Scientist rejects Japanese study on minke whales
3/9/08
An Australian marine scientist has dismissed Japanese research that the body mass of minke whales is declining because of increasingly scarce ocean resources. The study, based on data from two decades of lethal research, found Antarctic minke whales had lost 9 per cent of their blubber. It argues that this has been caused by a shortfall of krill, a vital component of the food chain, due to climate change and the recovery of other species such as humpback whales. An Australian Antarctic division researcher, Nick Gales, says the Japanese study’s methodology is flawed.
Tags: Australia, Environment, Japan, Pacific