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{{Taxobox
| name = Sei Whale <ref name=MSW3>
{{MSW3 Cetacea|id=14300014}}</ref>
| image = Balaenoptera_borealis_3.jpg
| image_caption = A Sei Whale feeding at the surface.
| image2 = Sei_whale_size.svg
| image2_caption = Size compared to an average human
| status = EN
| status_system = iucn3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn">
{{IUCN2008|assessors=Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N.|year=2008|id=2475|title=Balaenoptera borealis|downloaded=7 October 2008}}</ref>
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| ordo = [[Cetacea]]
| subordo = [[baleen whale|Mysticeti]]
| familia = [[rorqual|Balaenopteridae]]
| genus = ''[[Balaenoptera]]''
| species = '''''B. borealis'''''
| binomial = ''Balaenoptera borealis''
| binomial_authority = [[René Primevère Lesson|Lesson]], 1828
| range_map = Cetacea range map Sei Whale.PNG
| range_map_caption = Sei Whale range,
}}
The '''Sei Whale''' ({{pron-en|ˈseɪ}} or {{IPA-en|ˈsaɪ|}}), ''Balaenoptera borealis,'' is a [[baleen whale]], the third-largest [[rorqual]] after the [[Blue Whale]] and the [[Fin Whale]].<ref name="mfr">
{{cite journal | author= S.L. Perry | coauthors = D.P. DeMaster, and G.K. Silber | year = 1999 | title = Special Issue: The Great Whales: History and Status of Six Species Listed as Endangered Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 | journal = Marine Fisheries Review | volume = 61 | issue = 1 | url = http://spo.nwr.noaa.gov/mfr611/mfr611.htm | pages = 52–58}}</ref> It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep off-shore waters.<ref name="Gambell85a">
{{cite book | author = Gambell, R. | year = 1985 | chapter = Sei Whale 'Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson, 1828 | title = Handbook of Marine Mammals, Vol. 3 | editors = S.H. Ridgway and R. Harrison (eds) | publisher = Academic Press | location = London | pages = 155–170 }}</ref> It avoids [[Polar region|polar]] and [[tropics|tropical]] waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water. The Sei Whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to winter in [[temperateness|temperate]] and [[subtropics|subtropical]] waters.<ref name="nmfs"/>
Reaching {{m to ft|20}} long and weighing as much as {{convert|45|t}},<ref name="nmfs">
{{cite book | author = Reeves, R. | coauthors = G. Silber and M. Payne | title = Draft Recovery Plan for the Fin Whale ''Balaenoptera physalus'' and Sei Whale ''Balaenoptera borealis'' | publisher = National Marine Fisheries Service| year = 1998 | month = July | location = Silver Spring, Maryland | url = http://www.cresli.org/cresli/pdf%20documents/finwhale.pdf | format = PDF}}</ref> the Sei Whale daily consumes an average of {{kg to lb|900}} of food, primarily [[copepod]]s, [[krill]], and other [[zooplankton]].<ref name="adw">
{{cite web | author = Shefferly, N. | year = 1999 | title = Balaenoptera borealis | publisher = Animal Diversity Web | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Balaenoptera_borealis.html | accessdate = 2006-11-04}}</ref> It is among the fastest of all [[cetacea]]ns, and can reach speeds of up to {{convert|50|km/h|mph}}, 27 [[Knot (unit)|knots]]) over short distances.<ref name="adw"/> The whale's name comes from the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] word for [[pollock]], a fish that appears off the coast of [[Norway]] at the same time of the year as the Sei Whale.<ref name="acs">
{{cite web | url = http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/SeiBrydesWhales.htm | title = Sei Whale & Bryde's Whale ''Balaenoptera borealis'' & ''Balaenoptera edeni'' | publisher = American Cetacean Society | year = 2004 | month = March | accessdate = 2006-11-08 }}</ref>
Following large-scale [[whaling|commercial whaling]] during the late-nineteenth and late-twentieth centuries when over 238,000 whales were taken,<ref name="horwood87">
{{cite book | author = Horwood, J. | year = 1987 | title = The sei whale: population biology, ecology, and management | publisher = Croom Helm Ltd | location = Kent, England |isbn=0-7099-4786-0}}</ref> the Sei Whale is now internationally protected,<ref name="iucn"/> although limited hunting occurs under controversial research programmes conducted by [[Iceland]] and [[Japan]].<ref name="wwf05">
{{cite press release | publisher = WWF-International | title = Japanese Scientific Whaling: Irresponsible Science, Irresponsible Whaling | date = 2005-06-01 | url = http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/publications/index.cfm?uNewsID=13793 | accessdate = 2006-11-10}}</ref><ref>See [[Whaling in Japan]] and [[Whaling in Iceland]]</ref> As of 2006, its worldwide population was about 54,000, about a fifth of its pre-whaling population.<ref name="acs"/>
==Etymology==
The species was first officially described by French naturalist [[René Primevère Lesson]] in 1828, but an earlier description was given by [[Karl Rudolphi]] in 1822 [although he assumed it was a Minke Whale (''Balaenoptera acutorostrala'')] leading to occasional references to Sei's as '''Rudolphi's Rorqual'''.<ref name=allen>
{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=30YZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA234&dq=Balaenoptera+borealis&as_brr=1 | title=Whalebone Whales of New England | author = Glover Morrill Allen | year = 1916 | pages = 234 | volume = 8 | accessdate=2009-06-24 }}</ref> Additional names include '''Pollack Whale''', '''Coalfish Whale''', '''Sardine Whale''', or '''Japan Finner'''.<ref name="whalesonnet">
{{cite web | url=http://www.whales.org.au/discover/sei/seig.html | title=Sei Whales (''Balaenoptera borealis'') | publisher = Whales on the net | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Additionally, it has been referred to as the '''Lesser Fin Whale''' because it somewhat resembles the Fin whale.<ref name=allen/>
''Sei'' is the Norwegian word for [[pollock]], also referred to as coalfish, a close relative of codfish. Sei Whales appeared off the coast of [[Norway]] at the same time as the pollock, both coming to feed on the abundant [[plankton]].<ref name="acs"/> The specific name is the Latin word ''borealis'', meaning northern. In the Pacific, the whale has been called the Japan Finner; "finner" was a common term used to refer to rorquals. In Japanese the whale was called ''iwashi kujira'', or Sardine Whale, named for a fish that the whale has been observed to eat in the Pacific.<ref name="natlgeo1911">
{{cite journal | url = http://web.archive.org/web/www.edwardtbabinski.us/whales/shore_whaling_industry.html | journal = National Geographic Magazine | month = May | year = 1911 | title = Shore Whaling: A World Industry | author = Andrews, R.C. }}</ref>
==Taxonomy==
The Sei was classified as ''Balaena rostraia'', ''Balaena borealis'', ''Bataenoptera laticeps'', and ''Eulama physalus'' among others, before Lesson's alternative Balaenoptera borealis'' was formalized.<ref name=allen/>
Sei Whales are [[rorqual]]s (family Balaenopteridae), baleens that includes the [[Humpback Whale]], the [[Blue Whale]], [[Bryde's Whale]], the [[Fin Whale]], and the [[Minke Whale]]. Rorquals take their name from the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] word ''røyrkval'', meaning "furrow whale",<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.iberianature.com/trivia/etymology_mammals.htm | title = Etymology of mammal names | publisher = IberiaNature – Natural history facts and trivia | accessdate = 2006-12-07}}</ref> because family members have a series of longitudinal pleats or grooves below the mouth that continue along the body's underside. Balaenopteridae diverged from the other families of suborder [[baleen whale|Mysticeti]], also called the Whalebone Whales or Great Whales, as long ago as the middle [[Miocene]].<ref name="evolution">
{{cite book | url = http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gingeric/PDFfiles/PDG413_Whaleevol.pdf | format = PDF | title = McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology | year = 2004 | publisher = The McGraw Hill Companies | chapter = Whale Evolution | author = Gingerich, P.}}</ref> However, little is known about when members of the various families in the Mysticeti, including the Balaenopteridae, diverged from each other.
Two [[subspecies]] have been identified—the '''Northern Sei Whale''' (''Balaenoptera borealis borealis'') and '''Southern Sei Whale''' (''Balaenoptera borealis schleglii'').<ref name="ITIS">
{{ITIS | ID = 180526 | taxon = Balaenoptera borealis | year = 2006 | date = 10 November}}</ref> Their ranges do not overlap.
==Description==
The Sei Whale is the third-largest Balaenopteridae, after the [[Blue Whale]] (up to 180 tonnes, 200 tons) and the [[Fin Whale]] (up to 70 tonnes, 77 tons).<ref name="mfr"/> Mature adults typically measure between {{convert|12|-|15|m|ft}}<ref name="adw"/> and weigh {{convert|20|-|30|t}}. The Southern Sei Whale is larger than the Northern Sei Whale. Females are considerably larger than males.<ref name="nmfs"/> The largest known Sei Whale measured {{m to ft|20}},<ref name="adw"/> and weighed between {{convert|40|-|45|t}}. The largest specimens taken off [[Iceland]] were slightly longer than {{m to ft|16}}.<ref name="martin83">
{{cite journal | author = Martin, A.R. | year = 1983 | title = The sei whale off western Iceland. I. Size, distribution and abundance | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 33 | pages = 457–463 }}</ref> At birth, a calf typically measures {{convert|4|-|5|m|ft}} in length.<ref name="adw"/>
==Anatomy==
The whale's body is typically a dark steel grey with irregular light grey to white markings on the [[Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral|ventral]] surface, or towards the front of the lower body. The whale has a series of 32–60 [[pleat]]s or grooves along the bottom of the body that allow the throat area to expand greatly during feeding. The snout is pointed and the [[Fish anatomy#Types of fin|pectoral fins]] are relatively short, with at only 9%–10% of body length, and pointed at the tips.<ref name="acs"/> It has a single ridge extending from snout tip to the paired [[Blowhole (biology)|blowholes]] that are a distinctive characteristic of baleen whales.
The whale's skin is often marked by pits or wounds, which after healing become white scars. These are believed to be caused by [[Parasitism|ectoparasitic]] [[copepod]]s (''Penella'' spp.),<ref name="ivashin">
{{cite journal | author = Ivashin, M.V. | coauthors = Yu.P. Golubovsky | year = 1978 | title = On the cause of appearance of white scars on the body of whales | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 28 | pages = 199}}</ref> [[lamprey]]s (family Petromyzontidae),<ref name="rice77">
{{cite journal | author = Rice, D.W. | year = 1977 | title = Synopsis of biological data on the sei whale and Bryde's whale in the eastern North Pacific | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 92–97}}</ref> or possibly [[Cookiecutter shark|"cookie-cutter" sharks]] (''Isistius brasiliensis'').<ref name="shevchenko">
{{cite journal | author = Shevchenko, V.I. | year = 1977 | title = Application of white scars to the study of the location and migrations of sei whale populations in Area III of the Antarctic | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 130–134}}</ref> It has a tall, [[sickle]]-shaped [[dorsal fin]] that ranges in height from {{convert|25|-|61|cm|in}}, about two-thirds of the way back from the tip of the snout. Dorsal fin shape, [[pigment]]ation pattern, and scarring have been used to a limited extent in [[Wildlife photo-identification|photo-identification]] studies.<ref name="schilling">
{{cite journal | author = Schilling, M.R. | coauthors = I. Seipt, M.T. Weinrich, S.E. Frohock, A.E. Kuhlberg, and P.J. Clapham | year = 1992 | title = Behavior of individually identified sei whales ''Balaenoptera borealis'' during an episodic influx into the southern Gulf of Maine in 1986 | journal = Fish. Bull. | volume = 90 | pages = 749–755 |url=https://secure2.nni.com/whalecenter/pdfs/Sei_whales_FishBull92.pdf}}</ref> The tail is thick and the [[fluke]], or lobe, is relatively small in relation to the size of the whale's body.<ref name="acs"/>
[[Image:Baleen.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A close-up view of baleen plates. The plates are used to strain food from the water|alt=Photo displaying dozens of baleen plates. The plates face each other, and are evenly spaced at approximately {{Convert|0.25|in|cm|0}} intervals. The plates are attached to the jaw at the top, and have hairs at the bottom end.]]
Adults have 300–380 ashy-black baleen plates on each side of the mouth, each about {{cm to in|48}} long. Each plate is made of [[nail (anatomy)|fingernail]]-like [[keratin]] that frays out into whitish fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth near the [[tongue]].<ref name="adw"/> The Sei's very fine baleen bristles, about {{Convert|0.1|mm|in|3}} are the most reliable characteristic that distinguishes it from other baleen whales.<ref name="mead">
{{cite journal | author = Mead, J.G. | year = 1977 | title = Records of sei and Bryde's whales from the Atlantic coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 113–116}}</ref>
The Sei Whale looks similar to other large baleen whales. The best way to distinguish between it and [[Bryde's Whale]], apart from differences in baleen plates, is by the presence of lateral ridges on the dorsal surface of the Bryde's Whale's head. Large individuals can be confused with [[Fin Whale]]s unless the Fin Whale's asymmetrical head coloration is clearly seen. The Fin Whale's lower jaw's right side is white, and the left side is grey. When viewed from the side, the upper edge of the Sei's head has a small arch between snout tip and eye, while the Fin Whale's profile is relatively flat.<ref name="nmfs"/>
==Life history==
Sei Whales usually travel alone<ref name="edds84">
{{cite journal | author = Edds, P.L. | coauthors = T.J. MacIntyre, and R. Naveen | year = 1984 | title = Notes on a sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson) sighted off Maryland | journal = Cetus | volume = 5 | number = 2 | pages = 4–5 }}</ref> or in groups of up to six individuals.<ref name="schilling"/> Larger groups may assemble at particularly abundant feeding grounds. Very little is known about their [[social structure]]. Males and females may bond, but this is uncertain.<ref name="mfr"/><ref name="imms">
{{cite web | url = http://www.dolphinsrus.com/factsheets/sei.pdf | format = PDF | title = The Sei Whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'') | publisher = The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies | accessdate = 2006-12-07 }}</ref>
The Sei Whale is among the fastest [[cetacea]]ns. It can reach speeds of up to {{convert|50|km/h|kn}} over short distances.<ref name="adw"/> However, it is not a remarkable diver, reaching relatively shallow depths for five to fifteen minutes. Between dives, the whale surfaces for a few minutes, remaining visible in clear, calm waters, with blows occurring at intervals of about 40–60 seconds. Unlike the Fin Whale, the Sei Whale tends not to rise high out of the water as it dives. The [[Blowhole (biology)|blowholes]] and dorsal fin are often exposed above the water surface simultaneously. The whale almost never extends its flukes above the surface, and it rarely [[Whale#Behavior|breaches]].<ref name="nmfs"/>
===Feeding===
[[Image:Krill swarm.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Krill]], shrimp-like marine invertebrate animals, are one of the Sei Whale's primary foods.|alt=Photo of krill in water]]
This rorqual is a [[filter feeder]], using its [[baleen|baleen plate]]s to obtain its food by opening its mouth, engulfing large amounts of the water containing the food, then straining the water out through the [[baleen]], trapping any food items inside its mouth.
The Sei Whale feeds near the surface of the ocean, swimming on its side through swarms of [[predation|prey]] to obtain its average of about {{kg to lb|900}} of food each day.<ref name="adw"/> Unusually for an animal of its size, for the most part, its preferred foods lie relatively low in the [[food chain]], including [[zooplankton]] and small fish. The whale's diet preferences has been determined from stomach analyses, direct observation of feeding behavior.,<ref name="watkins">
{{cite journal | author = Watkins, W.A.|coauthors = W.E. Schevill |year = 1979 |title= Aerial observations of feeding behavior in four baleen whales: ''Eubalaena glacialis'', ''Balaenoptera borealis'', ''Megaptera novaeangliae'', and ''Balaenoptera physalus'' |journal= J. Mamm.|volume= 60 |pages=155–163|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-2372%28197902%2960%3A1%3C155%3AAOOFBI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z | doi = 10.2307/1379766 |issue= 1}}</ref><ref name="weinrich">
{{cite journal | author = Weinrich, M.T.|coauthors = C.R. Belt, M.R. Schilling, and M. Marcy| year = 1986 |title= Behavior of sei whales in the southern Gulf of Maine, summer 1986 |journal = Whalewatcher |volume = 20|issue = 4|pages = 4–7 }}</ref> and analyzing [[feces|fecal matter]] collected near Sei Whales, which appears as a dilute brown cloud. The feces is collected in nets and DNA is separated, individually identified, and matched with known species.<ref name="NatGeo">
{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0206_020206_wirewhales.html | title = New Research Method May Ease Whale Killing | publisher = National Geographic News | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | date = February 6, 2002 | author = Darby, A.}}</ref> The whale competes for food against [[clupeidae|clupeid]] fish ([[herring]] and its relatives), [[basking shark]]s, and [[right whale]]s.
In the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]], it feeds primarily on [[Calanoida|calanoid copepods]], specifically ''Calanus finmarchicus'', with a secondary preference for [[krill|euphausiids (krill)]], in particular ''Meganyctiphanes norvegica'' and ''Thysanoessa inermis''.<ref name="mizroch84">{{cite journal | author = Mizroch, S.A. | coauthors = D.W. Rice and J.M. Breiwick | year = 1984 | title = The Sei Whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' | journal = Mar. Fish. Rev. | volume = 46 | number = 4 | pages = 25–29 }}</ref><ref name="christensen92">
{{cite journal |author = Christensen, I. |coauthors = T. Haug, and N. Øien |year= 1992 |title= A review of feeding and reproduction in large baleen whales (Mysticeti) and sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus in Norwegian and adjacent waters| journal= Fauna norvegica Series A |volume = 13 | pages=39–48}}</ref> In the [[Pacific Ocean|North Pacific]], it feeds on similar zooplankton, including the copepod species ''Calanus cristatus'', ''Calanus plumchrus'', and ''Calanus pacificus'', and euphausid species ''Euphausia pacifica'', ''Thysanoessa inermis'', ''Thysanoessa longipes'', and ''Thysanoessa spinifera''. In addition, it eats larger organisms, such as the [[Japanese Flying Squid]], ''Todarodes pacificus pacificus'',<ref name="tamura01">
{{cite paper | author = Tamura, T. | title = Competition for food in the Ocean: Man and other apical predators | publisher = Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, Reykjavik, Iceland, 1–4 October 2001 | date = October 2001 | url = http://www.fisherieswatch.org/docs/245.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2006-12-09}}</ref> and small fish, including members of the ''[[Engraulis]]'' (anchovies), ''[[Cololabis]]'' (sauries), ''[[South American pilchard|Sardinops]]'' (pilchards), and ''[[Trachurus]]'' (jack mackerels) genera.<ref name="mizroch84"/><ref name=<ref name="nemoto">
{{cite journal | author = Nemoto, T. | coauthors = and A. Kawamura |year = 1977 |title = Characteristics of food habits and distribution of baleen whales with special reference to the abundance of North Pacific sei and Bryde's whales | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = Spec. Iss. 1 |pages =80–87}}</ref> Some of these fish are commercially important. Off central [[California]], the whale may feed on [[anchovy|anchovies]] between June and August, and on [[krill]] (''Euphausia pacifica'') during September and October.<ref name="rice77"/> In the Southern Hemisphere, prey species include the copepods ''Calanus tonsus'', ''Calanus simillimus'', and ''Drepanopus pectinatus'' as well as the euphausids ''Euphausia superba'' and ''Euphausia vallentini''.<ref name="mizroch84"/>
===Reproduction===
[[Mating]] occurs in [[temperateness|temperate]], subtropical seas during the winter. [[Gestation]] is estimated to variously at 10 3/4 months,<ref name="lockyer and martin">
{{cite journal | author = Lockyer, C. |coauthors = and A.R. Martin | year = 1983 | title= The sei whale off western Iceland. II. Age, growth and reproduction | journal= Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = 33 | pages= 465–476}}</ref> 11 1/4 months,<ref name="lockyer77">
{{cite journal | author = Lockyer, C. | year = 1977 |title= Some estimates of growth in the sei whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 58–62}}</ref> or one year,<ref name="risting">
{{cite journal | author = Risting, S | year = 1928 |title = Whales and whale foetuses | journal = Rapp. Cons. Explor. Mer | volume = 50| pages = 1–122}}</ref> depending which model of [[fetus|foetal]] growth is used. The different estimates result from scientists' inability to observe an entire pregnancy; most reproductive data for baleen whales were obtained from animals caught by commercial whalers, which offers only a single snapshot of fetal growth. Researchers attempt to extrapolate conception dates by comparing fetus size and characteristics with newborns.
A newborn [[weaning|wean]]s from its mother at 6–9 months of age when it is {{convert|11|-|12|m|ft}} in length,<ref name="lockyer and martin"/> so weaning takes place at the summer or autumn feeding grounds. Females reproduce every 2–3 years,<ref name="lockyer and martin"/> with as many as six fetuses reported, but single births are far more common.<ref name="adw"/> The average age of [[sexual maturity]] of both [[sex]]es is 8–10 years,<ref name="lockyer and martin"/> at a length of around {{m to ft|12}} for males and {{m to ft|13}} for females.<ref name="acs"/> The whales can reach ages of up to 65 years.<ref name="wwf.com">{{cite web | url = http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/sei_whale/seiwhale_ecology_habitat/| date = 2007-06-18 | title = Sei whale - Ecology & Habitat | author = WWF | publisher = WWF Global Species Programme | accessdate = Jaunary 19, 2010}}</ref>
===Vocalizations===
{{See also|Whale song}}
The Sei Whale makes long, loud, low-frequency sounds. Relatively little is known about specific calls, but in 2003 observers noted Sei Whale calls in addition to sounds that could be described as "growls" or "whooshes" off the coast of the [[Antarctic Peninsula]].<ref name="mcdonald05">
{{cite journal | author = McDonald, M. | coauthors=Hildebrand, J., Wiggins, S., Thiele, D., Glasgow, D., and Moore, S. | title = Sei whale sounds recorded in the Antarctic | journal = The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America | month = December | year = 2005 | volume = 118 | issue = 6 | pages = 3941–3945 | url = http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=JASMAN000118000006003941000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes | doi = 10.1121/1.2130944}}</ref> Many calls consisted of multiple parts at different frequencies. This combination distinguishes the Sei Whale's call from those of other whales. Most calls lasted about a half second, and occurred in the 240–625 [[hertz]] range, well within the range of human hearing. The maximum volume of the vocal sequences is reported as 156 [[decibel]]s relative to 1 [[Pascal (unit)|micropascal (μPa)]] at a reference distance of one [[meter]].<ref name="mcdonald05"/> An observer situated one meter from a vocalizing whale would perceive a volume roughly equivalent to the volume of a jackhammer operating two meters away.<ref>Direct comparisons of sounds in water to sounds in air can be complicated, see [http://www.surtass-lfa-eis.com/Terms/index.htm this description] for more information.</ref>
==Range and migration==
[[Image:Faroe stamp 403 sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Drawing of a Sei Whale on a [[Faroe Islands|Faroese]] stamp, issued 17 September 2001]]
Sei Whales live in all oceans, although rarely in [[polar region|polar]] or [[tropics|tropical]] waters.<ref name="nmfs"/> The difficulty of distinguishing Sei Whales at seas from their close relatives, [[Bryde's Whale]]s and in some cases from [[Fin Whale]]s, creates confusion about their range and population, especially in warmer waters where Bryde's Whales are most common.
In the North Atlantic, its range extends from [[southern Europe]] or [[Northwest Africa|northwestern Africa]] to [[Norway]], and from the [[southern United States]] to [[Greenland]].<ref name="Gambell85a"/> The southernmost confirmed records are strandings along the northern [[Gulf of Mexico]] and in the [[Greater Antilles]].<ref name="mead"/> Throughout its range, the whale tends to avoid semi-enclosed bodies of water such as the Gulf of Mexico, the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence]], [[Hudson Bay]], the [[North Sea]], and the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref name="nmfs"/> It occurs predominantly in deep water, occurring most commonly over the [[continental shelf|continental slope]],<ref name="CETAP">
{{cite paper | author = CETAP | year = 1982 | title = Final Report of the Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program, University of Rhode Island, to Bureau of Land Management | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior. Ref. No. AA551-CT8–48}}</ref> in basins situated between banks,<ref name="sutcliffe">
{{cite book | author = Sutcliffe, W.H., Jr. | coauthors = P.F. Brodie | year = 1977 | chapter = Whale distributions in Nova Scotia waters | title = Fisheries & Marine Service Technical Report No. 722 }}</ref> or [[submarine canyon]] areas.<ref name="kenney87">
{{cite journal | author = Kenney, R.D. | coauthors = H.E. Winn | year = 1987 | title = Cetacean biomass densities near submarine canyons compared to adjacent shelf/slope areas | journal = Cont. Shelf Res. | volume = 7 | pages = 107–114 | doi = 10.1016/0278-4343(87)90073-2}}</ref>
In the North Pacific, it ranges from [[20th parallel north|20°N]]–[[23rd parallel north|23°N]] [[latitude]] in the winter, and from [[35th parallel north|35°N]]–[[50th parallel north|50°N]] latitude in the summer.<ref name="masaki76">
{{cite journal | author = Masaki, Y. | year = 1976 | title = Biological studies on the North Pacific sei whale | journal = Bull. Far Seas Fish. Res. Lab. | volume = 14 | pages = 1–104 }}</ref> Approximately 75% of the North Pacific population lives east of the [[International Date Line]],<ref name="horwood87"/> but there is little information regarding the North Pacific distribution. Two whales tagged in deep waters off [[California]] were later recaptured off [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]] and [[British Columbia]], revealing a possible link between these areas,<ref name="rice74">
{{cite book | author = Rice, D.W. | year = 1974 | chapter = Whales and whale research in the North Pacific | editor = Schervill, W.E. (ed.) | title = The Whale Problem: a status report | pages = 170–195 | publisher = Harvard University Press | location = Cambridge, MA | isbn= 0-674-95075-5}}</ref> but the lack of other tag recovery data makes these two cases inconclusive. In the [[Southern Hemisphere]], summer distribution based upon historic catch data is between 40–50°S latitude, while winter distribution is unknown.<ref name="mizroch84"/>
===Migration===
In general, the Sei Whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to temperate and subtropical waters for winter, where food is more abundant.<ref name="nmfs"/> In the northwest Atlantic, sightings and catch records suggest that the whale moves north along the shelf edge to arrive in the areas of [[Georges Bank]], [[Gulf of Maine|Northeast Channel]], and [[Gulf of Maine|Browns Bank]] by mid to late June. They are present off the south coast of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in August and September, and a southbound migration begins moving west and south along the [[Nova Scotia]]n shelf from mid-September to mid-November. Whales in the [[Labrador Sea]] as early as the first week of June may move farther northward to waters southwest of [[Greenland]] later in the summer.<ref name="mitchell and chapman">
{{cite journal | author = Mitchell, E. | coauthors = D.G. Chapman | year = 1977 | title = Preliminary assessment of stocks of northwest Atlantic sei whales (''Balaenoptera borealis'') | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 117–120 }}</ref> In the northeast Atlantic, the Sei Whale winters as far south as [[West Africa]] and follows the continental slope northward in spring. Large females lead the northward migration and reach the [[Denmark Strait]] earlier and more reliably than other sexes and classes, arriving in mid-July and remaining through mid-September. In some years, males and younger females remain at lower latitudes during the summer months.<ref name="martin83"/>
Despite knowing some general migration patterns, exact routes are not known<ref name="martin83"/> and scientists cannot readily predict exactly where groups will appear from one year to the next.<ref name="jonsgard and darling">
{{cite journal | author = Jonsgård, Å. | coauthors = K. Darling | year = 1977 | title = On the biology of the eastern North Atlantic sei whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 124–129 }}</ref> F.O. Kapel noted a correlation between appearances west of Greenland and the incursion of relatively warm waters from the [[North Atlantic Current|Irminger Current]] into that area.<ref name="kapel85">
{{cite journal | author = Kapel, F.O. | year =1985 | title = On the occurrence of sei whales (''Balenoptera borealis'') in West Greenland waters | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 35 | pages = 349–352}}</ref> Some evidence from tagging data indicates that individuals return off the coast of [[Iceland]] on an annual basis.<ref name="sigurjonsson83">
{{cite journal | author = Sigurjónsson, J. | year = 1983 | title = The cruise of the ''Ljósfari'' in the Denmark Strait (June–July 1981) and recent marking and sightings off Iceland | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 33 | pages =667–682}}</ref>
==Whaling==
{{Main|Whaling|History of whaling}}
[[Image:Whaling harpoon.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A whaling harpoon|Photo of harpoon in anchored harpoon gun]]
The development of explosive [[harpoon]]s and steam-powered whaling ships in the late nineteenth century brought previously unobtainable large whales within reach of commercial [[Whaling|whalers]]. Initially their speed and elusiveness,<ref name="sigurjónsson88">
{{cite journal | author = Sigurjónsson, J.|year = 1988 |title= Operational factors of the Icelandic large whale fishery | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = 38 |pages = 327–333}}</ref> and later the comparatively small yield of [[Whale oil|oil]] and meat partially protected them. Once stocks of more profitable [[right whale]]s, [[Blue Whale]]s, [[Fin Whale]]s, and [[Humpback Whale]]s became depleted, Sei Whales were hunted in earnest, particularly from 1950-1980.<ref name="mfr"/>
===North Atlantic===
In the North Atlantic between 1885 and 1984, 14,295 Sei Whales were taken.<ref name="horwood87"/> They were hunted in large numbers off the coast of [[Norway]] and [[Scotland]] beginning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,<ref name="jonsgard and darling"/> and in 1885 alone, more than 700 Sei Whales were killed off [[Finnmark|Finnmark, Norway]].<ref name="andrews16">
{{cite journal | author = Andrews, R.C.| year= 1916 | title= The sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson)| journal = Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. New Ser. | volume = 1 | number = 6 | pages = 291–388}}</ref> Their meat was a popular Norwegian food. The meat's value made the hunting of this difficult-to-catch species profitable in the early twentieth century.<ref>
{{cite book | author = Ingebrigtsen, A.| year = 1929 | chapter = Whales caught in the North Atlantic and other seas | title = Rapports et Procès-verbaux des réunions, Cons. Perm. Int. L’Explor. Mer, Vol. LVI| publisher = Høst & Fils | location = Copenhagen }}</ref>
In Iceland, a total of 2,574 whales were taken from the [[Hvalfjörður]] whaling station between 1948 and 1985. Since the late 1960s, early 1970s, the Sei Whale has been second only to the [[Fin Whale]] as the preferred target of Icelandic whalers, with meat in greater demand than [[whale oil]], the prior target.<ref name="sigurjónsson88"/>
Small numbers were taken off the [[Iberian Peninsula]], beginning in the 1920s by Spanish whalers,<ref name="aguilar and lens">
{{cite journal | author = Aguilar, A. | coauthors = and S. Lens | year = 1981 | title = Preliminary report on Spanish whaling operations | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = 31 | pages = 639–643}}</ref> off the [[Nova Scotia]]n shelf in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Canadian whalers,<ref name="mitchell and chapman"/> and off the coast of West Greenland from the 1920s to the 1950s by Norwegian and Danish whalers.<ref name="kapel85"/>
===North Pacific===
In the North Pacific, the total reported catch by commercial whalers was 72,215 between 1910 and 1975;<ref name="horwood87"/> the majority were taken after 1947.<ref name="barlow97">
{{cite paper | author = Barlow, J., K. A. Forney, P.S. Hill, R.L. Brownell, Jr., J.V. Carretta, D.P. DeMaster, F. Julian, M.S. Lowry, T. Ragen, and R.R. Reeves | year = 1997 | title = U.S. Pacific marine mammal stock assessments: 1996 | publisher = NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-SWFSC-248 | url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-248.PDF |format = PDF}}</ref> Shore stations in [[Japan]] and [[Korea]], processed 300–600 each year between 1911 and 1955. In 1959, the Japanese catch peaked at 1,340. Heavy exploitation in the North Pacific began in the early 1960s, with catches averaging 3,643 per year from 1963 to 1974 (total 43,719; annual range 1,280–6,053).<ref name="tillman77">
{{cite journal | author = Tillman, M.F.| year = 1977 | title = Estimates of population size for the North Pacific sei whale | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 98–106}}</ref> In 1971, after a decade of high catches, it became scarce in Japanese waters, ending commercial whaling in 1975.<ref name="mizroch84"/><ref name="CFWS42">
{{cite book | author = Committee for Whaling Statistics | year = 1942 | title =International whaling statistics | publisher = Committee for Whaling Statistics | location = Oslo}}</ref>
Off the coast of [[North America]], Sei Whales were hunted off [[British Columbia]] from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s, when the number of whales captured dropped to around 14 per year.<ref name="mfr"/> More than 2,000 were caught in British Columbia waters between 1962 and 1967.<ref name="pike69">
{{cite journal | author = Pike, G.C| coauthors = and I.B. MacAskie | year = 1969| title = Marine mammals of British Columbia| journal = Fish. Res. Bd. Canada Bull. | volume = 171}}</ref> Between 1957 and 1971, [[California]] shore stations processed 386 whales.<ref name="rice77"/> Commercial Sei whaling ended in the eastern North Pacific in 1971.
===Southern Hemisphere===
A total of 152,233 were taken in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] between 1910 and 1979.<ref name="horwood87"/> Whaling in [[Southern Ocean|southern oceans]] originally targeted [[Humpback Whale]]s. By 1913, this species became rare and the catch of [[Fin Whale|Fin]] and [[Blue Whale]]s began to increase. As these species likewise became scarce, Sei Whale catches increased rapidly in the late 1950s and early 1960s.<ref name="mizroch84"/> The catch peaked in 1964 at over 20,000 Sei Whales, but by 1976, this number had dropped to below 2,000 and commercial whaling for the species ended in 1977.<ref name="mfr"/>
===Post-protection whaling===
Since the moratorium on commercial whaling, some Sei Whales have been taken by [[Iceland]]ic and [[Japan]]ese whalers under the IWC's scientific research programme. Iceland carried out four years of scientific whaling between 1986 and 1989, killing up to 40 Sei Whales a year.<ref name="wwf-Iceland">
{{cite press release | publisher = WWF-International | title = WWF condemns Iceland’s announcement to resume whaling | date = 2003-08-07 | url = http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/arctic/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=8221 | accessdate = 2006-11-10 }}</ref>
Japanese scientists catch approximately 50 Sei Whales each year for this purpose. The research is conducted by the [[Institute of Cetacean Research]] (ICR) in [[Tokyo]], a privately funded, non-profit institution. The main focus of the research is to examine what Sei Whales eat and to assess the competition between whales and fisheries. Dr. Seiji Ohsumi, Director General of the ICR, said
:"It is estimated that whales consume 3 to 5 times the amount of marine resources as are caught for human consumption, so our whale research is providing valuable information required for improving the management of all our marine resources."<ref name="icr02a">
{{cite press release | publisher = The Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo, Japan | title = Japan not catching endangered whales | date = 2002-03-01 | url = http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/SEI.pdf |format=PDF| accessdate = 2006-11-10}}</ref>
He later added that
:"...Sei Whales are the second most abundant species of whale in the western North Pacific, with an estimated population of over 28,000 animals. [It is] clearly not endangered."<ref name="icr02b">
{{cite press release | publisher = The Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo, Japan | title = Japan's senior whale scientist responds to New York Times advertisement | date = 2002-05-20 | accessdate = 2006-11-10 | url=http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/NYTimes.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref>
Conservation groups such as the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|World Wildlife Fund]] dispute the value of this research, claiming that Sei Whales feed primarily on [[squid]] and [[plankton]] which are not hunted by humans, and only rarely on [[fish]]. They say that the program is
:"nothing more than a plan designed to keep the whaling fleet in business, and the need to use whales as the scapegoat for over-fishing by humans."<ref name="wwf05"/>
At the 2001 meeting of the IWC Scientific Committee, 32 scientists submitted a document expressing their belief that the Japanese program lacked scientific rigour and would not meet minimum standards of [[peer review|academic review]].<ref name="clapham02">
{{cite journal | author = Clapham, P. et al. | year = 2002 | title = Relevance of JARPN II to management, and a note on scientific standards. Report of the IWC Scientific Committee, Annex Q1 | journal = Journal of Cetacean Research and Management | issue = supplement | pages = 395–396 | volume = 4}}</ref>
In 2010, a Los Angeles restaurant confirmed to be serving Sei Whale meat was closed by its owners after prosecution by authorities for handling a protected species.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62J1A420100320
==Conservation status==
[[Image:International Whaling Commission members.svg|330px|thumb|Member states of the International Whaling Commission (in blue)|alt=World map showing that the U.S., China, India, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and most European and Latin American states are members, among others.]]
The Sei Whale did not have meaningful international protection until 1970 when the [[International Whaling Commission]] (IWC) first set catch quotas for the [[North Pacific]] for individual species. Before quotas there were no legal limits.<ref name="allen80">
{{cite book | author = Allen, K.R. | year = 1980 | title = Conservation and Management of Whales | publisher = Univ. of Washington Press | location = Seattle, WA }}</ref> Complete protection from commercial whaling in the North Pacific came in 1976.
Quotas on Sei Whales in the North Atlantic began in 1977. Southern hemisphere stocks were protected in 1979. Facing mounting evidence that several whale species were threatened with extinction, the IWC established a complete moratorium on commercial whaling beginning in 1986.<ref name="nmfs"/>
In the late 1970s, some "pirate" whaling took place in the eastern North Atlantic.<ref name="best92">
{{cite journal | author = Best, P.B. | year = 1992 | title = Catches of fin whales in the North Atlantic by the M.V. ''Sierra'' (and associated vessels) | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 42 | pages = 697–700 }}</ref> There is no direct evidence of illegal whaling in the North Pacific, although the acknowledged misreporting of whaling data by the [[Soviet Union]]<ref name="yablokov94">
{{cite journal | author = Yablokov, A.V. | year = 1994 | title = Validity of whaling data | doi=10.1038/367108a0 | journal = Nature | volume = 367 | pages = 108 }}</ref> means that catch data are not entirely reliable.
The species remained listed on the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] [[IUCN Red List|Red List of Threatened Species]] in 2000, categorized as "endangered".<ref name="iucn"/> [[Northern Hemisphere]] populations are listed as [[CITES]] Appendix II, indicating that they are not immediately threatened with extinction, but may become so if they are not listed. Populations in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] are listed as [[CITES]] Appendix I, indicating that they are threatened with extinction if trade is not halted.<ref name="adw"/>
The species is listed as endangered by the U.S. government [[National Marine Fisheries Service]] under the U.S. [[Endangered Species Act]].
==Population estimates==
The current population is estimated at 54,000, about one fifth of the pre-whaling population.<ref name="acs"/> A 1991 study in the North Atlantic estimated only 4,000.<ref name="braham92">
{{cite paper | author = Braham, H. | year = 1992 | title = Endangered whales: Status update | publisher = Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA}}</ref><ref name="blaylock95">
{{cite paper | author = Blaylock, R.A., J.W. Haim, L.J. Hansen, D.L. Palka, and G.T. Waring | year = 1995 | title = U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stock assessments | publisher = U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo NMFS-SEFSC-363}}</ref> Sei Whales were said to have been scarce in the 1960s and early 1970s off northern [[Norway]].<ref name="jonsgard74">
{{cite book| author= Jonsgård, Å. |year = 1974 |chapter = On whale exploitation in the eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean | pages = 97–107 | editors = W.E. Schevill (ed.)|title= The whale problem |publisher = Harvard University Press | location= Cambridge, MA}}</ref> One possible explanation for this disappearance is that the whales were [[Overexploitation|overexploited]].<ref name="jonsgard74"/> The drastic reduction in northeastern Atlantic [[copepod]] stocks during the late 1960s may be another culprit.<ref name="cattanach">
{{cite journal | author = Cattanach, K.L. |coauthors = J. Sigurjonsson, S.T. Buckland, and Th. Gunnlaugsson | year = 1993 | title = Sei whale abundance in the North Atlantic, estimated from NASS-87 and NASS-89 data | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 43 | pages = 315–321 }}</ref> Surveys in the [[Denmark Strait]] found 1,290 whales in 1987, and 1,590 whales in 1989.<ref name="cattanach"/> [[Nova Scotia]]'s population estimates are between 1,393 and 2,248, with a minimum of 870.<ref name="mitchell and chapman"/>
A 1977 study estimated [[Pacific Ocean]] totals of 9,110, based upon catch and CPUE data.<ref name="tillman77"/> Japanese interests claim this figure is outdated, and in 2002 claimed that the western North Pacific population was over 28,000,<ref name="icr02b"/> a figure not accepted by the scientific community.<ref name="wwf05"/> In [[California]] waters, there was only one confirmed and five possible sightings by 1991 to 1993 aerial and ship surveys,<ref name="hill92">
{{cite paper | author = Hill, P.S. and J. Barlow | year = 1992 | title = Report of a marine mammal survey of the California coast aboard the research vessel "MacArthur" July 28 - November 5, 1991. | publisher = U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-SWFSC-169 |url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-169.PDF | format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="carretta93">
{{cite paper | author = Carretta, J.V. and K.A. Forney | year = 1993 | title = Report of two aerial surveys for marine mammals in California coastal waters utilizing a NOAA DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft: March 9 - April 7, 1991 and February 8 - April 6, 1992 | publisher = U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-SWFSC-185 | url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-185.PDF | format = PDF}}</ref><ref name="carretta93"/><ref name="mangels94">
{{cite paper | author = Mangels, K.F. and T. Gerrodette | year = 1994 | title = Report of cetacean sightings during a marine mammal survey in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California aboard the NOAA ships "MacArthur" and "David Starr Jordan" July 28 - November 6, 1993 | publisher = U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-SWFSC-211 | url= http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-211.PDF | format = PDF}}</ref> and there were no confirmed sightings off [[Oregon]] and [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]]. Prior to commercial whaling the North Pacific hosted an estimated 42,000.<ref name="tillman77"/> By the end of whaling the population was down to between 7,260 and 12,620.<ref name="tillman77"/>
In the [[Southern Hemisphere]], population estimates range between 9,800 and 12,000, based upon catch history and CPUE.<ref name="braham92"/> The IWC estimated 9,718 whales based upon survey data between 1978 and 1988.<ref name="IWC96">
{{cite journal | author = IWC | year = 1996 | title = Report of the sub-committee on Southern Hemisphere baleen whales, Annex E | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 46 | pages = 117–131 }}</ref> Prior to commercial whaling, there were an estimated 65,000.<ref name="braham92"/>
==See also==
*[[List of whale species]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
====General references====
<div class="references-small">
*''National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World'', Reeves, Stewart, Clapham and Powell, 2002, ISBN 0-375-41141-0
*''Whales & Dolphins Guide to the Biology and Behaviour of Cetaceans'', Maurizio Wurtz and Nadia Repetto. ISBN 1-84037-043-2
*''Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals'', editors Perrin, Wursig and Thewissen, ISBN 0-12-551340-2
*''Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises'', Carwardine (1995, reprinted 2000), ISBN 978-0-7513-2781-6
</div>
==External links==
{{Commons category|Balaenoptera borealis}}
{{Wikispecies|Balaenoptera borealis}}
*[http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/seiwhale.htm US National Marine Fisheries Service Sei Whale web page]
*ARKive – [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Balaenoptera_borealis/ images and movies of the sei whale ''(Balaenoptera borealis)'']
*[http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/2475/all IUCN Redlist entry]
*[http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/cetaceans/about/sei_whale/ World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - species profile for the Sei Whale]
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New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{featured article}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Sei Whale <ref name=MSW3>
{{MSW3 Cetacea|id=14300014}}</ref>
| image = Balaenoptera_borealis_3.jpg
| image_caption = A Sei Whale feeding at the surface.
| image2 = Sei_whale_size.svg
| image2_caption = Size compared to an average human
| status = EN
| status_system = iucn3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn">
{{IUCN2008|assessors=Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N.|year=2008|id=2475|title=Balaenoptera borealis|downloaded=7 October 2008}}</ref>
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| ordo = [[Cetacea]]
| subordo = [[baleen whale|Mysticeti]]
| familia = [[rorqual|Balaenopteridae]]
| genus = ''[[Balaenoptera]]''
| species = '''''B. borealis'''''
| binomial = ''Balaenoptera borealis''
| binomial_authority = [[René Primevère Lesson|Lesson]], 1828
| range_map = Cetacea range map Sei Whale.PNG
| range_map_caption = Sei Whale range,
}}
The '''Sei Whale''' ({{pron-en|ˈseɪ}} or {{IPA-en|ˈsaɪ|}}), ''Balaenoptera borealis,'' is a [[baleen whale]], the third-largest [[rorqual]] after the [[Blue Whale]] and the [[Fin Whale]].<ref name="mfr">
{{cite journal | author= S.L. Perry | coauthors = D.P. DeMaster, and G.K. Silber | year = 1999 | title = Special Issue: The Great Whales: History and Status of Six Species Listed as Endangered Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 | journal = Marine Fisheries Review | volume = 61 | issue = 1 | url = http://spo.nwr.noaa.gov/mfr611/mfr611.htm | pages = 52–58}}</ref> It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep off-shore waters.<ref name="Gambell85a">
{{cite book | author = Gambell, R. | year = 1985 | chapter = Sei Whale 'Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson, 1828 | title = Handbook of Marine Mammals, Vol. 3 | editors = S.H. Ridgway and R. Harrison (eds) | publisher = Academic Press | location = London | pages = 155–170 }}</ref> It avoids [[Polar region|polar]] and [[tropics|tropical]] waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water. The Sei Whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to winter in [[temperateness|temperate]] and [[subtropics|subtropical]] waters.<ref name="nmfs"/>
Reaching {{m to ft|20}} long and weighing as much as {{convert|45|t}},<ref name="nmfs">
{{cite book | author = Reeves, R. | coauthors = G. Silber and M. Payne | title = Draft Recovery Plan for the Fin Whale ''Balaenoptera physalus'' and Sei Whale ''Balaenoptera borealis'' | publisher = National Marine Fisheries Service| year = 1998 | month = July | location = Silver Spring, Maryland | url = http://www.cresli.org/cresli/pdf%20documents/finwhale.pdf | format = PDF}}</ref> the Sei Whale daily consumes an average of {{kg to lb|900}} of food, primarily [[copepod]]s, [[krill]], and other [[zooplankton]].<ref name="adw">
{{cite web | author = Shefferly, N. | year = 1999 | title = Balaenoptera borealis | publisher = Animal Diversity Web | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Balaenoptera_borealis.html | accessdate = 2006-11-04}}</ref> It is among the fastest of all [[cetacea]]ns, and can reach speeds of up to {{convert|50|km/h|mph}}, 27 [[Knot (unit)|knots]]) over short distances.<ref name="adw"/> The whale's name comes from the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] word for [[pollock]], a fish that appears off the coast of [[Norway]] at the same time of the year as the Sei Whale.<ref name="acs">
{{cite web | url = http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/SeiBrydesWhales.htm | title = Sei Whale & Bryde's Whale ''Balaenoptera borealis'' & ''Balaenoptera edeni'' | publisher = American Cetacean Society | year = 2004 | month = March | accessdate = 2006-11-08 }}</ref>
Following large-scale [[whaling|commercial whaling]] during the late-nineteenth and late-twentieth centuries when over 238,000 whales were taken,<ref name="horwood87">
{{cite book | author = Horwood, J. | year = 1987 | title = The sei whale: population biology, ecology, and management | publisher = Croom Helm Ltd | location = Kent, England |isbn=0-7099-4786-0}}</ref> the Sei Whale is now internationally protected,<ref name="iucn"/> although limited hunting occurs under controversial research programmes conducted by [[Iceland]] and [[Japan]].<ref name="wwf05">
{{cite press release | publisher = WWF-International | title = Japanese Scientific Whaling: Irresponsible Science, Irresponsible Whaling | date = 2005-06-01 | url = http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/publications/index.cfm?uNewsID=13793 | accessdate = 2006-11-10}}</ref><ref>See [[Whaling in Japan]] and [[Whaling in Iceland]]</ref> As of 2006, its worldwide population was about 54,000, about a fifth of its pre-whaling population.<ref name="acs"/>
==Etymology==
The species was first officially described by French naturalist [[René Primevère Lesson]] in 1828, but an earlier description was given by [[Karl Rudolphi]] in 1822 [although he assumed it was a Minke Whale (''Balaenoptera acutorostrala'')] leading to occasional references to Sei's as '''Rudolphi's Rorqual'''.<ref name=allen>
{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=30YZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA234&dq=Balaenoptera+borealis&as_brr=1 | title=Whalebone Whales of New England | author = Glover Morrill Allen | year = 1916 | pages = 234 | volume = 8 | accessdate=2009-06-24 }}</ref> Additional names include '''Pollack Whale''', '''Coalfish Whale''', '''Sardine Whale''', or '''Japan Finner'''.<ref name="whalesonnet">
{{cite web | url=http://www.whales.org.au/discover/sei/seig.html | title=Sei Whales (''Balaenoptera borealis'') | publisher = Whales on the net | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Additionally, it has been referred to as the '''Lesser Fin Whale''' because it somewhat resembles the Fin whale.<ref name=allen/>
''Sei'' is the Norwegian word for [[pollock]], also referred to as coalfish, a close relative of codfish. Sei Whales appeared off the coast of [[Norway]] at the same time as the pollock, both coming to feed on the abundant [[plankton]].<ref name="acs"/> The specific name is the Latin word ''borealis'', meaning northern. In the Pacific, the whale has been called the Japan Finner; "finner" was a common term used to refer to rorquals. In Japanese the whale was called ''iwashi kujira'', or Sardine Whale, named for a fish that the whale has been observed to eat in the Pacific.<ref name="natlgeo1911">
{{cite journal | url = http://web.archive.org/web/www.edwardtbabinski.us/whales/shore_whaling_industry.html | journal = National Geographic Magazine | month = May | year = 1911 | title = Shore Whaling: A World Industry | author = Andrews, R.C. }}</ref>
==Taxonomy==
The Sei was classified as ''Balaena rostraia'', ''Balaena borealis'', ''Bataenoptera laticeps'', and ''Eulama physalus'' among others, before Lesson's alternative Balaenoptera borealis'' was formalized.<ref name=allen/>
Sei Whales are [[rorqual]]s (family Balaenopteridae), baleens that includes the [[Humpback Whale]], the [[Blue Whale]], [[Bryde's Whale]], the [[Fin Whale]], and the [[Minke Whale]]. Rorquals take their name from the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] word ''røyrkval'', meaning "furrow whale",<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.iberianature.com/trivia/etymology_mammals.htm | title = Etymology of mammal names | publisher = IberiaNature – Natural history facts and trivia | accessdate = 2006-12-07}}</ref> because family members have a series of longitudinal pleats or grooves below the mouth that continue along the body's underside. Balaenopteridae diverged from the other families of suborder [[baleen whale|Mysticeti]], also called the Whalebone Whales or Great Whales, as long ago as the middle [[Miocene]].<ref name="evolution">
{{cite book | url = http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gingeric/PDFfiles/PDG413_Whaleevol.pdf | format = PDF | title = McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology | year = 2004 | publisher = The McGraw Hill Companies | chapter = Whale Evolution | author = Gingerich, P.}}</ref> However, little is known about when members of the various families in the Mysticeti, including the Balaenopteridae, diverged from each other.
Two [[subspecies]] have been identified—the '''Northern Sei Whale''' (''Balaenoptera borealis borealis'') and '''Southern Sei Whale''' (''Balaenoptera borealis schleglii'').<ref name="ITIS">
{{ITIS | ID = 180526 | taxon = Balaenoptera borealis | year = 2006 | date = 10 November}}</ref> Their ranges do not overlap.
==Description==
The Sei Whale is the third-largest Balaenopteridae, after the [[Blue Whale]] (up to 180 tonnes, 200 tons) and the [[Fin Whale]] (up to 70 tonnes, 77 tons).<ref name="mfr"/> Mature adults typically measure between {{convert|12|-|15|m|ft}}<ref name="adw"/> and weigh {{convert|20|-|30|t}}. The Southern Sei Whale is larger than the Northern Sei Whale. Females are considerably larger than males.<ref name="nmfs"/> The largest known Sei Whale measured {{m to ft|20}},<ref name="adw"/> and weighed between {{convert|40|-|45|t}}. The largest specimens taken off [[Iceland]] were slightly longer than {{m to ft|16}}.<ref name="martin83">
{{cite journal | author = Martin, A.R. | year = 1983 | title = The sei whale off western Iceland. I. Size, distribution and abundance | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 33 | pages = 457–463 }}</ref> At birth, a calf typically measures {{convert|4|-|5|m|ft}} in length.<ref name="adw"/>
==Anatomy==
The whale's body is typically a dark steel grey with irregular light grey to white markings on the [[Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral|ventral]] surface, or towards the front of the lower body. The whale has a series of 32–60 [[pleat]]s or grooves along the bottom of the body that allow the throat area to expand greatly during feeding. The snout is pointed and the [[Fish anatomy#Types of fin|pectoral fins]] are relatively short, with at only 9%–10% of body length, and pointed at the tips.<ref name="acs"/> It has a single ridge extending from snout tip to the paired [[Blowhole (biology)|blowholes]] that are a distinctive characteristic of baleen whales.
The whale's skin is often marked by pits or wounds, which after healing become white scars. These are believed to be caused by [[Parasitism|ectoparasitic]] [[copepod]]s (''Penella'' spp.),<ref name="ivashin">
{{cite journal | author = Ivashin, M.V. | coauthors = Yu.P. Golubovsky | year = 1978 | title = On the cause of appearance of white scars on the body of whales | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 28 | pages = 199}}</ref> [[lamprey]]s (family Petromyzontidae),<ref name="rice77">
{{cite journal | author = Rice, D.W. | year = 1977 | title = Synopsis of biological data on the sei whale and Bryde's whale in the eastern North Pacific | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 92–97}}</ref> or possibly [[Cookiecutter shark|"cookie-cutter" sharks]] (''Isistius brasiliensis'').<ref name="shevchenko">
{{cite journal | author = Shevchenko, V.I. | year = 1977 | title = Application of white scars to the study of the location and migrations of sei whale populations in Area III of the Antarctic | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 130–134}}</ref> It has a tall, [[sickle]]-shaped [[dorsal fin]] that ranges in height from {{convert|25|-|61|cm|in}}, about two-thirds of the way back from the tip of the snout. Dorsal fin shape, [[pigment]]ation pattern, and scarring have been used to a limited extent in [[Wildlife photo-identification|photo-identification]] studies.<ref name="schilling">
{{cite journal | author = Schilling, M.R. | coauthors = I. Seipt, M.T. Weinrich, S.E. Frohock, A.E. Kuhlberg, and P.J. Clapham | year = 1992 | title = Behavior of individually identified sei whales ''Balaenoptera borealis'' during an episodic influx into the southern Gulf of Maine in 1986 | journal = Fish. Bull. | volume = 90 | pages = 749–755 |url=https://secure2.nni.com/whalecenter/pdfs/Sei_whales_FishBull92.pdf}}</ref> The tail is thick and the [[fluke]], or lobe, is relatively small in relation to the size of the whale's body.<ref name="acs"/>
[[Image:Baleen.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A close-up view of baleen plates. The plates are used to strain food from the water|alt=Photo displaying dozens of baleen plates. The plates face each other, and are evenly spaced at approximately {{Convert|0.25|in|cm|0}} intervals. The plates are attached to the jaw at the top, and have hairs at the bottom end.]]
Adults have 300–380 ashy-black baleen plates on each side of the mouth, each about {{cm to in|48}} long. Each plate is made of [[nail (anatomy)|fingernail]]-like [[keratin]] that frays out into whitish fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth near the [[tongue]].<ref name="adw"/> The Sei's very fine FUCKING baleen bristles, about {{Convert|0.1|mm|in|3}} are the most reliable characteristic that distinguishes it from other baleen whales.<ref name="mead">
{{cite journal | author = Mead, J.G. | year = 1977 | title = Records of sei and Bryde's whales from the Atlantic coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 113–116}}</ref>
The Sei Whale looks similar to other large baleen whales. The best way to distinguish between it and [[Bryde's Whale]], apart from differences in baleen plates, is by the presence of lateral ridges on the dorsal surface of the Bryde's Whale's head. Large individuals can be confused with [[Fin Whale]]s unless the Fin Whale's asymmetrical head coloration is clearly seen. The Fin Whale's lower jaw's right side is white, and the left side is grey. When viewed from the side, the upper edge of the Sei's head has a small arch between snout tip and eye, while the Fin Whale's profile is relatively flat.<ref name="nmfs"/>
==Life history==
Sei Whales usually travel alone<ref name="edds84">
{{cite journal | author = Edds, P.L. | coauthors = T.J. MacIntyre, and R. Naveen | year = 1984 | title = Notes on a sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson) sighted off Maryland | journal = Cetus | volume = 5 | number = 2 | pages = 4–5 }}</ref> or in groups of up to six individuals.<ref name="schilling"/> Larger groups may assemble at particularly abundant feeding grounds. Very little is known about their [[social structure]]. Males and females may bond, but this is uncertain.<ref name="mfr"/><ref name="imms">
{{cite web | url = http://www.dolphinsrus.com/factsheets/sei.pdf | format = PDF | title = The Sei Whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'') | publisher = The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies | accessdate = 2006-12-07 }}</ref>
The Sei Whale is among the fastest [[cetacea]]ns. It can reach speeds of up to {{convert|50|km/h|kn}} over short distances.<ref name="adw"/> However, it is not a remarkable diver, reaching relatively shallow depths for five to fifteen minutes. Between dives, the whale surfaces for a few minutes, remaining visible in clear, calm waters, with blows occurring at intervals of about 40–60 seconds. Unlike the Fin Whale, the Sei Whale tends not to rise high out of the water as it dives. The [[Blowhole (biology)|blowholes]] and dorsal fin are often exposed above the water surface simultaneously. The whale almost never extends its flukes above the surface, and it rarely [[Whale#Behavior|breaches]].<ref name="nmfs"/>
===Feeding===
[[Image:Krill swarm.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Krill]], shrimp-like marine invertebrate animals, are one of the Sei Whale's primary foods.|alt=Photo of krill in water]]
This rorqual is a [[filter feeder]], using its [[baleen|baleen plate]]s to obtain its food by opening its mouth, engulfing large amounts of the water containing the food, then straining the water out through the [[baleen]], trapping any food items inside its mouth.
The Sei Whale feeds near the surface of the ocean, swimming on its side through swarms of [[predation|prey]] to obtain its average of about {{kg to lb|900}} of food each day.<ref name="adw"/> Unusually for an animal of its size, for the most part, its preferred foods lie relatively low in the [[food chain]], including [[zooplankton]] and small fish. The whale's diet preferences has been determined from stomach analyses, direct observation of feeding behavior.,<ref name="watkins">
{{cite journal | author = Watkins, W.A.|coauthors = W.E. Schevill |year = 1979 |title= Aerial observations of feeding behavior in four baleen whales: ''Eubalaena glacialis'', ''Balaenoptera borealis'', ''Megaptera novaeangliae'', and ''Balaenoptera physalus'' |journal= J. Mamm.|volume= 60 |pages=155–163|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-2372%28197902%2960%3A1%3C155%3AAOOFBI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z | doi = 10.2307/1379766 |issue= 1}}</ref><ref name="weinrich">
{{cite journal | author = Weinrich, M.T.|coauthors = C.R. Belt, M.R. Schilling, and M. Marcy| year = 1986 |title= Behavior of sei whales in the southern Gulf of Maine, summer 1986 |journal = Whalewatcher |volume = 20|issue = 4|pages = 4–7 }}</ref> and analyzing [[feces|fecal matter]] collected near Sei Whales, which appears as a dilute brown cloud. The feces is collected in nets and DNA is separated, individually identified, and matched with known species.<ref name="NatGeo">
{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0206_020206_wirewhales.html | title = New Research Method May Ease Whale Killing | publisher = National Geographic News | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | date = February 6, 2002 | author = Darby, A.}}</ref> The whale competes for food against [[clupeidae|clupeid]] fish ([[herring]] and its relatives), [[basking shark]]s, and [[right whale]]s.
In the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]], it feeds primarily on [[Calanoida|calanoid copepods]], specifically ''Calanus finmarchicus'', with a secondary preference for [[krill|euphausiids (krill)]], in particular ''Meganyctiphanes norvegica'' and ''Thysanoessa inermis''.<ref name="mizroch84">{{cite journal | author = Mizroch, S.A. | coauthors = D.W. Rice and J.M. Breiwick | year = 1984 | title = The Sei Whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' | journal = Mar. Fish. Rev. | volume = 46 | number = 4 | pages = 25–29 }}</ref><ref name="christensen92">
{{cite journal |author = Christensen, I. |coauthors = T. Haug, and N. Øien |year= 1992 |title= A review of feeding and reproduction in large baleen whales (Mysticeti) and sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus in Norwegian and adjacent waters| journal= Fauna norvegica Series A |volume = 13 | pages=39–48}}</ref> In the [[Pacific Ocean|North Pacific]], it feeds on similar zooplankton, including the copepod species ''Calanus cristatus'', ''Calanus plumchrus'', and ''Calanus pacificus'', and euphausid species ''Euphausia pacifica'', ''Thysanoessa inermis'', ''Thysanoessa longipes'', and ''Thysanoessa spinifera''. In addition, it eats larger organisms, such as the [[Japanese Flying Squid]], ''Todarodes pacificus pacificus'',<ref name="tamura01">
{{cite paper | author = Tamura, T. | title = Competition for food in the Ocean: Man and other apical predators | publisher = Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, Reykjavik, Iceland, 1–4 October 2001 | date = October 2001 | url = http://www.fisherieswatch.org/docs/245.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2006-12-09}}</ref> and small fish, including members of the ''[[Engraulis]]'' (anchovies), ''[[Cololabis]]'' (sauries), ''[[South American pilchard|Sardinops]]'' (pilchards), and ''[[Trachurus]]'' (jack mackerels) genera.<ref name="mizroch84"/><ref name=<ref name="nemoto">
{{cite journal | author = Nemoto, T. | coauthors = and A. Kawamura |year = 1977 |title = Characteristics of food habits and distribution of baleen whales with special reference to the abundance of North Pacific sei and Bryde's whales | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = Spec. Iss. 1 |pages =80–87}}</ref> Some of these fish are commercially important. Off central [[California]], the whale may feed on [[anchovy|anchovies]] between June and August, and on [[krill]] (''Euphausia pacifica'') during September and October.<ref name="rice77"/> In the Southern Hemisphere, prey species include the copepods ''Calanus tonsus'', ''Calanus simillimus'', and ''Drepanopus pectinatus'' as well as the euphausids ''Euphausia superba'' and ''Euphausia vallentini''.<ref name="mizroch84"/>
===Reproduction===
[[Mating]] occurs in [[temperateness|temperate]], subtropical seas during the winter. [[Gestation]] is estimated to variously at 10 3/4 months,<ref name="lockyer and martin">
{{cite journal | author = Lockyer, C. |coauthors = and A.R. Martin | year = 1983 | title= The sei whale off western Iceland. II. Age, growth and reproduction | journal= Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = 33 | pages= 465–476}}</ref> 11 1/4 months,<ref name="lockyer77">
{{cite journal | author = Lockyer, C. | year = 1977 |title= Some estimates of growth in the sei whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 58–62}}</ref> or one year,<ref name="risting">
{{cite journal | author = Risting, S | year = 1928 |title = Whales and whale foetuses | journal = Rapp. Cons. Explor. Mer | volume = 50| pages = 1–122}}</ref> depending which model of [[fetus|foetal]] growth is used. The different estimates result from scientists' inability to observe an entire pregnancy; most reproductive data for baleen whales were obtained from animals caught by commercial whalers, which offers only a single snapshot of fetal growth. Researchers attempt to extrapolate conception dates by comparing fetus size and characteristics with newborns.
A newborn [[weaning|wean]]s from its mother at 6–9 months of age when it is {{convert|11|-|12|m|ft}} in length,<ref name="lockyer and martin"/> so weaning takes place at the summer or autumn feeding grounds. Females reproduce every 2–3 years,<ref name="lockyer and martin"/> with as many as six fetuses reported, but single births are far more common.<ref name="adw"/> The average age of [[sexual maturity]] of both [[sex]]es is 8–10 years,<ref name="lockyer and martin"/> at a length of around {{m to ft|12}} for males and {{m to ft|13}} for females.<ref name="acs"/> The whales can reach ages of up to 65 years.<ref name="wwf.com">{{cite web | url = http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/sei_whale/seiwhale_ecology_habitat/| date = 2007-06-18 | title = Sei whale - Ecology & Habitat | author = WWF | publisher = WWF Global Species Programme | accessdate = Jaunary 19, 2010}}</ref>
===Vocalizations===
{{See also|Whale song}}
The Sei Whale makes long, loud, low-frequency sounds. Relatively little is known about specific calls, but in 2003 observers noted Sei Whale calls in addition to sounds that could be described as "growls" or "whooshes" off the coast of the [[Antarctic Peninsula]].<ref name="mcdonald05">
{{cite journal | author = McDonald, M. | coauthors=Hildebrand, J., Wiggins, S., Thiele, D., Glasgow, D., and Moore, S. | title = Sei whale sounds recorded in the Antarctic | journal = The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America | month = December | year = 2005 | volume = 118 | issue = 6 | pages = 3941–3945 | url = http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=JASMAN000118000006003941000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes | doi = 10.1121/1.2130944}}</ref> Many calls consisted of multiple parts at different frequencies. This combination distinguishes the Sei Whale's call from those of other whales. Most calls lasted about a half second, and occurred in the 240–625 [[hertz]] range, well within the range of human hearing. The maximum volume of the vocal sequences is reported as 156 [[decibel]]s relative to 1 [[Pascal (unit)|micropascal (μPa)]] at a reference distance of one [[meter]].<ref name="mcdonald05"/> An observer situated one meter from a vocalizing whale would perceive a volume roughly equivalent to the volume of a jackhammer operating two meters away.<ref>Direct comparisons of sounds in water to sounds in air can be complicated, see [http://www.surtass-lfa-eis.com/Terms/index.htm this description] for more information.</ref>
==Range and migration==
[[Image:Faroe stamp 403 sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Drawing of a Sei Whale on a [[Faroe Islands|Faroese]] stamp, issued 17 September 2001]]
Sei Whales live in all oceans, although rarely in [[polar region|polar]] or [[tropics|tropical]] waters.<ref name="nmfs"/> The difficulty of distinguishing Sei Whales at seas from their close relatives, [[Bryde's Whale]]s and in some cases from [[Fin Whale]]s, creates confusion about their range and population, especially in warmer waters where Bryde's Whales are most common.
In the North Atlantic, its range extends from [[southern Europe]] or [[Northwest Africa|northwestern Africa]] to [[Norway]], and from the [[southern United States]] to [[Greenland]].<ref name="Gambell85a"/> The southernmost confirmed records are strandings along the northern [[Gulf of Mexico]] and in the [[Greater Antilles]].<ref name="mead"/> Throughout its range, the whale tends to avoid semi-enclosed bodies of water such as the Gulf of Mexico, the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence]], [[Hudson Bay]], the [[North Sea]], and the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref name="nmfs"/> It occurs predominantly in deep water, occurring most commonly over the [[continental shelf|continental slope]],<ref name="CETAP">
{{cite paper | author = CETAP | year = 1982 | title = Final Report of the Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program, University of Rhode Island, to Bureau of Land Management | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior. Ref. No. AA551-CT8–48}}</ref> in basins situated between banks,<ref name="sutcliffe">
{{cite book | author = Sutcliffe, W.H., Jr. | coauthors = P.F. Brodie | year = 1977 | chapter = Whale distributions in Nova Scotia waters | title = Fisheries & Marine Service Technical Report No. 722 }}</ref> or [[submarine canyon]] areas.<ref name="kenney87">
{{cite journal | author = Kenney, R.D. | coauthors = H.E. Winn | year = 1987 | title = Cetacean biomass densities near submarine canyons compared to adjacent shelf/slope areas | journal = Cont. Shelf Res. | volume = 7 | pages = 107–114 | doi = 10.1016/0278-4343(87)90073-2}}</ref>
In the North Pacific, it ranges from [[20th parallel north|20°N]]–[[23rd parallel north|23°N]] [[latitude]] in the winter, and from [[35th parallel north|35°N]]–[[50th parallel north|50°N]] latitude in the summer.<ref name="masaki76">
{{cite journal | author = Masaki, Y. | year = 1976 | title = Biological studies on the North Pacific sei whale | journal = Bull. Far Seas Fish. Res. Lab. | volume = 14 | pages = 1–104 }}</ref> Approximately 75% of the North Pacific population lives east of the [[International Date Line]],<ref name="horwood87"/> but there is little information regarding the North Pacific distribution. Two whales tagged in deep waters off [[California]] were later recaptured off [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]] and [[British Columbia]], revealing a possible link between these areas,<ref name="rice74">
{{cite book | author = Rice, D.W. | year = 1974 | chapter = Whales and whale research in the North Pacific | editor = Schervill, W.E. (ed.) | title = The Whale Problem: a status report | pages = 170–195 | publisher = Harvard University Press | location = Cambridge, MA | isbn= 0-674-95075-5}}</ref> but the lack of other tag recovery data makes these two cases inconclusive. In the [[Southern Hemisphere]], summer distribution based upon historic catch data is between 40–50°S latitude, while winter distribution is unknown.<ref name="mizroch84"/>
===Migration===
In general, the Sei Whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to temperate and subtropical waters for winter, where food is more abundant.<ref name="nmfs"/> In the northwest Atlantic, sightings and catch records suggest that the whale moves north along the shelf edge to arrive in the areas of [[Georges Bank]], [[Gulf of Maine|Northeast Channel]], and [[Gulf of Maine|Browns Bank]] by mid to late June. They are present off the south coast of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in August and September, and a southbound migration begins moving west and south along the [[Nova Scotia]]n shelf from mid-September to mid-November. Whales in the [[Labrador Sea]] as early as the first week of June may move farther northward to waters southwest of [[Greenland]] later in the summer.<ref name="mitchell and chapman">
{{cite journal | author = Mitchell, E. | coauthors = D.G. Chapman | year = 1977 | title = Preliminary assessment of stocks of northwest Atlantic sei whales (''Balaenoptera borealis'') | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 117–120 }}</ref> In the northeast Atlantic, the Sei Whale winters as far south as [[West Africa]] and follows the continental slope northward in spring. Large females lead the northward migration and reach the [[Denmark Strait]] earlier and more reliably than other sexes and classes, arriving in mid-July and remaining through mid-September. In some years, males and younger females remain at lower latitudes during the summer months.<ref name="martin83"/>
Despite knowing some general migration patterns, exact routes are not known<ref name="martin83"/> and scientists cannot readily predict exactly where groups will appear from one year to the next.<ref name="jonsgard and darling">
{{cite journal | author = Jonsgård, Å. | coauthors = K. Darling | year = 1977 | title = On the biology of the eastern North Atlantic sei whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 124–129 }}</ref> F.O. Kapel noted a correlation between appearances west of Greenland and the incursion of relatively warm waters from the [[North Atlantic Current|Irminger Current]] into that area.<ref name="kapel85">
{{cite journal | author = Kapel, F.O. | year =1985 | title = On the occurrence of sei whales (''Balenoptera borealis'') in West Greenland waters | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 35 | pages = 349–352}}</ref> Some evidence from tagging data indicates that individuals return off the coast of [[Iceland]] on an annual basis.<ref name="sigurjonsson83">
{{cite journal | author = Sigurjónsson, J. | year = 1983 | title = The cruise of the ''Ljósfari'' in the Denmark Strait (June–July 1981) and recent marking and sightings off Iceland | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 33 | pages =667–682}}</ref>
==Whaling==
{{Main|Whaling|History of whaling}}
[[Image:Whaling harpoon.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A whaling harpoon|Photo of harpoon in anchored harpoon gun]]
The development of explosive [[harpoon]]s and steam-powered whaling ships in the late nineteenth century brought previously unobtainable large whales within reach of commercial [[Whaling|whalers]]. Initially their speed and elusiveness,<ref name="sigurjónsson88">
{{cite journal | author = Sigurjónsson, J.|year = 1988 |title= Operational factors of the Icelandic large whale fishery | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = 38 |pages = 327–333}}</ref> and later the comparatively small yield of [[Whale oil|oil]] and meat partially protected them. Once stocks of more profitable [[right whale]]s, [[Blue Whale]]s, [[Fin Whale]]s, and [[Humpback Whale]]s became depleted, Sei Whales were hunted in earnest, particularly from 1950-1980.<ref name="mfr"/>
===North Atlantic===
In the North Atlantic between 1885 and 1984, 14,295 Sei Whales were taken.<ref name="horwood87"/> They were hunted in large numbers off the coast of [[Norway]] and [[Scotland]] beginning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,<ref name="jonsgard and darling"/> and in 1885 alone, more than 700 Sei Whales were killed off [[Finnmark|Finnmark, Norway]].<ref name="andrews16">
{{cite journal | author = Andrews, R.C.| year= 1916 | title= The sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'' Lesson)| journal = Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. New Ser. | volume = 1 | number = 6 | pages = 291–388}}</ref> Their meat was a popular Norwegian food. The meat's value made the hunting of this difficult-to-catch species profitable in the early twentieth century.<ref>
{{cite book | author = Ingebrigtsen, A.| year = 1929 | chapter = Whales caught in the North Atlantic and other seas | title = Rapports et Procès-verbaux des réunions, Cons. Perm. Int. L’Explor. Mer, Vol. LVI| publisher = Høst & Fils | location = Copenhagen }}</ref>
In Iceland, a total of 2,574 whales were taken from the [[Hvalfjörður]] whaling station between 1948 and 1985. Since the late 1960s, early 1970s, the Sei Whale has been second only to the [[Fin Whale]] as the preferred target of Icelandic whalers, with meat in greater demand than [[whale oil]], the prior target.<ref name="sigurjónsson88"/>
Small numbers were taken off the [[Iberian Peninsula]], beginning in the 1920s by Spanish whalers,<ref name="aguilar and lens">
{{cite journal | author = Aguilar, A. | coauthors = and S. Lens | year = 1981 | title = Preliminary report on Spanish whaling operations | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn |volume = 31 | pages = 639–643}}</ref> off the [[Nova Scotia]]n shelf in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Canadian whalers,<ref name="mitchell and chapman"/> and off the coast of West Greenland from the 1920s to the 1950s by Norwegian and Danish whalers.<ref name="kapel85"/>
===North Pacific===
In the North Pacific, the total reported catch by commercial whalers was 72,215 between 1910 and 1975;<ref name="horwood87"/> the majority were taken after 1947.<ref name="barlow97">
{{cite paper | author = Barlow, J., K. A. Forney, P.S. Hill, R.L. Brownell, Jr., J.V. Carretta, D.P. DeMaster, F. Julian, M.S. Lowry, T. Ragen, and R.R. Reeves | year = 1997 | title = U.S. Pacific marine mammal stock assessments: 1996 | publisher = NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-SWFSC-248 | url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-248.PDF |format = PDF}}</ref> Shore stations in [[Japan]] and [[Korea]], processed 300–600 each year between 1911 and 1955. In 1959, the Japanese catch peaked at 1,340. Heavy exploitation in the North Pacific began in the early 1960s, with catches averaging 3,643 per year from 1963 to 1974 (total 43,719; annual range 1,280–6,053).<ref name="tillman77">
{{cite journal | author = Tillman, M.F.| year = 1977 | title = Estimates of population size for the North Pacific sei whale | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = Spec. Iss. 1 | pages = 98–106}}</ref> In 1971, after a decade of high catches, it became scarce in Japanese waters, ending commercial whaling in 1975.<ref name="mizroch84"/><ref name="CFWS42">
{{cite book | author = Committee for Whaling Statistics | year = 1942 | title =International whaling statistics | publisher = Committee for Whaling Statistics | location = Oslo}}</ref>
Off the coast of [[North America]], Sei Whales were hunted off [[British Columbia]] from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s, when the number of whales captured dropped to around 14 per year.<ref name="mfr"/> More than 2,000 were caught in British Columbia waters between 1962 and 1967.<ref name="pike69">
{{cite journal | author = Pike, G.C| coauthors = and I.B. MacAskie | year = 1969| title = Marine mammals of British Columbia| journal = Fish. Res. Bd. Canada Bull. | volume = 171}}</ref> Between 1957 and 1971, [[California]] shore stations processed 386 whales.<ref name="rice77"/> Commercial Sei whaling ended in the eastern North Pacific in 1971.
===Southern Hemisphere===
A total of 152,233 were taken in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] between 1910 and 1979.<ref name="horwood87"/> Whaling in [[Southern Ocean|southern oceans]] originally targeted [[Humpback Whale]]s. By 1913, this species became rare and the catch of [[Fin Whale|Fin]] and [[Blue Whale]]s began to increase. As these species likewise became scarce, Sei Whale catches increased rapidly in the late 1950s and early 1960s.<ref name="mizroch84"/> The catch peaked in 1964 at over 20,000 Sei Whales, but by 1976, this number had dropped to below 2,000 and commercial whaling for the species ended in 1977.<ref name="mfr"/>
===Post-protection whaling===
Since the moratorium on commercial whaling, some Sei Whales have been taken by [[Iceland]]ic and [[Japan]]ese whalers under the IWC's scientific research programme. Iceland carried out four years of scientific whaling between 1986 and 1989, killing up to 40 Sei Whales a year.<ref name="wwf-Iceland">
{{cite press release | publisher = WWF-International | title = WWF condemns Iceland’s announcement to resume whaling | date = 2003-08-07 | url = http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/arctic/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=8221 | accessdate = 2006-11-10 }}</ref>
Japanese scientists catch approximately 50 Sei Whales each year for this purpose. The research is conducted by the [[Institute of Cetacean Research]] (ICR) in [[Tokyo]], a privately funded, non-profit institution. The main focus of the research is to examine what Sei Whales eat and to assess the competition between whales and fisheries. Dr. Seiji Ohsumi, Director General of the ICR, said
:"It is estimated that whales consume 3 to 5 times the amount of marine resources as are caught for human consumption, so our whale research is providing valuable information required for improving the management of all our marine resources."<ref name="icr02a">
{{cite press release | publisher = The Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo, Japan | title = Japan not catching endangered whales | date = 2002-03-01 | url = http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/SEI.pdf |format=PDF| accessdate = 2006-11-10}}</ref>
He later added that
:"...Sei Whales are the second most abundant species of whale in the western North Pacific, with an estimated population of over 28,000 animals. [It is] clearly not endangered."<ref name="icr02b">
{{cite press release | publisher = The Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo, Japan | title = Japan's senior whale scientist responds to New York Times advertisement | date = 2002-05-20 | accessdate = 2006-11-10 | url=http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/NYTimes.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref>
Conservation groups such as the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|World Wildlife Fund]] dispute the value of this research, claiming that Sei Whales feed primarily on [[squid]] and [[plankton]] which are not hunted by humans, and only rarely on [[fish]]. They say that the program is
:"nothing more than a plan designed to keep the whaling fleet in business, and the need to use whales as the scapegoat for over-fishing by humans."<ref name="wwf05"/>
At the 2001 meeting of the IWC Scientific Committee, 32 scientists submitted a document expressing their belief that the Japanese program lacked scientific rigour and would not meet minimum standards of [[peer review|academic review]].<ref name="clapham02">
{{cite journal | author = Clapham, P. et al. | year = 2002 | title = Relevance of JARPN II to management, and a note on scientific standards. Report of the IWC Scientific Committee, Annex Q1 | journal = Journal of Cetacean Research and Management | issue = supplement | pages = 395–396 | volume = 4}}</ref>
In 2010, a Los Angeles restaurant confirmed to be serving Sei Whale meat was closed by its owners after prosecution by authorities for handling a protected species.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62J1A420100320
==Conservation status==
[[Image:International Whaling Commission members.svg|330px|thumb|Member states of the International Whaling Commission (in blue)|alt=World map showing that the U.S., China, India, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and most European and Latin American states are members, among others.]]
The Sei Whale did not have meaningful international protection until 1970 when the [[International Whaling Commission]] (IWC) first set catch quotas for the [[North Pacific]] for individual species. Before quotas there were no legal limits.<ref name="allen80">
{{cite book | author = Allen, K.R. | year = 1980 | title = Conservation and Management of Whales | publisher = Univ. of Washington Press | location = Seattle, WA }}</ref> Complete protection from commercial whaling in the North Pacific came in 1976.
Quotas on Sei Whales in the North Atlantic began in 1977. Southern hemisphere stocks were protected in 1979. Facing mounting evidence that several whale species were threatened with extinction, the IWC established a complete moratorium on commercial whaling beginning in 1986.<ref name="nmfs"/>
In the late 1970s, some "pirate" whaling took place in the eastern North Atlantic.<ref name="best92">
{{cite journal | author = Best, P.B. | year = 1992 | title = Catches of fin whales in the North Atlantic by the M.V. ''Sierra'' (and associated vessels) | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 42 | pages = 697–700 }}</ref> There is no direct evidence of illegal whaling in the North Pacific, although the acknowledged misreporting of whaling data by the [[Soviet Union]]<ref name="yablokov94">
{{cite journal | author = Yablokov, A.V. | year = 1994 | title = Validity of whaling data | doi=10.1038/367108a0 | journal = Nature | volume = 367 | pages = 108 }}</ref> means that catch data are not entirely reliable.
The species remained listed on the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] [[IUCN Red List|Red List of Threatened Species]] in 2000, categorized as "endangered".<ref name="iucn"/> [[Northern Hemisphere]] populations are listed as [[CITES]] Appendix II, indicating that they are not immediately threatened with extinction, but may become so if they are not listed. Populations in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] are listed as [[CITES]] Appendix I, indicating that they are threatened with extinction if trade is not halted.<ref name="adw"/>
The species is listed as endangered by the U.S. government [[National Marine Fisheries Service]] under the U.S. [[Endangered Species Act]].
==Population estimates==
The current population is estimated at 54,000, about one fifth of the pre-whaling population.<ref name="acs"/> A 1991 study in the North Atlantic estimated only 4,000.<ref name="braham92">
{{cite paper | author = Braham, H. | year = 1992 | title = Endangered whales: Status update | publisher = Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA}}</ref><ref name="blaylock95">
{{cite paper | author = Blaylock, R.A., J.W. Haim, L.J. Hansen, D.L. Palka, and G.T. Waring | year = 1995 | title = U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stock assessments | publisher = U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo NMFS-SEFSC-363}}</ref> Sei Whales were said to have been scarce in the 1960s and early 1970s off northern [[Norway]].<ref name="jonsgard74">
{{cite book| author= Jonsgård, Å. |year = 1974 |chapter = On whale exploitation in the eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean | pages = 97–107 | editors = W.E. Schevill (ed.)|title= The whale problem |publisher = Harvard University Press | location= Cambridge, MA}}</ref> One possible explanation for this disappearance is that the whales were [[Overexploitation|overexploited]].<ref name="jonsgard74"/> The drastic reduction in northeastern Atlantic [[copepod]] stocks during the late 1960s may be another culprit.<ref name="cattanach">
{{cite journal | author = Cattanach, K.L. |coauthors = J. Sigurjonsson, S.T. Buckland, and Th. Gunnlaugsson | year = 1993 | title = Sei whale abundance in the North Atlantic, estimated from NASS-87 and NASS-89 data | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 43 | pages = 315–321 }}</ref> Surveys in the [[Denmark Strait]] found 1,290 whales in 1987, and 1,590 whales in 1989.<ref name="cattanach"/> [[Nova Scotia]]'s population estimates are between 1,393 and 2,248, with a minimum of 870.<ref name="mitchell and chapman"/>
A 1977 study estimated [[Pacific Ocean]] totals of 9,110, based upon catch and CPUE data.<ref name="tillman77"/> Japanese interests claim this figure is outdated, and in 2002 claimed that the western North Pacific population was over 28,000,<ref name="icr02b"/> a figure not accepted by the scientific community.<ref name="wwf05"/> In [[California]] waters, there was only one confirmed and five possible sightings by 1991 to 1993 aerial and ship surveys,<ref name="hill92">
{{cite paper | author = Hill, P.S. and J. Barlow | year = 1992 | title = Report of a marine mammal survey of the California coast aboard the research vessel "MacArthur" July 28 - November 5, 1991. | publisher = U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-SWFSC-169 |url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-169.PDF | format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="carretta93">
{{cite paper | author = Carretta, J.V. and K.A. Forney | year = 1993 | title = Report of two aerial surveys for marine mammals in California coastal waters utilizing a NOAA DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft: March 9 - April 7, 1991 and February 8 - April 6, 1992 | publisher = U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-SWFSC-185 | url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-185.PDF | format = PDF}}</ref><ref name="carretta93"/><ref name="mangels94">
{{cite paper | author = Mangels, K.F. and T. Gerrodette | year = 1994 | title = Report of cetacean sightings during a marine mammal survey in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California aboard the NOAA ships "MacArthur" and "David Starr Jordan" July 28 - November 6, 1993 | publisher = U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-SWFSC-211 | url= http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-211.PDF | format = PDF}}</ref> and there were no confirmed sightings off [[Oregon]] and [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]]. Prior to commercial whaling the North Pacific hosted an estimated 42,000.<ref name="tillman77"/> By the end of whaling the population was down to between 7,260 and 12,620.<ref name="tillman77"/>
In the [[Southern Hemisphere]], population estimates range between 9,800 and 12,000, based upon catch history and CPUE.<ref name="braham92"/> The IWC estimated 9,718 whales based upon survey data between 1978 and 1988.<ref name="IWC96">
{{cite journal | author = IWC | year = 1996 | title = Report of the sub-committee on Southern Hemisphere baleen whales, Annex E | journal = Rep. Int. Whal. Commn | volume = 46 | pages = 117–131 }}</ref> Prior to commercial whaling, there were an estimated 65,000.<ref name="braham92"/>
==See also==
*[[List of whale species]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
====General references====
<div class="references-small">
*''National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World'', Reeves, Stewart, Clapham and Powell, 2002, ISBN 0-375-41141-0
*''Whales & Dolphins Guide to the Biology and Behaviour of Cetaceans'', Maurizio Wurtz and Nadia Repetto. ISBN 1-84037-043-2
*''Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals'', editors Perrin, Wursig and Thewissen, ISBN 0-12-551340-2
*''Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises'', Carwardine (1995, reprinted 2000), ISBN 978-0-7513-2781-6
</div>
==External links==
{{Commons category|Balaenoptera borealis}}
{{Wikispecies|Balaenoptera borealis}}
*[http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/seiwhale.htm US National Marine Fisheries Service Sei Whale web page]
*ARKive – [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Balaenoptera_borealis/ images and movies of the sei whale ''(Balaenoptera borealis)'']
*[http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/2475/all IUCN Redlist entry]
*[http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/cetaceans/about/sei_whale/ World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - species profile for the Sei Whale]
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[[Category:Megafauna of Eurasia]]
[[Category:Megafauna of South America]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Pacific Ocean]]
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Whether or not the change was made through a Tor exit node (tor_exit_node ) | 0 |
Unix timestamp of change (timestamp ) | 1277229399 |