Distribution:North Atlantic, migrating from tropical lattitudes in winter to polar feeding grouonds in summer. Most common in coastal waters and shelf areas in temperate polar waters.
Populations and Catches: There seem to be at least three biologically distinct stocks in the North Atlantic west of Cape Farewell; a central East greenland/Iceland/JKan Mayen stock; and a north-eastern stock. The most recent estimate (1997) for the central stock is 72,000. For the north-eastern stock the estimate is 112,000. No estimate is available for the stock west of Cape Farewell. In 1997, the Norwegian quota for the north-east and central stocks totalled 580, of which 503 were taken. Greenland hunts minke whales from the northwest and central stocks. From 1995-97 the combined quota was 465, which was fully used.
