Wildlife - Norway - page 884

The endangered seihval (sei whales), a baleen whale, swim off the coast of Finnmark
and are named because their arrival corresponds with that of the sei (pollacks), which
come to feast on the seasonal plankton. They can measure 18m and weigh up to 30 tonnes
(calves measure 5m at birth). The annual migration takes the sei from the seas off northw-
est Africa and Portugal (winter) up to the Norwegian Sea and southern Barents Sea in
summer.
Finhval (fin whales) measure 24m and can weigh 80 tonnes. These whales were a prime
target after the Norwegian Svend Føyn developed the exploding harpoon in 1864 and un-
regulated whaling left only a few thousand in the North Atlantic. Fin whales are also mi-
gratory, wintering between Spain and southern Norway and spending summer in northern
Norway.
Spermsetthval (sperm whales), which can measure 19m and weigh up to 50 tonnes, are
characterised by their odd squarish profile. They subsist mainly on fish and squid and usu-
ally live in pods of 15 to 20. Their numbers were depleted by whalers seeking whale oil
and the valuable spermaceti wax from their heads. The fish-rich shoals off Vesterålen at-
tract quite a few sperm whales and they're often observed on boat tours.
The largest animal on earth, blåhval (blue whales), measure around 28m and weigh in at
a staggering 110 tonnes. Although they can live to 80 years of age, 50 is more common.
Heavily hunted for its oil, the species finally received protection, far too late, from the In-
ternational Whaling Commission in 1967. Prior to 1864, there were between 6000 and
9000, but only a few hundred remain in the world's oceans (although some Norwegian es-
timates put the number at around 11,000). Recent evidence suggests that a few hardy blue
whales are making a comeback in the northeast Atlantic.
Grønlandshval (bowhead whales), or Greenland right whales, were virtually annihilated
by the end of the 19th century for their baleen, which was used in corsets, fans and whips,
and because they are slow swimmers and float when dead. In 1679 Svalbard had around
25,000 bowheads, but only a handful remains and worldwide numbers are critically low.
Although polar bear numbers have remained stable since 2001, US government scientists
estimate that two-thirds of the world's polar bears (now numbering between 20,000 and
25,000) will disappear by 2050 due to diminishing summer sea ice, and that the re-
mainder could die out by the end of the 21st century.