Norwegian Minke Whaling:

Times to Death Unchanged

The figures were submitted by professor of veterinary medicine, Ole Egil Øen, at the Small-type Whaler’s Association AGM in Svolvær, Lofoten. On board each whaling vessel there is an inspector and a vet, both of whom register times to death. 58% of the whales died instantaneously.

Øen stressed that registered times to death tend to be somewhat higher than is actually the case, owing to the very strict death criteria employed. All movement must have come to a halt. This means that the inspector does not stop his watch until all the animal’s convulsions and reflex movements have ceased, even though the animal may well already be brain dead.

Øen also works on kill statistics for elk hunting. He maintains that the quality of the kill in Norwegian minke whaling is far better than that of the Norwegian elk hunt and of most other types of hunt.