Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1992, Page 6

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THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH .. .
and to provide the biological basis for a
management programme (Desportes,
1990). In Faroese pilot whaling, entire
schools are normally driven ashore to be
dispatched, regardless of animal size or
sex. The hunting is, then, completely non-
selective, and the observed compositions of
schools are that of natural groups of
whales. The year-round Faroese fishery
provides a unique opportunity to obtain
biological data on the targeted species, as
whole schools of pilot whales are available
for sampling, containing animals of both
sexes and representing the entire range of
age groups and sexual stages. As well,
because of its specific characteristics, this
fishery also offers a rare chance to gather
information on social structure and the ma-
ting system.
This paper gives a brief presentation of
the international research programme and
the institutes involved. It summaries the
most important results, conclusions and
hypothesis put forward by the different par-
ticipants to date. The results are presented
to give emphasis on variations between
schools and between the Faroes and other
geographical areas. Work currently being
done and future studies are also mentioned.
Relevant references resulting from this pro-
gramme are listed after each particular sec-
tion, and these include publications, docu-
ments presented to the IWC Scientific
Committee, papers currently being re-
viewed, and works in preparation (refer-
ences to which may be subject to change).
General references for the paper as a whole
are located at the end.
Earlier versions of this manuscript have
been presented at a meeting of the ICES
Study Group on pilot whales in Montreal in
December 1991 (Desportes, 1991) and at a
meeting of the North Atlantic Marine
Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) in
Nuuk in April 1992 (Desportes, 1992).
The international pilot whale research
programme
The international research programme was
initiated under the auspices of the United
Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) and the Intemational Whaling
Commission (IWC). The Faroese Govem-
ment welcomed and supported the project
by financing most of the expenses related
to the sampling of the Faroese fishery. This
included travel of foreign scientists, per-
sonal assistance, accommodation for the
foreign participants, all local expenses and
materials, support of the year round sam-
pling, and, of course, specific Faroese
investigations.
The Faroese pilot whale research pro-
gramme had two aspects, the above-men-
tioned land-based project, and Faroese
participation in the North Atlantic Sight-
ings Surveys in 1987 and 1989 (NASS), a
cooperative programme by North Atlantic
nations (Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland,
Norway, Spain) to assess the distribution
and abundance of cetaceans in the North
East Atlantic.
The leader of the project was D. Bloch
(Faroese Museum of Natural History). Dr.
C. Lockyer (Sea Mammal Research Unit,
Cambridge, UK) was scientific adviser, Dr.
G. Desportes (Faroese Museum of Natural