This volume outlines the major findings from the Norwegian research programme on whales and seals in Norwegian waters. A wide range of topics are covered, including physiological aspects, social organization, population dynamics, stock assessment and management. The book will be of great value to scientists and managers, as well as to members of the general public interested in environmental issues.

Very few people can claim to know as much about whales and the seals as Pierre-Henry Fontaine. His secret lies in a boundless passion for these marine mammals. To understand this, it is necessary to imagine the author climbing inside the belly of a stranded Blue whale, to find and to show you his aorta. That he will do this is a reflection of his concern for marine mammals and educating the world about them that is so clearly seen in this work. This exciting new edition of a classic reference about marine mammals is enriched and expanded, presenting recent and new information, accompanied by many diagrams and illustrations. In addition to new information on whales, expanded chapters present the anatomy, physiology and the ecology of the pinnipeds, with expansive fact sheets of some species of seals and Walrus. This is a detailed picture of the lives and environments of whales and seals, including chapters on anatomy, adaptation to aquatic life, nutrition, migration, reproduction, and parasites and enemies. The interaction of man with these marine animals is also explored, as is their paleontology. New information and 678 color diagrams and illustrations help illuminate the lives of these mysterious animals. Fact sheets on Mysticetes, Odontocetes, and Pinnipeds, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography provide additional information essential to the study of whales and seals, leaving the reader more fully informed. With this book, all readers, from the curious to the scientist, will find much to further their knowledge of, and fire their passions for, these impressive denizens of the deep. Book jacket.

Whaling has become one of the most controversial environmental issues. It is not that all whale species are at the brink of extinction, but that whales have become important symbols to both pro- and anti-whaling factions and can easily be appropriated as the common heritage of humankind. This book, the first of its kind, is therefore not about whales and whaling per se but about how people communicate about whales and whaling. It contributes to a better understanding and discussion of controversial environmental issues: Why and how are issues selected? How is knowledge on these issues produced and distributed by organizations and activists? And why do affluent countries like Japan and Norway still support whaling, which is of insignificant economic importance? Basing his analysis on fieldwork in Japan and Norway and at the International Whaling Commission, the author argues how an image of a "superwhale" has been constructed and how this image has replaced meat and oil as the important whale commodity. He concludes that the whaling issue provides an arena where NGOs and authorities on each side can unite, swapping political legitimacy and building personal relations that can be useful on issues where relations are less harmonious.