Balaenoptera physalus ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T. & Koprowski, John L., 2018, Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zootaxa 4522 (1), pp. 1-216 : 118-119

Balaenoptera physalus ( Linnaeus, 1758) —Fin Whale

Balaena physalus Linnaeus, 1758 p.75 ; Type locality- Norway.

Sibbalius veliferus: True, 1884 p.591 .

Balaenoptera velifera copei Elliot, 1901 p.13 ; Type locality- Shumagin Island , Alaska.

Balaenoptera physalus: Kuroda, 1938 p.10 ; Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.715; Won, 1958 p.433; Won, 1967 p.77; Won, 1968 p.238; Kim et al., 2000 p.54; Kim, 2004 p.219.

Balaenoptera swinhoii: Kuroda, 1938 p.11 .

Range: Fishermen have caught B. physalus along all the coasts of Korea, but observations of this whale came primarily from the East Sea ( Fig. 79 ). The harvest of 921 fin whales from 1958 to 1982 possibly led to their rarefaction ( Park 1987). In 1996, the stranded body of a fin whale was found at Incheon. Observations of this species in spring and autumn on the northeastern coast follow the October to May migrations in the Yellow Sea ( Kim 2004). During August and November, these whales appear congregate around the southern coast.

Remarks: Although the polyphyletic fin whales are clustered into three genetic clades, the taxonomic status of fin whales in the North Pacific Ocean remains unresolved ( National Marine Fisheries Service 2013).

Conservation status: The South Korean government designated B. physalus as a Protected Marine Species in 2007. The Red Data Book of North Korea listed it as a ‘Rare’ species (MAB National Committee of DPR Korea 2002). This species is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Figures

FIGURE 79. Range map of Balaenoptera physalus in Korea.