Since 1939 Norwegian hunters of minke whales have been required by the government to keep detailed records of their catches. Arthur Bourne has recently studied these records for the FPS and has found a significant decline in the number of calves taken, which, together with other evidence, suggests a decrease in stocks. As a preliminary step to a study of the minke population the Norwegians started marking experiments in 1964 which are being continued. The minke whale has several names: Slijper calls it the lesser piked or minke; the Handbook of British Mammals the lesser rorqual or pike.