The sei whale has been heavily exploited in all areas where it is known to have been abundant. Original population numbers may have been approximately 190,000 in the Southern Hemisphere and 66,000 in the Northern Hemisphere. The status of stocks is poorly known except that some are now well below pre-exploitation level. The biology and ecology of sei whales has been poorly studied, compared to many other species of whale, and information of sei whale behavior, migrations and population is scarce.
 |
A dead sei whale.