawa, H., Fujise, Y. and Ohsumi, S. 1996. Rela�onships among morphological status, steroid hormones,
and post-thawing viability of frozen spermatozoa ofmale minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).
Marine Mammal Science 12 (1): 28–37.
Iga, K., Fukui, Y., Miyamoto, A., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi,
S. 1996. Endocrinological observa�ons of female minke
whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Marine Mammal
Science 12 (2): 296–301.
Matsuoka, K., Fujise, Y. and Pastene, L.A. 1996. A sigh�ng
of a large school of the pygmy right whale, Caperea
marginata in the southeast Indian Ocean. Marine
Mammal Science 12 (4): 594–597.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Itoh, S. and Numachi, K. 1996.
Spa�al and temporal pa�erns of mitochondrial DNA
varia�on in minke whale from Antarc�c Areas IV and V.
Rep. int. Whal. Commn 46: 305–314.
1997 (3)Aono, S., Tanabe, S., Fujise, Y., Kato, H. and Tatsukawa,R. 1997. Persistent organochlorines in minke whale(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and their prey species
from the Antarc�c and the North Paciﬁc. Environmental Pollution 98: 81–89.
Fukui, Y., Mogoe, T., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi, S. 1997a.
Factors aﬀec�ng in vitro matura�on of minke whale(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) follicular oocytes. Biology of Reproduction 56: 523–528.
Fukui, Y., Mogoe, T., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi, S. 1997b.
In vitro fer�liza�on of in vitro matured minke whale(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) follicular oocytes. Marine Mammal Science 13 (3): 395–404.
1998 (7)
Ichii, T., Shinohara, N., Fujise, Y., Nishiwaki, S. and Matsuoka, K. 1998. Interannual changes in body fat condi�onindex of minke whales in the Antarc�c. Mar. Ecol. Prog.
Ser. 175: 1–12.
Ito, S., Takenaga, F. and Tsuyuki, H. 1998. Lipids in Antarc�c minke whales III. Site and sexual diﬀerences ofmuscle lipids. J. Jpn. Oil Chem. Soc. 47 (2): 191–194 (inJapanese).
Kida, M.Y. 1998. Morphology of the tracheobronchial
tree and the route of the pulmonary artery in the fetal
minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Okajimas
Folia Anat. Jpn.75 (5): 251–258.
78

Mogoe, T., Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi, S. 1998a.
Morphological observa�ons of frozen-thawed spermatozoa of Southern minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Journal of Reproduction and Development 44(1): 95–100.
Mogoe, T., Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi, S. 1998b.
Eﬀects of diluent composi�on and temperature on
mo�lity and viability a�er liquid storage and cryopreserva�on of minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) spermatozoa. Marine Mammal Science 14(4): 854–860.
Nagasawa, K., Yamada, T.K. and Ishikawa, H. 1998. Measurements of the skeleton of a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the Antarc�c Ocean. Bulletinof the Yamagata Prefectural Museum 20: 1–19.
Terabayashi, T. and Kawanishi, Y. 1998. Naturally occurring ganglioside lactones in minke whale brain. Carbohydrate Research 307 (3): 281–290.
1999 (4)Bannister, J.L., Pastene, L.A. and Burnell, S.R. 1999.
First record of movement of a southern right whale(Eubalaena australis) between warm water breeding
grounds and the Antarc�c Ocean, South of 60°S. Marine Mammal Science 15 (4): 1337–1342.
Bu�erworth, D.S., Punt, A.E. Geromont, H.F., Kato, H. andFujise, Y. 1999. Inferences on the dynamics of Southern
Hemisphere minke whales from ADAPT analyses ofcatch-at-age informa�on. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 1(1): 11–32.
Ishikawa, H., Amasaki, H., Dohguchi, H., Furuya, A. andSuzuki, K. 1999. Immunohistological distribu�ons ofﬁbronec�n, tenascin, type I, III and IV collagens, andlaminin during tooth development and degenera�on infetuses of minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata. J.
Vet. Med. Sci. 61 (3): 227–232.
Thomson, R.B., Bu�erworth, D.S. and Kato, H. 1999. Has
the age at transi�on of southern hemisphere minke
whales declined over recent decades? Marine Mammal Science 15 (3): 661–682.
2000 (5)Asada, M., Horii, M., Mogoe, T., Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H.
and Ohsumi, S. 2000. In vitro matura�on and ultrastructural observa�on of cryopreserved minke whale(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) follicular oocytes. Biology of Reproduction 62 (2): 253–259.
Kasamatsu, F., Matsuoka, K. and Hakamada, T. 2000. Interspeciﬁc rela�onships in density among the whale
community in the Antarc�c. Polar Biol 23 (7): 466–473.

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

Mogoe, T., Suzuki, T., Asada, M., Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H. andOhsumi, S. 2000. Func�onal reduc�on of the Southernminke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) tes�s during the feeding season. Marine Mammal Science 16(3): 559–569.
Rosenbaum, H.C., Brownell, R.L., Brown, M.W., Schaeﬀ, C.,
Portway, V., White, B.N., Malik, S., Pastene, L.A., Pateneude, N.J., Baker, C.S., Goto, M., Best, P.B., Clapham,
P.J., Hamilton, P., Moore, M., Payne, R., Rowntree, V.,
Tynan, C.T., Bannister, J.L. and DeSalle, R. 2000. Worldwide gene�c diﬀeren�a�on of Eubalaena: ques�oning
the number of right whale species. Molecular Ecology
9: 1793–1802.
Wei, H. and Fukui, Y. 2000. Fer�lizability of ovine, bovine
or minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) spermatozoa intracytoplasmically injected into bovine oocytes. Zygote 8 (3): 267–274.
2001 (3)Asada, M., Tetsuka, M., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. andFukui, Y. 2001. Improvement on in vitro matura�on,
fer�liza�on and development of minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) oocytes. Theriogenology 56 (4):521–533.
Asada, M., Wei, H., Nagayama, R., Tetsuka, M., Ishikawa,
H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2001. An a�empt at intracytoplasmic sperm injec�on of frozen-thawed minke
whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) oocytes. Zygote 9(3): 299–307.
Suzuki, T., Mogoe, T., Asada, M., Miyamoto, A., Tetsuka,
M., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2001. Plasmaand pituitary concentra�ons of gonadotropins (FSHand LH) in minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
during the feeding season. Theriogenology 55 (5):1127–1141.
2002 (6)Abe, H. and Goto, M. 2002. The applica�on of microsatellite DNA for determining popula�on structure of minke
whale. pp. 109–113. In: Nishimura, A. (Ed). Technical
Reports of the Hokkaido National Fisheries ResearchInstitute No.5. Hokkaido Na�onal Fisheries ResearchIns�tute, Hokkaido.
Kunito, T., Watanabe, I., Yasunaga, G., Fujise, Y. and Tanabe, S. 2002. Using trace elements in skin to discriminate the popula�ons of minke whale in southern hemisphere. Marine Environmental Research 53: 175–197.
Murase, H., Matsuoka, K., Ichii, T. and Nishiwaki, S. 2002.
Rela�onship between the distribu�on of euphausiids
and baleen whales in the Antarc�c (35°E–145°W).

Polar Biol 25 (2): 135–145.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M. and Kanda, N. 2002. The u�lity of
DNA analysis for the management and conserva�on oflarge whales. Fish Sci 68 (Suppl. I): 286–289.
Suzuki, M., Ishikawa, H., Otani, S., Tobayama, T., Katsumata, E., Ueda, K., Uchida, S., Yoshioka, M. and Aida,
K. 2002. The characteris�cs of adrenal glands and its
hormones in cetacean. Fish Sci 68 (Suppl. I): 272–275.
Urashima, T., Sato, H., Munakata, J., Nakamura, T., Arai, I.,
Saito, T., Tetsuka, M., Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H., Lyndersen,
C. and Kovacs, K.M. 2002. Chemical characteriza�on of
the oligosaccharides in beluga (Delphinapterus leucas)
and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) milk.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 132:
611–624.
2003 (5)Hayashi, K., Nishida, S., Yoshida, H., Goto, M., Pastene,
L.A. and Koike, H. 2003. Sequence varia�on of the DQB
allele in the cetacean MHC. Mammal Study 28 (2):89–96.
Matsuoka, K., Watanabe, T., Ichii, T., Shimada, H. andNishiwaki, S. 2003. Large whale distribu�ons (south of
60°S, 35°E–130°E) in rela�on to the Southern Boundary of the Antarc�c Circumpolar Current. pp. 26–30.
In: Antarctic Biology in a Global Context. Proceedingsof the VIIIth SCAR Interna�onal Biology Symposium, 27
August-1 September 2001. Vriji Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Backhuys Publisheres, Leiden.
Nishida, S., Hayashi, K., Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Kanda, N.
and Koike, H. 2003. Polymorphic analysis of cetacean
MHC—A case study on the minke whales—. Mammalian Science (Suppl.) 3: 75–78 (in Japanese).
Nishida, S., Pastene, L.A., Goto, M. and Kanda, N. 2003.
SRY gene structure and phylogeny in the cetacean species. Mammal Study 28 (1): 57–66.
Ohishi, K., Zenitani, R., Bando, T., Goto, Y., Uchida, K.,
Maruyama, T., Yamamoto, S., Miyazaki, N. and Fujise, Y.
2003. Pathological and serological evidence of Brucella-infec�on in baleen whales (Mys�ce�) in the western
North Paciﬁc. Comp. Immun. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 26(2): 125–136.
2004 (8)Amemiya, K., Iwanami, Y., Kobayashi, T., Terao, T., Fukui,Y., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S., Hirabayashi, M. and Hochi,
S. 2004. Acquirement of oocyte-ac�va�ng factor in
Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
spermatogenic cells, assessed by meiosis resump�onof microinseminated mouse oocytes. J. Mamm. Ova
79Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Res. 21: 149–156.
Branch, T.A., Matsuoka, K. and Miyashita, T. 2004. Evidence for increase in Antarc�c blue whales based on
Bayesian modeling. Marine Mammal Science 20 (4):726–754.
Fujihira, T., Kinoshita, M., Sasaki, M., Ohnishi, M., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2004. Compara�vestudies on lipid analysis and ultrastructure in porcine
and southern minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
oocytes. Journal of Reproduction and Development 50(5): 525–532.
Fukui, Y., Togawa, M., Abe, N., Takano, Y., Asada, M.,
Okada, A., Iida, K., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi, S. 2004.
Valida�on of the sperm quality analyzer and the hypoosmo�c swelling test for frozen-thawed ram and minke
whale (Balaenoptera bonarensis) spermatozoa. Journal of Reproduction and Development 50 (1): 147–154.
Ikumi, S., Sawai, K., Takeuchi, Y., Iwayama, H., Ishikawa,
H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2004. Interspecies soma�ccell nuclear transfer for in vitro produc�on of Antarc�cminke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) Embryos.
Cloning and Stem Cells 6 (3): 284–293.
Iwayama, H., Hochi, S., Kato, M., Hirabayashi, M., Kuwayama, M., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2004.
Eﬀects of cryodevice type and donorʼs sexual maturity
on vitriﬁca�on of minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) oocytes at germinal vesicle-stage. Zygote 12 (4):333–338.
Muranishi, Y., Sasaki, M., Hayashi, K., Abe, N., Fujihira, T.,
Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S., Miyamoto, A. and Fukui, Y.
2004. Rela�onship between the appearance of preantral follicles in the fetal ovary of Antarc�c minke whales(Balaenoptera bonaerensis) and hormone concentra�ons in the fetal heart, umbilical cord and maternal
blood. Zygote 12 (2): 125–132.
Tetsuka, M., Asada, M., Mogoe, T., Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H.
and Ohsumi, S. 2004. The pa�ern of ovarian development in the prepubertal Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Journal of Reproduction andDevelopment 50 (4): 381–389.
2005 (6)Ishikawa, H. and Shigemune, H. 2005. Improvements
in more humane killing methods of Antarc�c minke
whales, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, in the Japanese
Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the
Antarc�c Sea (JARPA). Jpn. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 10 (1):
27–34.
Iwayama, H., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2005.
A�empt at in vitro matura�on of minke whale (Balae80

noptera bonaerensis) oocytes using a portable CO2
incubator. Journal of Reproduction and Development
51 (1): 69–75.
Matsuoka, K., Pitman, R. and Marques, F. 2005. A note ona pigmy right whale (Caperea marginata) sigh�ng inthe southwestern Paciﬁc Ocean. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 7(1): 71–73.
Matsuoka, K., Hakamada, T., Kiwada, H., Murase, H. andNishiwaki, S. 2005. Abundance increases of large baleen whales in the Antarc�c based on the sigh�ng survey during Japanese Whale Research Program (JARPA).
Global Environmental Research 9 (2): 105–115.
Nikaido, M., Sasaki, T., Makino, H., Goto, M., Kanda, N.,
Pastene, L.A. and Okada, N. 2005. Phylogene�c reconstruc�on of baleen whales and detec�on of their pastextensive radia�on event by the SINE inser�on analysis. Fossils 77: 22–28 (in Japanese).
Sasaki, T., Nikaido, M., Hamilton, H., Goto, M., Kato, H.,
Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A., Cao, Y., Fordyce, R.E., Hasegawa, M. and Okada, N. 2005. Mitochondrial phylogene�cs and evolu�on of mys�cete whales. Systematic
Biology 54 (1): 77–90.
2006 (9)Fujihira, T., Kobayashi, M., Hochi, S., Hirabayashi, M.,
Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2006. Developmental capacity of Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) vitriﬁed oocytes following in vitro
matura�on, and parthenogene�c ac�va�on or intracytoplasmic sperm injec�on. Zygote 14 (2): 89–95.
Honda, K., Aoki, M. and Fujise, Y. 2006. Echochemical approach using mercury accumula�on of Antarc�c minke
whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, as tracer of historical change of Antarc�c marine ecosystem during 1980–
1999. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 76: 140–147.
Iwanami, K., Mita, H., Yamamoto, Y., Fujise, Y., Yamada,T. and Suzuki, T. 2006. cDNA-derived amino acid sequences of myoglobins from nine species of whales
and dolphins. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 145: 249–256.
Kobayashi, T., Amemiya, K., Takeuchi, K., Tsujioka, T.,
Tominaga, K., Hirabayashi, M., Ishikawa, H., Fukui,
Y. and Hochi, S. 2006. Contribu�on of spermatozoal
centrosomes to the microtubule-organizing centre in
Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis).
Zygote 14 (1): 45–51.
Konishi, K. 2006. Characteris�cs of blubber distribu�on
and body condi�on indicators for Antarc�c minke
whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Mammal Study 31(1): 15–22.

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

Mori, M. and Bu�erworth, D.S. 2006. A ﬁrst step towards
modelling the krill–predator dynamics of the Antarc�cecosystem. CCAMLR Science 13: 217–277.
Nikaido, M., Hamilton, H., Makino, H., Sasaki, T., Takahashi, K., Goto, M., Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A. and Okada,N. 2006. Baleen whale phylogeny and a past extensive
radia�on event revealed by SINE inser�on analysis.
Mol. Biol. Evol. 23 (5): 866–873.
Rock, J., Pastene, L.A., Kaufman, G., Forestell, P., Matsuoka, K. and Allen, J. 2006. A note on East Australia
Group V Stock humpback whale movement between
feeding and breeding areas based on photo-iden�ﬁca�on. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 8 (3): 301–305.
Yabuki, T., Suga, T., Hanawa, K., Matsuoka, K., Kiwada, H.
and Watanabe, T. 2006. Possible source of the Antarc�c bo�om water in the Prydz Bay Region. Journal of
Oceanography 62 (5): 649–655.
2007 (7)Asada, M., Tetsuka, M., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. andFukui, Y. 2007. Ultrastructural changes during matura�on and cryopreserva�on of follicular oocytes of Antarc�c minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Jpn. J.
Zoo. Wildl. Med. 12 (1): 51–66.
Branch, T.A., Staﬀord, K.M., Palacios, D.M., Allison, C.,
Bannister, J.L., Burton, C.L.K., Cabrera, E., Carlson, C.A.,
Galle� Vernazzani, B., Gill, P.C., Hucke-Gaete, R., Jenner, K.C.S., Jenner, Mn. M., Matsuoka, K., Mikhalev,
Y.A., Miyashita, T., Morrice, M.G., Nishiwaki, S., Sturrock, V.J., Tormosov, D., Anderson, R.C., Baker, A.N.,
Best, P.B., Borsa, P., Brownell Jr, R.L., Childerhouse,
S., Findlay, K.P., Gerrode�e, T., Ilangakoon, A.D., Joergensen, M., Kahn, B., Ljungblad, D.K., Maughan, B.,
Mccauley, R.D., Mckay, S., Norris, T.F., Oman Whaleand Dolphin Research Group, Rankin, S., Samaran, F.,
Thiele, D., Van Waerebeek, K. and Warneke, R.M. 2007.
Past and present distribu�on, densi�es and movements of blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere andadjacent waters. Mammal Rev. 37 (2): 116–175.
LeDuc, R.G., Dizon, A.E., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Kato,
H., Nishiwaki, S. and Brownell, R.L. 2007. Pa�erns ofgene�c varia�on in southern hemisphere blue whales,
and the use of assignment test to detect mixing on
the feeding grounds. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 9 (1):73–80.
Nagai, H., Mogoe, T., Ishikawa, H., Hochi, S., Ohsumi, S.
and Fukui, Y. 2007. Follicle size-dependent changes
in follicular ﬂuid components and oocyte diameter in
Antarc�c minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis).
Journal of Reproduction and Development 53 (6):1265–1272.
Nishida, S., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Kanda, N. and Koike,
H. 2007. Phylogene�c rela�onships among cetaceansrevealed by Y-chromosome sequences．Zoological Science 24 (7): 723–732．
Onbe, K. Nishida, S., Sone, E., Kanda, N., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Tanabe, S. and Koike, H. 2007. Sequence varia�on in the Tbx4 gene in marine mammals．Zoological
Science 24 (5): 449–464.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Kanda, N., Zerbini, A.N., Kerem,D., Watanabe, K., Bessho, Y., Hasegawa, M., Nielsen,
R., Larsen, F. and Palsbøll, P.J. 2007. Radia�on andspecia�on of pelagic organisms during periods ofglobal warming: the case of the common minke whale,
Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Molecular Ecology 16:1481–1495.
2008 (4)Ishikawa, H. and Shigemune, H. 2008. Compara�ve experiment of whaling grenades in the Japanese Whale
Research Program under Special Permit (JARPA and
JARPN). Jpn. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 13 (1): 21–28.
Konishi, K., Tamura, T., Zenitani, R., Bando, T., Kato, H. andWalløe, L. 2008. Decline in energy storage in the Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in theSouthern Ocean. Polar Biol 31 (2): 1509–1520.
Ohishi, K., Fujise, Y. and Maruyama, T. 2008. Brucella spp.
in the western North Paciﬁc and Antarc�c cetaceans: areview. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 10 (1): 67–72.
Yunoki, K., Ishikawa, H., Fukui, Y. and Ohnishi, M. 2008.
Chemical proper�es of epidermal lipids, especiallysphingolipids, of the Antarc�c minke whale. Lipids 43(2): 151–159.
2009 (2)Ono, N., Yamaguchi, T., Ishikawa, H., Arakawa, M.,
Takahashi, N. Saikawa, T. and Shimada, T. 2009. Morphological varie�es of the Purkinje ﬁber network inmammalian hearts, as revealed by light and electron
microscopy. Arch Histol Cytol 72 (3): 139–149.
Tamura, T. and Konishi, K. 2009. Feeding habits and prey
consump�on of Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera
bonaerensis) in the Southern Ocean. J. Northw. Atl.
Fish. Sci. 42: 13–25.
2010 (15)
Fujise, Y., Nishiwaki, S. and Ishikawa, S. 2010. Overview of
the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special
Permit in the Antarc�c (JARPA). Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish.
Oceanogr. 74: 43–44 (in Japanese).
81Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Fujise, Y., Hatanaka, H. and Ohsumi, S. 2010. Changes
in the Antarc�c marine ecosystem as revealed by the
JARPA research: What has happened to the Antarc�cminke whale stocks? Ottar (Tromsø Museum) 280:
29–34 (in Norwegian).
Glover, K.A., Kanda, N., Haug, T., Pastene, L.A., Øien, N.,
Goto, M., Seliussen, B.B. and Skaug, H.J. Migra�on of
Antarc�c minke whales to the Arc�c. PLoS ONE 5 (12):e15197.
Ishikawa, H. 2010. Animal Welfare—Introduc�on—. Jpn.
J. Zoo. Wildl. Med. 15 (1): 1–3 (in Japanese).
Ishikawa, H. 2010. Lethal Research for Wildlife. Jpn. J.
Zoo. Wildl. Med. 15 (1): 9–14 (in Japanese).
Kokubun, N., Yasuma, H., Murase, H. and Naganobu, M.
2010. Distribu�on of seabirds in the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 42–43 (inJapanese).
Matsuoka, K., Kiwada, K., Murase, H. and Nishiwaki, S.
2010. Whale species composi�on and their distribu�on pa�erns in the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca. Bull. Jpn. Soc.
Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 44–45 (in Japanese).
Murase, H., Matsuoka, K., Hakamada, T., Nishiwaki, S.,
Naganobu, M. and Kitakado, T. 2010. Es�ma�on of
spa�al distribu�on pa�ern of cetacean using environmental covariates in the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca. Bull. Jpn.
Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 47–48 (in Japanese).
Naganobu, M. and Murase, H. 2010. Ecological linkage
between oceanographic environment and distribu�onof top predators and their preys in the Ross Sea region.
Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 48–49 (in Japanese).
Naganobu, M., Murase, H., Nishiwaki, S., Yasuma, H.,
Matsukura, R., Takao, Y., Taki, K., Hayashi, T., Watanabe,Y., Yabuki, T., Yoda, Y., Noiri, Y., Kuga, M., Yoshikawa, K.,
Kokubun, N., Iwami, T., K., Itoh, K., Goto, M., Isoda, T.,
Matsuoka, K., Tamura, T. and Fujise, Y. 2010. Structureof marine ecosystem of the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca—overview and synthesis of the results of the Japanese mul�disciplinary study by Kaiyo-Maru and JARPA—. Bull.
Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 1–12.
Naganobu, M., Nishiwaki, S., Nagai, N. and Tohyama, D.
2010. Mul�disciplinary ecological survey by the R/V
Kaiyo Maru and JARPA in the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca. Bull.
Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 34–35 (in Japanese).
Pastene, L. A., Acevedo, J., Goto, M., Zerbini, A.N., Acuna,
P. and Aguayo-Lobo, A. 2010. Popula�on structure andpossible migratory links of common minke whales,
Balaenoptera acutorostrata, in the Southern Hemisphere. Conserv Genet 11 (4): 1553–1558．
Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Nishiwaki, S., Taki, K., Hayashi, T.
and Naganobu, M. 2010. Feeding ecology of the Ant82

arc�c minke whales in the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca. Bull.
Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 46–47 (in Japanese).
Yabuki, T., Noiri,Y., Murase, H., Kiwada, H., Matsuoka, K.
and Naganobu, M. 2010. Physical and chemical studyof hydrographic feature based on the R/V Kaiyo Maru
cruise and JARPA in the Ross Sea, Antarc�ca. Bull. Jpn.
Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 74: 35–36 (in Japanese).
Zenitani, R. and Kato, H. 2010. The growth of baleen
plates in Antarc�c minke whales, with special reference to the V-shape notch appearing at the outer edgeof the plates. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 76 (5): 870–876(in Japanese with English abstract).
2011 (1)Matsuoka, K., Hakamada, T., Kiwada, H., Murase, H. andNishiwaki, S. 2011. Abundance es�mates and trends
for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in
Antarc�c Areas IV and V based on JARPA sigh�ng data.
J. Cetacean Res. Manage. (special issue) 3: 75–94.
2012 (1)*Sremba, A.L., Hancock-Hanser, B., Branch, T.A., LeDuc,
R.L. and Baker, C.S. 2012. Circumpolar diversity andgeographic diﬀeren�a�on of mtDNA in the cri�callyendangered Antarc�c blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia). PLoS ONE 7 (3): e32579.
2013 (6)Glover, K.A., Kanda, N., Haug, T., Pastene, L.A., Øien, N.,
Seliussen, B.B., Sørvik, A.G.E. and Skaug, H.J. 2013.
Hybrids between common and Antarc�c minke whales
are fer�le and can back-cross. BMC Genetics 14: 25.
Hakamada, T., Matsuoka, K., Nishiwaki, S. and Kitakado,
T. 2013. Abundance es�mates and trends for Antarc�cminke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in Antarc�c
Areas IV and V for the period 1989/90–2004/05. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 13 (2): 123–151.
Kitakado, T., Lockyer, C. and Punt, A.E. 2013. A sta�s�cal
model for quan�fying age-reading errors and its applica�on to the Antarc�c minke whales. J. Cetacean Res.
Manage. 13 (3): 181–190.
Murase, H., Kitakado, T., Hakamada, T., Matsuoka, K.,
Nishiwaki, S. and Naganobu, M. 2013. Spa�al distribu�on of Antarc�c minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in rela�on to spa�al distribu�ons of krill in theRoss Sea, Antarc�ca. Fish. Oceanogr. 22 (3): 154–173.
Sasaki, M., Amano, Y., Hayakawa, D., Tsubota, T., Ishikawa,
H., Mogoe, T., Ohsumi, S., Tetsuka, M., Miyamoto, A.,
Fukui, Y., Budipitojo, T. and Kitamura, N. 2013. Structure and steroidogenesis of the placenta in the Antarc-

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Journal of
Reproduction and Development 59 (2): 159–167.
Shibata, Y., Matsuishi, T., Murase, H., Matsuoka, K.,
Hakamada, T., Kitakado, T. and Matsuda, H. 2013. Effects of stra�ﬁca�on and misspeciﬁca�on of covariates
on species distribu�on models for abundance es�ma�on from virtual line transect survey data. Fish Sci 79(4): 559–568.
2014 (3)Konishi, K., Hakamada, T., Kiwada, H., Kitakado, T. andWalløe, L. 2014. Decrease in stomach contents in the
Antarc�c minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in
the Southern Ocean. Polar Biol 37 (2): 205–215.
Punt, A.E. 2014. A summary history of the applica�onof sta�s�cal catch-at-age analysis (SCAA) to Antarc�cminke whales. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 14: 81–92.
Punt, A.E., Hakamada, T., Bando, T. and Kitakado, T. 2014.
Assessment of Antarc�c minke whales using sta�s�cal
catch-at-age analysis (SCAA). J. Cetacean Res. Manage.
14: 93–116.
2015 (2)Konishi, K. and Walløe, L. 2015. Substan�al decline inenergy storage and stomach fullness in Antarc�c minke
whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) during the 1990ʼs.
J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 15: 77–92.
Yasunaga, G., Fujise, Y., Zenitani, R., Tanabe, S. and Kato,
H. 2015. Spa�al and temporal varia�on of PCBs and organochlorine pes�cides in the Antarc�c minke whales,
Balaenoptera bonaerensis, in the period 1987–2005.
Chemosphere 126: 11–17.
2016 (2)Pastene, L.A. and Goto, M. 2016. Gene�c characteriza�on and popula�on gene�c structure of the Antarc�cminke whale Balaenoptera bonaerensis in the IndoPaciﬁc region of the Southern Ocean. Fish Sci 82 (6):873–886.
Wada, N., Yamanaka, S., Shibato, J., Rakwal, R., Hirako, S.,
Iizuka, Y., Kim, H., Matsumoto, A., Kimura, A., Takenoya,F., Yasunaga, G. and Shioda, S. 2016. Behavioral andomics analyses study on poten�al involvement of
dipep�de balenine through supplementa�on in dietof senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8. Genomics
Data 10: 38–50.
2017 (3)Isoda, T. and Tamura, T. 2017. Report of a White Adélie
Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae in the Antarc�c Ocean. J.

Yamashina Inst. Ornithol. 48 (2): 74–77.
*Leduc, R.G., Archer, F.I., Lang, A.R., Mar�en, K.K., Hancock-Hanser, B., Torres-Florez, J.P., Hucke-Gaete, R.,
Rosenbaum, H.C., VanWaerebeek, Bownell, R.L. andTaylor, B.L. 2017. Gene�c varia�on in blue whales inthe eastern paciﬁc: implica�ons for taxonomy and useof common wintering grounds. Molecular Ecology 26:
740–751.
Yasunaga, G., Pastene, L.A., Bando, T., Hakamada, T. andFujise, Y. 2017. Age es�ma�on of Antarc�c minke
whales Balaenoptera bonaerensis based on aspar�cacid racemiza�on technique. Fish Sci 86 (6): 947–954.
2019 (1)Inoue, S., Yasunaga, G. and Pastene, L.A. 2019. Comparison of progesterone concentra�ons in blubber
and plasma among female Antarc�c minke whales ofknown reproduc�ve status. Fish Sci 85 (6): 971–977.
2020 (6)Cunen, C., Walløe, L. and Hjort, N.L. 2020. Focused model
selec�on for linear mixed models with an applica�on
to whale ecology. Ann. Appl. Stat. 14 (2): 872–904.
Goto, M., Kitakado, T. and Pastene, L.A. 2020. A preliminary study of epigene�c es�ma�on of age of the
Antarc�c minke whale Balaenoptera bonaerensis. Cetacean Population Studies 2: 5–14.
Konishi, K., Isoda, T., Bando, T., Minamikawa, S. and Kleivane, L. 2020. Antarc�c minke whales ﬁnd ice gaps along
the ice edge in foraging grounds of the Indo-Paciﬁc sector (60°E and 140°E) of the Southern Ocean. Polar Biol
43 (4): 343–357.
Matsuoka, K. and Hakamada, T. 2020. Density distribu�on of several major whale species in the Indo-Paciﬁcregion of Antarc�c using JARPA and JARPAII sigh�ng
data obtained through 1987/88–2008/09 seasons. Cetacean Population Studies 2: 15–38.
Murase, H., Palka, D., Punt, A.E., Pastene, L.A., Kitakado,T., Matsuoka, K., Hakamada, T., Okamura, H., Bando,T., Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Yasunaga, G., Isoda, T. andKato, H. 2020. Review of the assessment of two stocksof Antarc�c minke whales (eastern Indian Ocean andwestern South Paciﬁc). J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 21:
95–122.
Tanabe, A., Shimizu, R., Osawa, Y., Suzuki, M., Ito, S.,
Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Fujise, Y. and Sahara, H. 2020.
Age es�ma�on by DNA methyla�on in Antarc�c minke
whales. Fish Sci 86 (1): 35–41.

83Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

2021 (5)
Cunen, C., Walløe, L., Konishi, K. and Hjort, N.L. 2021.
Decline in body condi�on in the Antarc�c minke whale(Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in the Southern Ocean
during the 1990s. Polar Biol 44 (2): 259–273.
Fujise, Y. and Pastene, L.A. 2021. Whales as indicators ofhistorical and current changes in the marine ecosystemof the Indo-Paciﬁc sector of the Antarc�c. pp. 85–104.
In: M. Kanao, D. Godone and N. Dema�eis (Eds). Glaciers and Polar Environment. IntechOpen. 200 pp.
Nishimura, F., Kim, Y., Bando, T., Fujise, Y., Nakamura,G., Murase, H. and Kato, H. 2021. Morphological differences in skulls and feeding apparatuses between
Antarc�c (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) and common(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) minke whales, and theimplica�on for their feeding ecology. Can. J. Zool.
doi:10.1139/cjz-2020-0237.
Uchida, M., Suzuki, I., Ito, K., Ishizuka, M., Ikenaka, Y.,
Nakayama, S.M.M., Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Bando, T.
and Mitani, Y. 2021. Es�ma�on of the feeding recordof pregnant Antarc�c minke whales (Balaenoptera
bonaerensis) using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope
analysis of baleen plates. Polar Biol 44 (3): 621–629.
*Yamazaki, K., Aoki, S., Katsumata, K., Hirano, D. andNakayama, Y. 2021. Mul�decadal poleward shi� of thesouthern boundary of the Antarc�c Circumpolar Current oﬀ East Antarc�ca. Sci. Adv. 7 (24): eabf8755.

JARPN/JARPNII/NEWREP-NP surveys
1996 (3)Bu�erworth, D.S., Geromont H.F. and Wada S. 1996.
Further analysis of allele frequency data to provide
es�mates of the extent of mixing between the various
North Paciﬁc minke whale stocks, and their implica�ons for the status of the “O”stock. Rep. int. Whal.
Commn 46: 443–451.
Kuramochi, T., Machida, M., Araki, J., Uchida, A., Kishiro,
T. and Nagasawa, K. 1996. Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) are one of the major ﬁnal hosts ofAnisakis simplex (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in the Northwestern North Paciﬁc Ocean. Rep. int. Whal. Commn
46: 415–419.
Miyashita, T. and Fujise, Y. 1996. Abundance es�mate of
the western North Paciﬁc minke whale in sub-area 9
with notes on the results of dedicated surveys. Rep. int.
Whal. Commn 47: 543–551.
1997 (6)Aono, S., Tanabe, S., Fujise, Y., Kato, H. and Tatsukawa,R. 1997. Persistent organochlorines in minke whale
84(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and their prey species
from the Antarc�c and the North Paciﬁc. Environmental Pollution 98: 81–89.
Araki, J., Kuramochi, T., Machida, M., Nagasawa, K. andUchida, A. 1997. A note on the parasite fauna of thewestern North Paciﬁc minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Rep. int. Whal. Commn 47: 565–567.
Goto, M. and Pastene, L.A. 1997. Popula�on structureof western North Paciﬁc minke whale based on an
RFLP analysis of mtDNA control region. Rep. int. Whal.
Commn 47: 531–537.
Hatanaka, H. and Miyashita, T. 1997. On the feeding migra�on of the Okhotsk Sea-West Paciﬁc stock of minke
whales, es�mates based on length composi�on data.
Rep. int. Whal. Commn 47: 557–564.
Hatanaka, H. 1997. A short review of hypotheses onminke whale stock structure in the Northwesternpart of the North Paciﬁc. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 47:
553–555.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Itoh, S., Wada, S. and Kato, H.
1997. Intra- and inter-oceanic pa�erns of mitochondrial DNA varia�on in the Brydeʼs whale, Balaenoptera
edeni. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 47: 569–574.
1998 (4)
Lindstrøm, U., Fujise, Y., Haug, T. and Tamura, T. 1998.
Feeding habits of western North Paciﬁc minke whales,
Balaenoptera acutorostrata, as observed in JulySeptember 1996. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 48: 463–469.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M. and Kishino, H. 1998. An es�mateof mixing propor�on of ʻJʼ and ʻOʼ stocks minke whales
in sub-area 11 based on mitochondrial DNA haplotype
data. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 48: 471–474.
Tamura, T., Fujise, Y. and Shimazaki, K. 1998. Diet of minke
whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in the Northwestern part of the North Paciﬁc in summer 1994 and 1995.
Fish Sci 64 (1): 71–76.
Uchida, A., Kawakami, Y., Yuzu, S., Kishikawa, S., Kuramochi, T., Araki, J., Machida, M. and Nagasawa, K.
1998. Prevalence of parasites and histopathology ofparasi�sa�on in minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the western North Paciﬁc Ocean andSouthern Sea of Okhotsk. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 48:
475–479.
1999 (2)Le, T.H.L., Takahashi, S., Saeki, K., Nakatani, N., Tanabe,S., Miyazaki, N. and Fujise, Y. 1999. High percentage ofbutyl�n residues in total �n in the livers of cetaceansfrom Japanese coastal waters. Environmental ScienceList of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

& Technology 33 (11): 1781–1786.
Mar�nez, I. and Pastene, L.A. 1999. RAPD-typing ofcentral and eastern North Atlan�c and western North
Paciﬁc minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata. ICES
Journal of Marine Science 56 (5): 640–651.
2000 (2)Punt, A.E., Bu�erworth, D.S. and Wada, S. 2000. On theuse of allele frequency data within a Bayesian framework: evalua�on of rela�ve probabili�es of alterna�ve
stock structure hypotheses for North Paciﬁc minke
whales. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 2 (2): 151–158.
Uchida, A. and Araki, J. 2000. The ectoparasites and endoparasites in the minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata from the western North Paciﬁc Ocean. J. Jpn.
Vet. Med. Assoc. 53 (2): 85–88 (in Japanese).
2001 (1)Okamura, H., Matsuoka, K., Hakamada, T., Okazaki, M.
and Miyashita, T. 2001. Spa�al and temporal structureof the western North Paciﬁc minke whale distribu�oninferred from JARPN sigh�ngs data. J. Cetacean Res.
Manage. 3 (2): 193–200.
2002 (5)Abe, H. and Goto, M. 2002. The applica�on of microsatellite DNA for determining popula�on structure of minke
whale. pp. 109–113. In: Nishimura, A. (Ed). Technical
Reports of the Hokkaido National Fisheries ResearchInstitute No.5. Hokkaido Na�onal Fisheries ResearchIns�tute, Hokkaido.
Cui, G., Punt, A.E., Pastene, L. A. and Goto, M. 2002.
Bayes and Empirical Bayes approaches to addressing
stock structure ques�ons using mtDNA data, with anillustra�ve applica�on to North Paciﬁc minke whales. J.
Cetacean Res. Manage. 4 (2): 123–134.
Ohsumi, S. and Tamura, T. 2002. Dietary studies on baleen whales in the North Paciﬁc. Fish Sci 68 (Suppl. I):
260–263.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M. and Kanda, N. 2002. The u�lity of
DNA analysis for the management and conserva�on oflarge whales. Fish Sci 68 (Suppl. I): 286–289.
Tamura T. and Fujise Y. 2002. Geographical and seasonalchanges of the prey species of minke whale in the
Northwestern Paciﬁc. ICES Journal of Marine Science59 (3): 516–528.
2003 (4)Hayashi, K., Nishida, S., Yoshida, H., Goto, M., Pastene,
L.A. and Koike, H. 2003. Sequence varia�on of the DQB

allele in the cetacean MHC. Mammal Study 28 (2):89–96.
Nishida, S., Pastene, L.A., Goto, M. and Kanda, N. 2003.
SRY gene structure and phylogeny in the cetacean species. Mammal Study 28 (1): 57–66.
Nishida, S., Hayashi, K., Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Kanda, N.
and Koike, H. 2003. Polymorphic analysis of cetacean
MHC—A case study on the minke whales—. Mammalian Science (Suppl.) 3: 75–78 (in Japanese).
Ohishi, K., Zenitani, R., Bando, T., Goto, Y., Uchida, K.,
Maruyama, T., Yamamoto, S., Miyazaki, N. and Fujise, Y. 2003. Pathological and serological evidence of
Brucella-infec�on in baleen whales (Mys�ce�) in thewestern North Paciﬁc. Comp. Immun. Microbiol. Infect.
Dis 26 (2): 125–136.
2004 (5)Kim, E.Y., Iwata, H., Fujise, Y. and Tanabe, S. 2004. Searching for novel CYP members using cDNA library from aminke whale liver. Marine Environmental Research 58:
495–498.
Ohishi. K., Takishita, K., Kawato, M., Zenitani, R., Bando,T., Fujise, Y., Goto, Y., Yamamoto, S. and Maruyama,
T. 2004. Molecular evidence of new variant Brucellain North Paciﬁc common minke whales. Microbes andInfection 6: 1199–1204.
Ohishi, K., Takishita, K., Kawato, M., Maruyama, T.,
Zenitani, R., Bando, T., Fujise, Y., Goto, Y. and Yamamoto, S. 2004. Molecular characteriza�on of Brucellafrom North Paciﬁc common minke whale. Oceans'04:
499–504.
Watanabe, H., Mogoe, T., Asada, M., Hayashi, K., Fujise,Y., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S., Miyamoto, A. and Fukui,
Y. 2004. Rela�onship between serum sex hormone
concentra�ons and histology of seminiferous tubulesof captured baleen whales in the western North Paciﬁcduring the feeding season. Journal of Reproduction andDevelopment 50 (4): 419–427.
Zharikov, K., Fujise, Y., Tamura, T., Kiwada, H., Bando, T.,
Konishi, K. and Isoda, T. 2004. Distribu�on and feedingof large cetaceans based on the data of JARPN II—2003
May, 17–July, 9. Marine Mammals of the Holarctic
2004: 207–210.
2005 (5)Birukawa, N., Ando, H., Goto, M., Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A.,
Nakatsuji, H., Hata, H. and Urano, A. 2005. Plasma andurine levels of electrolytes, urea and steroid hormones
involved in osmoregula�on of cetaceans. Zoological
Science 22 (11): 1245–1257.
85

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Nikaido, M., Sasaki, T., Makino, H., Goto, M., Kanda, N.,
Pastene, L.A. and Okada, N. 2005. Phylogene�c reconstruc�on of baleen whales and detec�on of their pastextensive radia�on event by the SINE inser�on analysis. Fossils 77: 22–28 (in Japanese).
Niimi, S., Watanabe, M.X., Kim, E.Y., Iwata, H., Yasunaga,G., Fujise, Y. and Tanabe, S. 2005. Molecular cloning
and mRNA expression of cytochrome P4501A1 and
1A2 in the liver of common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Marine Pollution Bulletin 51 (8):784–793.
Ohishi, K., Takishita, K., Kawato, M., Zenitani, R., Bando,T., Fujise, Y., Goto, Y., Yamamoto, S. and Maruyama,
T. 2005. Chimeric structure of omp2 of Brucella from
North Paciﬁc common minke whales (Balaenoptera
acutorostrata). Microbiol. Immunol. 49 (8): 789–793.
Sasaki, T., Nikaido, M., Hamilton, H., Goto, M., Kato, H.,
Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A., Cao, Y., Fordyce, R.E., Hasegawa, M. and Okada, N. 2005. Mitochondrial phylogene�cs and evolu�on of mys�cete whales. Systematic
Biology 54 (1): 77–90.
2006 (5)
Iwanami, K., Mita, H., Yamamoto, Y., Fujise, Y., Yamada,T. and Suzuki, T. 2006. cDNA-derived amino acid sequences of myoglobins from nine species of whales
and dolphins. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 145: 249–256.
Kanda, N., Goto, M. and Pastene, L.A. 2006. Gene�ccharacteris�cs of western North Paciﬁc sei whales,
Balaenoptera borealis, as revealed by microsatellites.
Marine Biotechnology 8: 86–93.
Mitani, Y., Bando., T., Takai., N. and Sakamoto, W. 2006.
Pa�erns of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in thebaleens of common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata from the western North Paciﬁc. Fish Sci 72(1): 69–76.
Nikaido, M., Hamilton, H., Makino, H., Sasaki, T., Takahashi, K., Goto, M., Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A. and Okada,N. 2006. Baleen whale phylogeny and a past extensive
radia�on event revealed by SINE inser�on analysis.
Molecular Biology and Evolution 23 (5): 866–873.
Ohishi, K., Maruyama, T., Ninomiya, A., Kida, H., Zenitani,
R., Bando, T., Fujise, Y., Nakamatsu, K., Miyazaki, N. and
Boltunov, A.N. 2006. Serologic inves�ga�on of inﬂuenza a virus infec�on in cetaceans from the western
North Paciﬁc and the Southern Oceans. Marine Mammal Science 22 (1): 214–221.

86

2007 (11)
Fukui, Y., Iwayama, H., Matsuoka, T., Nagai, H., Koma,
N., Mogoe, T., Ishikawa, H., Fujise, Y., Hirabayashi, M.,
Hochi, S., Kato, H. and Ohsumi, S. 2007. A�empt at
intracytoplasmic sperm injec�on of in vitro matured
oocytes in common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) captured during the Kushiro coast survey.
Journal of Reproduction and Development. 53 (4):945–952.
Kanda, N., Goto, M., Kato, H., McPhee, M.V. and Pastene,
L.A. 2007. Popula�on gene�c structure of Brydeʼswhales (Balaenoptera brydei) at the inter-oceanic andtrans-equatorial levels. Conservation Genetics 8 (4):853–864.
Konishi, K. and Tamura, T. 2007. Occurrence of the minimal armhook squids Berryteuthis anonychus (Cephalopoda: Gona�dae) in the stomachs of common minke
whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in the western
North Paciﬁc. Fish Sci 73 (5): 1208–1210.
Murase, H., Tamura, T., Kiwada, H., Fujise, Y., Watanabe,
H., Ohizumi, H., Yonezaki, S., Okamura, H. and Kawahara, S. 2007. Prey selec�on of common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Brydeʼs (Balaenoptera
edeni) whales in the western North Paciﬁc in 2000 and
2001. Fish. Oceanogr. 16 (2): 186–201.
Niimi, S., Kim, E.Y., Iwata, H., Watanabe, M.X., Yasunaga,G., Fujise, Y. and Tanabe, S. 2007. Iden�ﬁca�on andhepa�c expression proﬁles of cytochrome P450 1–4
isozymes in common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology,
Part B 147: 667–681.
Nishida, S., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Kanda, N. and Koike,
H. 2007. Phylogene�c rela�onships among cetaceansrevealed by Y-chromosome sequences. Zoological
Science 24 (7): 723–732.
Onbe, K. Nishida, S., Sone, E., Kanda, N., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Tanabe, S. and Koike, H. 2007. Sequencevaria�on in the Tbx4 Gene in marine mammals. Zoological Science 24 (5): 449–464.
Pastene, L.A., Goto, M., Kanda, N., Zerbini, A.N., Kerem,D., Watanabe, K., Bessho, Y., Hasegawa, M., Nielsen,
R., Larsen, F. and Palsbøll, P.J. 2007. Radia�on andspecia�on of pelagic organisms during periods ofglobal warming: the case of the common minke whale,
Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Molecular Ecology 16:1481–1495.
Urashima, T., Kobayashi, M., Asakuma, S., Uemura, Y.,
Arai, I., Fukuda, K., Saito, T., Mogoe, T., Ishikawa, H. andFukui, Y. 2007. Chemical characteriza�on of the oligosaccharides in Brydeʼs whale (Balaenoptera edeni) andList of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) milk. Comparative
Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 146: 153–159.
Watanabe, H., Tateno, H., Kusakabe, H., Kamiguchi, Y.,
Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2007.
Fer�lizability and chromosomal integrity of frozenthawed Brydeʼs whale (Balaenoptera edeni) spermatozoa intracytoplasmically injected into mouse oocytes.
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 19 (1): 306.
Watanabe, H., Tateno, H., Kusakabe, H., Matsuoka, T.,
Kamiguchi, Y., Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. andFukui, Y. 2007. Fer�lizability and chromosomal integrityof frozen-thawed Brydeʼs whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
spermatozoa intracytoplasmically injected into mouse
oocytes. Zygote 15 (1): 9–14.
2008 (3)Birukawa, N., Ando, H., Goto, M., Kanda, N., Pastene,
L.A. and Urano, A. 2008. Molecular cloning of urea
transporters from the kidneys of baleen and toothed
whales. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology,
Part B 149: 227–235.
Ishikawa, H. and Shigemune, H. 2008. Compara�ve experiment of whaling grenades in the Japanese Whale
Research Program under Special Permit (JARPA and
JARPN). Jpn. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 13 (1): 21–28.
Ohishi, K., Fujise, Y. and Maruyama, T. 2008. Brucella spp.
in the western North Paciﬁc and Antarc�c cetaceans: areview. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 10 (1): 67–72.
2009 (9)Bhuiyan, M.M.U., Suzuki, Y., Watanabe, H., Hirayama, H.,
Matsuoka, K., Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. andFukui, Y. 2009. A�empts at in vitro fer�liza�on andculture of in vitro matured oocytes in sei (Balaenoptera
borealis) and Brydeʼs (B. edeni) whales. Zygote 17 (1):19–28.
Fujita, H., Honda, K., Hamada, N., Yasunaga, G and Fujise,
Y. 2009. Valida�on of high-throughput measurement
system with microwave-assisted extrac�on, fully automated sample prepara�on device, and gas chromatography-electron capture detector for determina�onof polychlorinated biphenyls in whale blubber. Chemosphere 74: 1069–1078.
Hiwasa, M., Suzuki, Y., Watanabe, H., Bhuiyan, M.M.U.,
Matsuoka, K., Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H., Ohsumi, S. andFukui, Y. 2009. Eﬀects of semen extenders and storage temperatures on characteris�cs of frozen-thawed
Brydeʼs (Balaenoptera edeni) whale spermatozoa. Journal of Reproduction and Development 55: 599–606.
Konishi, K., Tamura T., Isoda, T. Okamoto, R., Hakamada,T., Kiwada, H. and Matsuoka, K. 2009. Feeding strategies and prey consump�on of three baleen whale species within the Kushiro-Current Extension. J. Northw.
Atl. Fish. Sci. 42: 27–40.
Lee, E., Bhuiyan, M.M.U., Watanabe, H., Matsuoka, K.,
Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H. and Fukui. Y. 2009. Produc�on ofcloned sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) embryos byinterspecies soma�c cell nuclear transfer using enucleated pig oocytes. J. Vet. Sci. 10 (4): 285–292.
Matsukura, R., Yasuma, H., Murase, H., Yonezaki, S., Funamoto, T., Honda, S. and Miyashita, K. 2009. Measurements of density contrast and sound-speed contrast
for target strength es�ma�on of Neocalanus copepods(Neocalanus cristatus) in the North Paciﬁc Ocean. FishSci 75 (6): 1377–1387.
Murase, H., Ichihara, M., Yasuma, H., Watanabe, H., Yonezaki, S., Nagashima, H., Kawahara, S. and Miyashita, T.
2009. Acous�c characteriza�on of biological backscatterings in the Kuroshio-Oyashio inter-frontal zone andsubarc�c waters of the western North Paciﬁc in spring.
Fish. Oceanogr. 18 (6): 386–401.
Murase, H., Nagashima, H., Yonezaki, S., Matsukura, R.
and Kitakado, T. 2009. Applica�on of a generalized addi�ve model (GAM) to reveal rela�onships between
environmental factors and distribu�ons of pelagic ﬁsh
and krill: a case study in Sendai Bay, Japan. ICES Journalof Marine Science 66 (6): 1417–1424.
Tsuki, K., Sato, A., Kaneko, H., Yasunaga, G., Fujise, Y. and
Nomata, H. 2009. Comparison of physiologically signiﬁcant imidazole dipep�des in cetaceans sampled inJapanese whale research (short paper). Sci. Rep. Hokkaido Fish. Exp. Stn. 74: 25–28 (in Japanese).
2010 (7)Bhuiyan, M.M.U., Suzuki, Y., Watanabe, H., Lee, E.,
Hirayama, H., Matsuoka, K., Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H.,
Ohsumi, S. and Fukui, Y. 2010. Produc�on of sei whale(Balaenoptera borealis) cloned embryos by inter- andintra-species soma�c cell nuclear transfer. Journal of
Reproduction and Development 56: 131–139.
Funakasa, N., Yoshioka, M. and Fujise, Y. 2010. Featuresof the Ocular Harderian Gland in three Balaenopterid
species based on anatomical, histological and histochemical observa�ons. Mammal Study 35 (1): 9–15.
Ogawa, G., Ishida, M., Kato, H., Fujise, H. and Urano, N.
2010. Iden�ﬁca�on of faculta�ve anaerobic bacteria
isolated from the intes�ne of the minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis. Fish Sci 76 (2): 177–181.
Pastene, L.A., Fujise, Y. and Hatanaka, H. 2010. JARPNII: a87Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

challenging mul�discipline research program focusedon whales in the western North Paciﬁc. Ottar (TromsøMuseum) 280: 23–28 (in Norwegian)．
Shishido, R., Ohishi, K., Suzuki, R., Takishita, K., Ohtsu,
D., Okutsu, K., Tokutake, K., Katsumata, E., Bando, T.,
Fujise, Y., Murayama, T. and Maruyama, T. 2010．Cetacean Toll-like receptor 4 and myeloid diﬀeren�a�on
factor 2, and possible cetacean-speciﬁc responses
against Gram-nega�ve bacteria．Comp. Immun. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 33 (6): 89–98．
Suzuki, Y., Umatani, M., Bhuiyan, M.M.U., Watanabe,H., Mogoe, T., Matsuoka, K., Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H.,
Ohsumi, S., Sasaki, M. and Fukui, Y. 2010. Eﬀects ofequilibra�on steps, type of sugars and addi�on ofwhale follicular ﬂuid on viability and in vitro matura�on of vitriﬁed whale oocytes．Jpn. J. Zoo Wildl. Med
15 (2): 65–72．
Tojo, N., Matsukura, R., Yasuma, H., Yonezaki, S., Watanabe, H., Kawahara, S., Murase, H. and Miyashita, K.
2010．Spa�al analysis of isada krill (Euphausia paciﬁca)
distribu�on in frontal environments in the North Pacific Ocean．GIS/spatial analyses in ﬁsheries and aquatic
science．4．Interna�onal Fishery GIS Society: 115–138.
2011 (20)
Hakamada, T. and Matsuoka, K. 2011. Abundance es�mate for common minke, Brydeʼs and sei whales in theoﬀshore region of the western North Paciﬁc. Bull. Jpn.
Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 173–174 (in Japanese).
Kanda, N., Goto, M. and Pastene, L. A. 2011. Gene�c stock
structure of baleen whales. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 191 (in Japanese).
Kato, H. and Fujise, Y. 2011. General discussion: Symposium on “Marine ecosystem of the western North Paciﬁc with special interest in cetaceans.” Bull. Jpn. Soc.
Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 194–195 (in Japanese).
Kishiro, T., Yoshida, H., Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Kanda, N.,
Okamoto, R. and Kato, H. 2011. Rela�onship between
maturity and feeding ecology of common minke whales
oﬀ Kushiro in autumn. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75(3): 175–176 (in Japanese).
Maehara, T., Aoki, I., Yonezaki, S., Watanabe, H., Murase,
H. and Yamaguchi, A. 2011. Feeding ecology of theJapanese anchovy in the oﬀshore area east of Honshu,
Japan in summer. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3):187 (in Japanese).
Matsuoka, K., Kiwada, H., Fujise, Y. and Miyashita, T. 2011.
Distribu�on of baleen whales in the western North Paciﬁc based on the JARPN and JARPN II sigh�ng surveys(1994 to 2007). Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3):88

178–179 (in Japanese).
Miyashita, K., Matsukura, R., Tojo, N., Minami, K.,
Yasuma, H., Nagashima, H., Onodera, K., Watanabe, H.,
Yonezaki, S. and Murase, H. 2011. Monitoring of preyof cetaceans by using quan�ta�ve echosounders. Bull.
Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 183–184 (in Japanese).
Mori, M., Watanabe, H., Hakamada, T., Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Murase, H. and Matsuoka, K. 2011. Development of an ecosystem model of western North Paciﬁcusing Ecopath with Ecosim. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 189 (in Japanese).
Murase, H., Kawabata, A., Kubota, H., Nakagami, M.,
Amakasu, K., Abe, K., Miyashita, K. and Oozeki, Y. 2011.
Eﬀect of depth-dependent target strength on biomasses�ma�on of Japanese anchovy. Journal of Marine
Science and Technology 19: 267–272.
Murase, H., Tamura, T., Isoda, T., Okamoto, R., Kato, H.,
Yonezaki, S., Watanabe, H., Tojo, N. Matsukura, R.,
Miyashita, K., Kiwada, H., Matsuoka, K., Nishiwaki, S.,
Inagake, D., Okazaki, M., Okamura, H. and Fujise, Y.
2011. Prey selec�on of common minke, Brydeʼs andsei whales in the oﬀshore region of the western North
Paciﬁc. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 180–181(in Japanese).
Nishiwaki, S., Otani, S. and Tamura, T. 2011. The satellite
tracking of the western North Paciﬁc. Bull. Jpn. Soc.
Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 193–194 (in Japanese).
Onodera, K., Nagashima, H., Matsukura, R., Miyashita,K., Yonezaki, S. and Murase, H. 2011. Cetacean preyspecies and oceanographic surveys in Sendai Bay. Bull.
Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 184–185 (in Japanese).
Pastene, L.A., Hatanaka, H., Fujise, Y., Kanda, N., Murase,
H., Tamura, T., Miyashita, T. and Kato, H. 2011. Whale
research program under special permit in the western
North Paciﬁc—Phase II (JARPNII): origin and objec�ves. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 172–173 (inJapanese).
Pastene, L.A., Hatanaka, H., Fujise, Y., Kanda, N., Murase,
H., Tamura, T., Yasunaga, G., Kishiro, T., Yoshida, H.,
Miyashita, T. and Kato, H. 2011. The Japanese Whale
Research Program under Special Permit in the western
North Paciﬁc Phase-II (JARPNII): origin, objec�ves andresearch progress made in the ﬁrst six years period(2002–2007), including scien�ﬁc considera�ons for the
next research period. Aquabiology 33 (2): 171–185 (inJapanese).
Sasaki, Y., Saito, S., Matsuoka, K., Murase, H. and Kiwada.,
H. 2011. Spa�al distribu�on pa�erns of sei and Brydeʼswhales. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 179–180(in Japanese).

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Isoda, T., Hakamada, T., Kiwada, H.,
Okamoto, R. and Matsuoka, K. 2011. The food habitat,rela�on of habitat factor and prey consump�on of
three baleen whale species in the oﬀshore region of
the western North Paciﬁc. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 174–175 (in Japanese).
Watanabe, H., Kiwada, H., Kumagai, S., Yonezaki, S.,
Kishiro, T., Konishi., K. and Yoshida, H. 2011. Habitatand prey selec�on of common minke whale oﬀ Kushiro
in autumn—Es�ma�on of distribu�on and migra�onof common minke whale using environmental informa�on—. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 182–183(in Japanese).
Yamaguchi, A., Hanamiya, Y., Murase, H. and Watanabe,
H. 2011. Ver�cal ﬂux of materials by diel ver�cal migra�on of macrozooplankton. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3): 185–186 (in Japanese).
Yasunaga, G. and Fujise, Y. 2011. Monitoring of pollutants in the baleen whales and their prey species in thewestern North Paciﬁc. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75(3): 190 (in Japanese).
Yoshida, H., Kishiro, T., Goto, M., Bando, T., Tamura, T.,
Konishi, K., Okamoto, R. and Kato, H. 2011. Feeding
ecology of common minke whales in coastal waters oﬀ
Sanriku in spring. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 75 (3):
177–178 (in Japanese).
2012 (4)Maeda, H. and Kato, H. 2012. Technical improvementsof the age character (earplug) collec�ons in common
minke whales. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 76 (2):59–65 (in Japanese).
Murase, H., Kawabata, A., Kubota, H., Nakagami, M.,
Amakasu, K., Abe, K., Miyashita, K. and Oozeki, Y. 2012.
Basin-scale distribu�on pa�erns and biomass es�ma�on of Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus in thewestern North Paciﬁc. Fish Sci 78 (4): 761–773.
Nakamura, G., Kato, H. and Fujise, Y. 2012. Rela�ve
growth of the skull of the common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata from the North Paciﬁc in comparison to other Balaenoptera species. Mammal Study
37 (2): 105–112.
Watanabe, H, Okazaki, M., Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Inagake, D., Bando, T., Kiwada, H. and Miyashita, T. 2012.
Habitat and prey selec�on of common minke, sei, andBrydeʼs whale in mesoscale during summer in the
sub-arc�c and transi�on regions of the western North
Paciﬁc. Fish Sci 78 (3): 557–567.

2013 (5)*Kershaw, F., Leslie, M.S., Collins, T., Mansur, R.M., Smith,B.D., Minton, G., Baldwin, R., LeDuc, R.G., Anderson,
R.C., Brownell, R.L. and Rosenbaum, H.C. 2013. Popula�on diﬀeren�a�on of 2 forms of Brydeʼs whales in the
Indian and Paciﬁc Oceans. Journal of Heredity 104 (6):755–764.
Maeda, H., Kawamoto, T. and Kato, H. 2013. A study on
the improvement of age es�ma�on in common minke
whales using the method of gela�nized extrac�on of
earplug. NAMMCO Scientiﬁc Publications 10: 17 pp.
Matsukura, R., Sawada, K., Abe, K., Minami, K., Nagashima, H., Yonezaki, S., Murase, H. and Miyashita,
K. 2013. Comparison of measurements and model
calcula�ons of target strength of juvenile sandeel in
Sendai Bay. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 79 (4): 638–648(in Japanese).
Sasaki, H., Murase, H., Kiwada, H., Matsuoka, K., Mitani, Y.
and Saitoh, S. 2013. Habitat diﬀeren�a�on between sei(Balaenoptera borealis) and Brydeʼs whales (B. brydei)
in the western North Paciﬁc. Fish. Oceanogr. 22 (6):496–508.
Shimizu, Y., Ohishi, K., Suzuki, R., Tajima, Y., Yamada, T.,
Kakizoe, Y., Bando, T., Fujise, Y., Taru, H., Murayama, T.
and Maruyama, T. 2013. Amino acid sequence varia�ons of signaling lymphocyte ac�va�on molecule andmortality caused by morbillivirus infec�on in cetaceans. Microbiol Immunol 57: 624–632.
2014 (6)Inoue, S., Kishiro, T., Fujise, Y., Nakamura, G. and Kato,
H. 2014. Seasonal changes in the tes�s of the North
Paciﬁc common minke whale. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi
80 (2): 185–190 (in Japanese).
Murase, H., Hakamada, T., Matsuoka, K., Nishiwaki, S.,
Inagake, D., Okazaki, M., Tojo, N. and Kitakado, T. 2014.
Distribu�on of sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) in
the subarc�c–subtropical transi�on area of the western North Paciﬁc in rela�on to oceanic fronts. Deep
Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography
107: 22–28.
Nakamura, G., Kadowaki, I., Nagatsuka, S., Fujise, Y.,
Kishiro, T. and Kato, H. 2014. Varia�on in a color pattern of white patch on the ﬂippers of North Paciﬁc
common minke whales: poten�al applica�on for theirinteroceanic diﬀerence. La mer 52: 31–47.
Nakamura, G. and Kato, H. 2014. Developmental changes
in the skull morphology of common minke whales
Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Journal of Morphology
275: 1113–1121.
89

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Niimi, S., Imoto, M., Kunisue, T., Watanabe, M.X., Kim,
E.Y., Nakayama, K., Yasunaga, G., Fujise, Y., Tanabe, S.
and Iwata, H. 2014. Eﬀects of persistent organochlorine exposure on the liver transcriptome of the common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) fromthe North Paciﬁc. Ecotoxicology and Environmental
Safety 108: 95–105.
*Rosel, P.E. and Wilcox, L.A. 2014. Gene�c evidence reveals a unique lineage of Brydeʼs whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Endang Species Res. 25 : 19–34.
2015 (1)Kitayama, C., Sasaki, M., Ishikawa, H., Mogoe, T., Ohsumi,
S., Fukui, Y., Budipitojo, T., Kondoh, D. and Kitamura, N.
2015. Structure and func�ons of the placenta in common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Brydeʼs (B.
brydei) and sei (B. borealis) whales. Journal of Reproduction and Development 61 (5): 415–421.
2016 (6)Hirako, S., Suzuki, M., Kim, H., Iizuka, Y., Matsumoto,A., Wada, N., Okabe, M., Takenoya, F., Yasunaga, G.,
Yamanaka, S., Miyazaki, A. and Shioda, S. 2016. Hepa�clipid accumula�on is ameliorated in obese KK mice by
dietary sei whale oil. Fish Sci 82 (3): 509–517.
Miyakawa, N., Kishiro, T., Fujise, Y., Nakamura, G. andKato, H. 2016. Sexual dimorphism in pelvic bone
shape of the North Paciﬁc common minke whales(Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Open Journal of Animal
Sciences 6: 131–136.
Murase, H., Tamura, T., Otani, S. and Nishiwaki, S. 2016.
Satellite tracking of Brydeʼs whales Balaenoptera edeni
in the oﬀshore western North Paciﬁc in summer 2006
and 2008. Fish Sci 82 (1): 35–45.
Nakamura, G., Kadowaki, I., Nagatsuka, S., Hayashi, R.,
Kanda, N., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A. and Kato, H. 2016.
White patch on the fore-ﬂipper of common minke
whale, as a poten�al morphological index to iden�fy
stocks. Open Journal of Animal Sciences 6: 116–122.
Nakamura, G., Takahashi, M., Hirose, A., Hayashi, R.,
Fujise, Y., Miyakawa, N., Inoue, S. and Kato, H. 2016.
Presence of an interparietal bone and morphologicalvaria�on in the vertex of the skull in North Paciﬁc common minke whale. La mer 54 (1): 1–10.
Ohishi, K., Bando, T., Abe, E., Kawai, Y., Fujise, Y. andMaruyama, T. 2016. Long-term and large-scale epidemiology of Brucella infec�on in baleen whales andsperm whales in the western North Paciﬁc and Antarc�c Oceans. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 78 (9): 1457–1464.

90

2017 (2)Bando, T., Nakamura, G., Fujise, Y. and Kato, H. 2017.
Developmental changes in the morphology of western
North Paciﬁc Brydeʼs whales (Balaenoptera edeni).
Open Journal of Animal Sciences 7: 344–355.
Ishii, M., Murase, H., Fukuda, Y., Sawada, K., Sasakura,T., Tamura, T., Bando, T., Matsuoka, K., Shinohara, A.,
Nakatsuka, S., Katsumata, N., Okazaki, M., Miyashita,
K. and Mitani, Y. 2017. Diving behavior of sei whales
Balaenoptera borealis rela�ve to the ver�cal distribu�on of their poten�al prey. Mammal Study 42 (4):
191–199.
2018 (3)Hirose, A., Kishida, T. and Nakamura, G. 2018. Nasal mucosa resembling an olfactory system in the common
minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Cetacean
Population Studies 1: 25–28.
Huijser, L.A.E., Bérubé, M., Cabrera, A.A., Prieto, R., Silva,
M.A., Robbins, J., Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A., Goto, M.,
Yoshida, H., Vikingsson, G.A. and Palsbøll, P.J. 2018.
Popula�on structure of North Atlan�c and North Paciﬁc sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) inferred frommitochondrial control region DNA sequences and microsatellite genotypes. Conserv Genet 19: 1007–1024.
Nakamura, G., Ryeng, K.A., Kadowaki, I., Hayashi, R.,
Nagatsuka, S., Hirose, A., Fujise, Y. and Haug, T. 2018.
Comparison of shapes of the white ﬂipper patch
between two sub-species of common minke whales(Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Cetacean Population
Studies 1: 15–24.
2019 (1)
Watari, S., Murase, H., Yonezaki, S., Okazaki, M., Kiyofuji,
H., Tamura, T., Hakamada, T., Kanaji, Y. and Kitakado, T.
2019. Ecosystem modeling in the western North Paciﬁcusing Ecopath, with a focus on small pelagic ﬁshes. Mar
Ecol Prog Ser 617–618: 295–305.
2020 (1)Yasunaga, G. and Fujise, Y. 2020. Concentra�on of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in three species ofbaleen whales in the western North Paciﬁc. Cetacean
Population Studies 2: 39–53.
2021 (3)Gomes, T.L., Quiazon, K.M., Kotake, M., Fujise, Y., Ohizumi, H., Itoh, N. and Yoshinaga, T. 2021. Anisakis spp.
in toothed and baleen whales from Japanese waters
with notes on their poten�al role as biological tags.

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

Parasitology International 80: 102228.
Nishimura, F., Kim, Y., Bando, T., Fujise, Y., Nakamura,G., Murase, H. and Kato, H. 2021. Morphological differences in skulls and feeding apparatuses between
Antarc�c (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) and common(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) minke whales, and theimplica�on for their feeding ecology. Can. J. Zool.
doi:10.1139/cjz-2020-0237.
Suyama, S., Yanagimoto, T., Nakai, K., Tamura, T., Shiozaki,
K., Ohshimo, S. and Chow, S. 2021. A taxonomic revision of Pennella Oken, 1815 based on morphology andgene�cs (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Pennellidae).
Journal of Crustacean Biology 41 (3): ruab040.

Other surveys
1993 (1)Fujise, Y., Ishikawa, H., Saino, S. and Kawasaki, M. 1993.
Catch and struck-and-lost rate in the Japanese Dallʼs
porpoise hand-harpoon ﬁshery. Rep. int. Whal. Commn
43: 453–457.
1995 (1)Shimada, H. and Pastene, L.A. 1995. Report of a sightings survey oﬀ the Solomon Islands with comments on
Brydeʼs whale distribu�on. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 45:
413–418.
1997 (4)Kimura, T., Ozawa, T. and Pastene, L.A. 1997. Sample
prepara�on and analysis of mitochondrial DNA fromwhale baleen plates. Marine Mammal Science 13 (3):495–498.
Ljungblad, D.K., Staﬀord, K.M., Shimada, H. and Matsuoka, K. 1997. Sounds a�ributed to blue whales recorded
oﬀ the southwest coast of Australia in December 1995.
Rep. int. Whal. Commn 47: 435–439.
Ohmagari, K. and Berkes, F. 1997. Transmission of indigenous knowledge and bush skills among the WesternJames Bay Cree Women of Subarc�c Canada. Human
Ecology 25 (2): 197–222.
Shimamura, M., Yasue, H., Ohshima, K., Abe, H., Kato, H.,
Kishiro, T., Goto, M., Munechika, I. and Okada, N. 1997.
Molecular evidence from retroposons that whales
form a clade within even-toed ungulates. Nature 388:
666–670.
1998 (2)Miyazaki, N., Fujise, Y. and Iwata, K. 1998. Biologicalanalysis of a mass stranding of melon-headed whales(Peponocephala electra) at Aoshima. Japan. Bull. Natn.

Sci. Mus., Tokyo, Ser. A 24 (1): 31–60.
Otani, S., Naito, Y., Kawamura, A., Kawasaki, M., Nishiwaki, S. and Kato, A. 1998. Diving behavior and performance of harbor porpoises, Phocoena phocoena,
in Fukuoka bay, Hokkaido, Japan. Marine Mammal
Science 14 (2): 209–220.
1999 (4)Iino, Y. 1999. Treaty Implementa�on: the 1946 Interna�onal Conven�on for the Regula�on of Whaling.
System Compliance in Ocean Management. Southeast
Asian Programme in Ocean Law. Policy and Management: 189–193.
Pastene, L.A. and Shimada, H. 1999. Report of a sigh�ng
survey in Chileʼs Exclusive Economic Zone with comments on sei whale distribu�on. Anales Instituto Patagonia, Serie Cs. Nat. 27: 51–62.
Shimamura, M., Abe, H., Nikaido, M., Ohshima, K. andOkada, N. 1999. Genealogy of families of SINEs in cetaceans and ar�odactyls: the presence of a huge superfamily of tRNAGlu-derived families of SINEs. Mol. Biol.
Evol. 16 (8): 1046–1060.
Yoshida, H. and Kato, H. 1999. Phylogene�c rela�onshipsof Brydeʼs whales in the western North Paciﬁc andadjacent waters inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Marine Mammal Science 15 (4): 1269–1286.
2000 (3)Goto, M. and Ohsumi, S. 2000. Response to “Scien�ﬁc
Whaling Source of illegal Products for Market” By Baker
et al. Science 290: 1695–1696.
Otani, S., Naito, Y., Kato, A. and Kawamura, A. 2000. Diving behavior and swimming speed of a free-ranging
harbor porpoise, Phocoena phocoena. Marine Mammal Science 16 (4): 811–814.
Takahashi, S., Le, L.T.H., Saeki, H., Nakatani, N., Tanabe,S., Miyazaki, N. and Fujise, Y. 2000. Accumula�on ofbutyl�n compounds and total �n in marine mammals.
Water Science and Technology 42 (7–8): 97–108.
2001 (2)Abe, H., Goto, M., Pastene, L.A., Dewa, K. and Naito, E.
2001. Prac�cal use of mul�plex ﬂuorescent PCR for
cetacean sex iden�ﬁca�on. Marine Mammal Science
17 (3): 657–664.
Yoshida, H., Yoshioka, M., Shirakihara, M. and Chow, S.
2001. Popula�on structure of ﬁnless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in coastal waters of Japan
based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Journal of
Mammalogy 82 (1): 123–130.
91

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

2002 (1)Konishi, K. and Sakurai, Y. 2002. Geographical varia�ons ininfec�on by larval Anisakis simplex and Contracaecum
osculatum (Nematoda, Anisakidae) in walleye pollock
Theragra chalcogramma stocks oﬀ Hokkaido, Japan.
Fish Sci 68 (3): 534–542.
2003 (1)Matsuoka, K., Ensor, P., Hakamada, T., Shimada, H., Nishiwaki, S., Kasamatsu, F. and Kato, H. 2003. Overview
of the minke whale sigh�ng survey in IWC/IDCR and
SOWER cruises from 1978/79 to 2000/01. J. Cetacean
Res. Manage. 5 (2): 173–201.
2004 (5)Branch, T.A., Matsuoka, K. and Miyashita, T. 2004. Evidence for increases in Antarc�c blue whales based on
Bayesian modelling. Marine Mammal Science 20 (4):726–754.
Escorza-Trevino, S., Pastene, L.A. and Dizon, A.E. 2004.
Molecular analyses of the Truei and Dalli morphotypes of Dallʼs porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli). Journal of
Mammalogy 85 (2): 347–355.
Ikemoto, T., Kunito, T., Watanabe, I., Yasunaga, G., Baba,N., Miyazaki, N., Petrov, E.A. and Tanabe, S. 2004.
Comparison of trace element accumula�on in Baikal
seals (Pusa sibirica), Caspian seals (Pusa caspica) andnorthern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). Environmental
Pollution 127: 83–97.
Murase, H., Matsuoka, K., Nishiwaki, S., Hakamada, T. andMori, M. 2004. Eﬀect of observed covariates (school
size, sigh�ng cue, la�tude and sea state) on the Antarc�c minke whale abundance es�ma�on parameters in
the IWC/IDCR-SOWER surveys. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 6 (3): 283–292.
Yanagimoto, T. and Konishi, K. 2004. Acanthochondria priacanthi (Copepoda: Chondracanthidae) as a biologicalindicator for stock iden�ﬁca�on of sandﬁsh Arctoscopus japonicus (Steindachner). Fish Sci 70 (2): 336–338.
2005 (5)Agusa, T., Matsumoto, T., Ikemoto, T., Anan, Y., Kubota, R.,
Yasunaga, G., Kunito, T., Tanabe, S., Ogi, H. and Shibata,Y. 2005. Body distribu�on of trace elements in blacktailed gulls from Rishiri Island, Japan: age-dependentaccumula�on and transfer to feathers and eggs. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 24 (9): 2107–2120.
Agusa, T., Kunito, T., Yasunaga, G., Iwata, H., Subramanian, A., Ismail, A. and Tanabe, S. 2005. Concentra�onsof trace elements in marine ﬁsh and its risk assess92

ment in Malaysia. Marine Pollution Bulletin 51 (8–12):
896–911.
Fukui, Y., Ishikawa, H. and Ohsumi, S. 2005. Diﬃcul�es
in publishing research results from scien�ﬁc whaling.
Marine Mammal Science 21 (4): 781–783.
Prudente, M., Tanabe, S., Kunisue, T., Yasunaga, G., Watanabe, I. and Miyazaki, N. 2005. Accumula�on of traceelements and persistent organochlorines in resident
and migratory waders from Calatagan Bay, Philippines.
Coastal Marine Science 29 (2): 133–140.
Sanino, G.P., Waerebeek, K.V., Van Bressem, M. andPastene, L.A. 2005. A preliminary note on popula�on
structure in eastern South Paciﬁc common bo�lenose
dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. J. Cetacean Res. Manage.
7 (1): 65–70.
2006 (6)Acevedo, J., Aguayo-Lobo, A. and Pastene, L.A. 2006.
Filopatria de la ballena jorobada (Megaptera novaeangliae Borowski, 1781), al area de alimentacion delEstrecho de Magallanes. Revista de Biologia Marina y
Oceanograﬁa 41 (1): 11–19.
Acevedo, J., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Acuna, P. and Pastene, L.A.
2006. A note on the ﬁrst record of the dwarf minke
whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Chilean waters.
J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 8 (3): 293–296.
Hayashi, K., Yoshida, H., Nishida, S., Goto, M., Pastene,
L.A., Kanda, N., Baba, H. and Koike, H. 2006. Gene�c
Varia�on of the MHC DQB locus in the ﬁnless porpoise(Neophocaena phocaenoides). Zoological Science 23(2): 147–153.
Mori, M. and Bu�erworth, D.S. 2006. A ﬁrst step towards
modelling the krill–predator dynamics of the Antarc�cecosystem. CCAMLR Science 13: 217–277.
Sekiguchi, K., Olavarria, C., Morse, P., Olson, P., Ensor,
P., Matsuoka, K., Pitman, R., Findlay, K. and Gorter, U.
2006. The spectacled porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica)
in Antarc�c waters. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 8 (3):265–271.
Takahashi, Y., Ohwada, S., Watanabe, K., Ropert-Coudert,Y., Zenitani, R., Naito, Y. and Yamaguchi, T. 2006. Doeselas�n contribute to the persistence of corpora albican�a in the ovary of the common dolphin (Delphinusdelphis). Marine Mammal Science 22 (4): 819–830.
2007 (2)Acevedo, J., Rasmussen, K., Felix, F., Castro, C., Llano, M.,
Secchi, E., Saborio, M.T., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Haase, B.,
Scheidat, M., Dalla-Rosa, L., Olavarria, C., Fosestell, P.,
Acuna, P., Kaufman, G. and Pastene, L.A. 2007. Migra-

List of peer-reviewed publications based on the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)ʼs surveys up to 2021

tory des�na�ons of humpback whales from the Magellan Strait feeding ground, Southeast Paciﬁc. Marine
Mammal Science 23 (2): 453–463.
Branch, T.A., Staﬀord, K.M., Palacios, D.M., Allison, C.,
Bannister, J.L., Burton, C.L.K., Cabrera, E., Carlson, C.A.,
Galle� Vernazzani, B., Gill, P.C., Hucke-Gaete, R., Jenner, K.C.S., Jenner, Mn. M., Matsuoka, K., Mikhalev,
Y.A., Miyashita, T., Morrice, M.G., Nishiwaki, S., Sturrock, V.J., Tormosov, D., Anderson, R.C., Baker, A.N.,
Best, P.B., Borsa, P., Brownell Jr, R.L., Childerhouse,
S., Findlay, K.P., Gerrode�e, T., Ilangakoon, A.D., Joergensen, M., Kahn, B., Ljungblad, D.K., Maughan, B.,
Mccauley, R.D., Mckay, S., Norris, T.F., Oman Whaleand Dolphin Research Group, Rankin, S., Samaran, F.,
Thiele, D., Van Waerebeek, K. and Warneke, R.M. 2007.
Past and present distribu�on, densi�es and movements of blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere andadjacent waters. Mammal Rev. 37 (2): 116–175.
2009 (1)Nambu, H., Tokutake, K., Ishikawa, H., Ohta, M., Fujita, K.
and Yamada, T.K. 2009. Observa�on of a gray whale,
Eschrichtius robustus, in Tokyo Bay in 2005. Japan Cetology 19: 17–22 (in Japanese).
2010 (3)Nambu, H., Ishikawa, H. and Yamada, T. 2010. Recordsof the western gray whale Eschrichtius robustus: its
distribu�on and migra�on. Japan Cetology 20: 21–29(in Japanese).
Pastene, L.A. and Quiroz, D. 2010. An Outline of the History of Whaling in Chile. pp. 73–98. In: Interna�onal
Center for Folk Culture Studies (Ed). Human Culture
from the Perspective of Traditional Maritime Communities, International Symposium Report No. 1. Kanagawa
Shimbun Press, Kanagawa. 199 pp.
Taguchi, M., Ishikawa, H. and Matsuishi, T. 2010. Seasonal
distribu�on of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
in Japanese waters inferred from stranding and bycatchrecords．Mammal Study 35 (2) : 133–138．
2011 (2)Acevedo, J., Olavarría, C., Plana, J., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Larrea, A. and Pastene, L.A. 2011. Occurrence of dwarf
minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.)
around the Antarc�c Peninsula. Polar Biol 34 (2):313–318.
Acevedo, J., Plana, J., Aguayo-Lobo, A. and Pastene, L.A.
2011. Surface feeding behavior of humpback whalesin the Magellan Strait. Revista de Biologia Marina y

Oceanograﬁa. 46 (3): 483–490.
2013 (4)Acevedo J., Haro D., Dalla R.L., Aguayo-Lobo A., HuckeGaete R., Secchi E., Plana J. and Pastene L.A. 2013.
Evidence of spa�al structuring of eastern South Paciﬁchumpback whale feeding grounds. Endang Species Res
22 (1): 33–38.
Kitamura, S., Matsuishi, T., Yamada, K., Tajima, Y., Ishikawa, H., Tanabe, S., Nakagawa, H., Uni, Y. and Abe, S.
2013. Two gene�cally dis�nct stocks in Bairdʼs beaked
whale (Cetacea: Ziphiidae). Marine Mammal Science
29 (4): 755–766.
Murase, H., Temoai, I., Kirata, T., Finkaso, S., Yasunaga, G.
and Pastene, L.A. 2013. A note on cetaceans oﬀ Kiriba�
and Tuvalu from a research cruise in October 2010. J.
Cetacean Res. Manage. 13 (2): 153–158.
Sugino, T., Yasunaga, G. and Fukuda, M. 2013. Eﬀect ofwhale meat extract on fa�gue induced by physical load
and by daily ac�vi�es in humans. Jpn. Pharmacol. Ther
41 (9): 879–893 (in Japanese).
2014 (3)Pastene, L.A. 2014. Macaya Hermanos y Compania.
Notas sobre las ac�vidades de la empresa ballenerade más larga historia en Chile. Colección Mocha Dick
pp 255–274.
Quiroz, D. and Pastene, L.A. 2014. Norwegian whaling inChile in the 20th Century and its inﬂuence on Chilean
local communi�es. pp. 61–70. In: Jan Erik Ringstad(Ed). Whaling and History IV. Commander Chr. Christensenʼs Whaling Museum, part of Ves�oldmuseene
IKA, Sande�ord. 192 pp.
Quintela, M., Skaug, H.J., Øien, N., Haug, T., Seliussen,
B.B., Solvang, H.K., Pampoulie, C., Kanda, N., Pastene,
L.A. and Glover, K.A. 2014. Inves�ga�ng popula�on gene�c structure in a highly mobile marine organism: theminke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata acutorostrata in the North East Atlan�c. PLoS ONE 9 (9): e108640.
2015 (3)Funasaka, N., Kirihata, T., Kato, H. and Ohsumi, S. 2015.
The ﬁrst record of a true albino common bo�lenose
dolphin Tursiops truncatus from Japan. Mammal Study
40 (1): 19–22.
Pastene, L.A., Acevedo, J., Siciliano, S., Sholl, T.G.C., de
Moura, J.F., O�, P.H. and Aguayo-Lobo, Anelio. 2015.
Popula�on gene�c structure of the South American
Brydeʼs whale. Revista de Biologia Marina y Oceanograﬁa 50 (3): 453–464.
93Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2021)

Sakamoto, M., Itai, T., Yasutake, A., Iwasaki, T., Yasunaga,G., Fujise, Y., Nakamura, M., Murata, K., Chan, H.M.,
Domingog, J.L. and Marumoto, M. 2015. Mercury
specia�on and selenium in toothed-whale muscles.
Environmental Research 143: 55–61.
2017 (3)Funasaka, N., Kirihata, T., Hosono, M., Kato, K. andOhsumi, S. 2017. Three Cases of Anomalously White
Rissoʼs Dolphins Grampus griseus in Japan. Mammal
Study 42 (3): 173–178.
Hakamada, T., Matsuoka, K., Murase, H. and Kitakado, T.
2017. Es�ma�on of the abundance of the sei whale
Balaenoptera borealis in the central and eastern North
Paciﬁc in summer using sigh�ng data from 2010 to2012. Fish Sci 83 (6): 887–895.
Malde, K., Seliussen, B.B., Quintela, M., Dahle, G., Besnier,F., Skaug, H.J., Øien, N., Solvang, H.K., Haug, T., SkernMauritzen, R., Kanda, N., Pastene, L.A., Jonassen, I. andGlover, K.A. 2017. Whole genome resequencing reveals diagnos�c markers for inves�ga�ng global migra�on and hybridiza�on between minke whale species.
BMC Genomics 18: 76.
2019 (1)Takahashi, M., Kato, H. and Kitakado, T. 2019. Sex predic�on by machine learning methods for small sample
sizes: a case study of cranial measurements of killer
whales (Orcinus orca). Mammalian Science 59 (1):67–78 (in Japanese).

942020 (2)Kawasaki, K., Mikami, M., Goto, M., Shindo, J., Amano,
M. and Ishiyama, M. 2020. The evolu�on of unusuallysmall amelogenin genes in cetaceans; pseudogeniza�on, X–Y gene conversion, and feeding strategy. Journal of Molecular Evolution 88 (2): 122–135.
Pastene, L.A., Acevedo, J. and Branch, T.A. 2020. Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implica�ons
for their taxonomy. Marine Mammal Science 36 (1):
116–135.
2021 (2)Cabrera, A.A., Schall, E., Bérubé, M., Anderwald, P.,
Bachmann, L., Berrow, S., Best, P.B., Clapham, P.J.,
Cunha, H.A., Dalla Rosa, L., Dias, C., Findlay, K.P., Haug,
T., Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Hoelzel, R., Kovacs, K.M.,
Landry, S., Larsen, F., Moreira Lopes, X., Lydersen, C.,
Ma�la, D.K., Oos�ng, T., Pace III, R.M., Pape�, C.,
Paspa�, A., Pastene, L.A., Prieto, R., Ramp, C., Robbins,J., Sears, R., Secchi, E.R., Silva, M.A., Simon, M., Víkingsson, G., Wiig, Ø., Øien, N. and Palsbøll, P.J. 2021.
Strong and las�ng impacts of past global warming onbaleen whales and their prey. Global Change Biology(in press).
Milmann, L., Taguchi, M., Siciliano, S., Baumgarten,
J.E., Oliveira, L.R., Valia�, V.H., Goto, M., O�, P.H.
and Pastene, L.A. 2021. New gene�c evidences fordis�nct popula�ons of the common minke whale(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the Southern Hemisphere. Polar Biol 44 (8): 1575–1589.

TEREPICR

The insutute of cetacean Research′
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