BBC News | In graphics
Key species of endangered whale
Sei whale
The fast-swimming sei whale was heavily caught in the Antarctic in the 1960s, after the blue, fin and humpback stocks had been overexploited.
There are no agreed estimates of current numbers in the Antarctic. In 1989, the North Atlantic population was estimated at 10,500, and claims have been made for numbers ranging from 9,000-28,000 in the western North Pacific. Japan takes up to 100 sei whales annually under a scientific permit.
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