Photogrammetric Estimates of Allometry and Calf Production in Fin Whales, Balaenoptera physalus

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from a census area on the outer continental shelf of the United States were measured photogrammetrically from vertical-aerial photographs taken in 1979 and 1980. Equations of allometric growth were developed that allowed prediction of total length from other body proportions such as snout-to-blowhole, snout-to-flipper insertion, and fluke spread. Annual rates of reproduction (28–55%) and annual rates of calf production (4−7%) were estimated for this population of fin whales, indicating a potential increase in size of the population.