Food consumption of the NE Atlantic minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) population estimated with a simulation model

Abstract

A physiologically-based simulation model was used to estimate the energy requirements and food consumption of the NE Atlantic minke whale population. The parameters used in the model are based on measurements of minke whales caught during the scientific whaling in 1988 and 1989, as well as values from the literature. The average daily energy requirements were 1.9 × 105 kcal for adult females and 1.4 × 105 for adult males. Assuming that minke whales acquire 90% of their yearly energy requirements during the summer, with a diet consisting of 50% crustaceans and 50% fish, the daily food consumption will be 277 kg for adult females and 204 kg for adult males. This implies that NE Atlantic minke whale population, estimated at 77 000, has a total food consumption of about 2.2 million tonnes during a feeding period of 5 months in the NE Atlantic Ocean.