Stomach content analysis of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata from the Lofoten and Vesterålen areas, Norway

Stomach contents from 15 minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata collected in the Lofoten and Vesterålen areas of Norway, August 1988, were analysed. All stomachs contained identifiable remains and constituted of fish only. Herring Clupea harengus was the dominant prey species found in all whale stomachs and constituted 92% of the total prey volume. Cod Gadus morhua was the second most abundant prey. In addition pollock Pollachius virens, haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus, and great silver smelt Argentina silus were found in single whale stomachs. All fish species found in the whale stomachs in our investigations are of commercial importance, and the sizes of the herrings and cods in minke whale stomachs are of interest for commercial exploitation.