BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Common Minke Whale
| Scientific Name: | Balaenoptera acutorostrata |
|---|---|
| English Name: | Common Minke Whale |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S4?N |
| Date Status Assigned: | March 15, 2022 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 15, 2022 |
| Reasons: | Minke Whales are widely scattered at low densities along the entire BC coast in both inshore and offshore waters of BC. Threats include ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, acoustic disturbance, habitat degradation, and pollution; however, they don?t appear to be a significant cause of mortality. Data is insufficient to determine trends. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | >240,000 |
| Range Extent Comments: | The range extent in BC waters, based on a polygon encompassing recent sightings (Ford 2014), is >240,000 km2. Minke Whales are found in both inshore coastal waters and in outer coast waters (Ford 2014). Minke whales can be found in BC waters throughout the year but are most common between May and October (COSEWIC 2006). There appears to be a southward migration to warmer waters in winter, but the location of wintering grounds is unknown (Towers et al. 2013). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | It is difficult to determine area of occupancy for such a highly mobile species. |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Minke Whales are widely scattered at low densities along the entire BC coast in both inshore and offshore waters and it is not possible to determine the number of occurrences. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | U = Unknown |
| Percent Area with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Minke Whales occur in a variety of marine habitats in BC, including confined channels and passes, open waters of Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance, and in offshore waters beyond the continental shelf (Ford 2014). It is difficult to estimate the percent integrity of such diverse areas. |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Number of occurrences unknown. |
| Population Size: | BD = 50 - 2,500 individuals |
| Comments: | A series of line-transect vessel surveys off inner coast waters in 2004-2008 yielded an average abundance of 430 whales (CV = 0.25, 95% CL 250-712; Best et al. 2015). Assuming 38% are mature (Taylor et al. 2007), this yields 163 (98-270) mature animals. This is certainly an underestimate for BC waters as only inshore coastal waters were surveyed. Minke Whales also occur in nearshore waters off the west coasts of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii as well as in offshore waters (Ford 2014). Only 13 Minke Whale sightings were made during the coast-wide PRISMM survey in 2018, too few to generate an abundance estimate (Doniol-Valcroze et al. in press). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | D = Low |
| Comments: | Anthropogenic threats to Common Minke Whales are those common to most baleen whales: ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, acoustic disturbance, habitat degradation, and pollution. None of these appear to be a significant cause of mortality to Minke Whales in BC (COSEWIC 2006; Ford 2014). |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | There is no evidence upon which to base any assessment of short-term trend in abundance. The species was only rarely taken during the commercial whaling era in BC so, unlike other baleen whales, it was not depleted by this mortality source. |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | No information is available on long-term trend. |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | BC=Moderately vulnerable to not intrinsically vulnerable. |
| Comments: | Common Minke Whales mature at 6-7 years of age and females give birth annually following a 10 month gestation (COSEWIC 2006). This plus high pregnancy rates (COSEWIC 2006) suggest that this species has a greater reproductive potential than most other baleen whales. They are uncommon in inshore coastal waters and maybe vulnerable to increased predation due to increasing abundance of mammal-hunting Bigg?s (Transient) Killer Whales in recent decades (Ford et al. 2005, 2007; Towers et al. 2019). |
| Environmental Specificity: | C=Moderate. Generalist or community with some key requirements scarce. |
| Comments: | Minke Whales have a broader ecological niche than most other rorquals with the exception of Humpback Whales. In inshore waters they feed mostly on schooling fishes such as Pacific Herring and Pacific Sand Lance (Towers et al. 2019). In more offshore areas, they likely feed on krill as well as schooling fish (COSEWIC 2006). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Ford, J. |
| Date: | March 03, 2022 |
| References | |
| No references available | |
Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2022. Conservation Status Report: Balaenoptera acutorostrata. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Aug 25, 2026).