Minke Whales Found Dead Caught in Nets off the East Coast of Gyeongbuk

Minke whale found dead caught in a net / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Large whales, including mink whales caught and killed in nets, have been repeatedly found along the east coast of Gyeongbuk.

According to the Uljin Maritime Police Station on the 6th, a mink whale that appeared to have been dead for more than 10 days was found around 10:30 a.m. on the 5th about 15 km east of Changdae Port, Daebu-ri, Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongbuk.

The discovered mink whale measured 5.68 meters in length and 3.35 meters in girth, and it was revealed that the whale died after its tail got caught in a gillnet while the net was being hauled up.

Also, at around 5:52 a.m. on the same day, the trap fishing vessel H (9.77 tons), which was fishing about 15 km southeast of Jukbyeon Port in Uljin-gun, found a mink whale dead with its tail entangled in a net.

The whale was found with trap lines wrapped around its tail, and it was estimated to have been dead for about 20 days.

The maritime police issued a whale processing confirmation certificate as there were no signs of intentional capture such as harpoons, and the whales were sold through the Ganggu Fisheries Cooperative and Jukbyeon Fisheries Cooperative, respectively.

According to Uljin Maritime Police Station on the 5th, a minke whale was found dead entangled in a net off the coast of Uljin, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, mink whale carcasses caught and killed in nets were also found in front of Uljin on the 20th and 12th of last month. Then, on the 10th of last month, a bycaught endangered humpback whale measuring 8.50 meters in length and 4.80 meters in girth was found.

Within a month, five large whales caught and killed in nets have been recorded, but it is known that more than 300 whales die annually after being caught in set nets along the east coast of Gyeongbuk.

According to the National Institute of Fisheries Science Whale Research Center, the number of whales bycaught along the east coast of Gyeongbuk was 353 in 2016, 632 in 2017, 396 in 2018, and 347 last year.

Among them, mink whales, known as the "lottery of the sea," numbered 32 in 2016, 23 in 2017, 40 in 2018, and 32 last year, caught and killed in nets.

Mink whales have the largest population among baleen whales and were the main target of whaling, but whaling except for research has been restricted under whale protection agreements. They are found year-round along the east coast and are known to be most frequently found between winter and spring.

This is believed to be because the biomass of Nephrops norvegicus, the main prey of mink whales, is abundant along the coastal waters of Gyeongbuk's east coast.

A Whale Research Center official stated, "It cannot be said that whale bycatch is more frequent than usual," adding, "Mink whales get caught in nets as they move to coastal areas rich in food during the winter."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.