Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1991, Síða 34

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STUDIES ON THE LONG-FINNED PILOT WHALE
Fig. 1. Offical whale number. Whale no. 108 of a pod of pilot whales in Faroe Islands.
carcasses were only opened in the traditional
way: with transventral cuts, 30-40 cm apart.
Stomachs were sampled after partition was
completed.
Skinn value. According to official assess-
ment methods, every whale was marked on
the head with a consecutive number in Arab-
ic numerals (Fig. 1). The value of each whale
(Fig. 2), a measurement known as a »skinn«,
was marked on the flipper in Roman numer-
als (Bloch and Zachariassen, 1989). The
skinn assessment of 981 whales from 16
schools was recorded, includin 10 entire
schools (see Table 1).
The skinn is an ancient measurement
which takes into account the length of the
whale from eye to anus as well as its general
condition. Since 1832, a regressive divided
rod has been used (Dalsgaard, 1957). A
medium-fat whale with a length of 314.5 cm
(= 5 Danish alen = 10 feet) from eye to
anus, corresponding to a total body length
of about 575 cm, has, by definition, the
value of 20 skinn or 1 guilder. But a personal
assessment is also part of the valuation
process, so that wounded, lean, pregnant or
suckling whales will receive a lower skinn
value than fatter whales, regardless of their
length. Skinn statistics, recorded by local