Source: High North News, No.11, Nov. 1996, published by the High North Alliance

    Sperm whales do not only eat squid

    Norwegian scientists counting minke whales, the coast guard and a great many fishermen all tell of sperm whales feasting on mackerel in the North Sea, wrote the Norwegian fisheries newspaper Fiskeribladet, on September 24, this year. These observations contradict popular belief that the sperm whale only eats squid. Fisheries researcher Svein Hansen, at the Norwegian Marine Research Institute in Bergen, says to the fisheries newspaper, Fiskaren, that the predation on mackerel by sperm whales, as well as killer whales, ought to be included in the calculations of natural mortality which in turn form the basis for the calculation of fishing quotas. However, he also says that at present, we do not know enough about it to be able to make a reasonable guess at the extent of the predation.

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