In the North East Atlantic there are about 86,700 minke whales. In 1993, the
Norwegian authorities allowed a quota of 296 minke whales to be harvested, in
other words, less than half a percent.
"100,000 elks is on the verge of over-exploitation, whereas 296 minke whales is
definitely a responsible hunt," writes environmental journalist Tommy
Hammarstrøm in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, April 4, 1993.
He continues by writing that "... there are no ecological arguments for stopping
the minke whale harvest ... a strictly regulated hunt involves, on the contrary,
protection of the minke whale. In that way, one will attain an accurate and
continuous control of the whale stock, just as we have control over the elks."
The Swedes also hunt bears. The stock amounts to about 700 specimens, 35 of
which, i.e. 5% of the stock is taken every year.
Normally, both the minke whale and the elk produce one offspring a year. One
must however, be careful not to compare reproduction on this basis alone. Many
other factors of importance must be taken into consideration such as young
mortality rates, lifespan etc.
Even so, stock intervals can be arrived at, within the limits of which we can, with
a great degree of certainty, establish the stock size.