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Great Whales
Sei whale - details

Sei whale

The fast-swimming sei whale was caught in great numbers in the Antarctic in the 1960s, after the blue, fin and humpback stocks had been overexploited. Japan has issued a permit to take up to 100 sei whales in the North Pacific for research.

There are no agreed estimates of current numbers in the Antarctic. In 1989, the North Atlantic population was estimated at 10,500, and claims have been made for numbers ranging from 9,000-28,000 in the western North Pacific.

It has been protected since the late 1970s in the Antarctic and North Pacific, and since 1982 in the North Atlantic.

Status: Endangered

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