DATA ON FEEDING AND FOOD OBJECTS OF SOUTHERN MINKE WHALES

Presented research on feeding and the dietary structure by species of minke whales, conducted on board the whaling fleet Sovietskaya Ukraina during the 1982/83 - 1985/86 seasons. Whaling was conducted in all four seasons. There have been no noticeable increase of the population size of large whales over the years after the cessation of whaling. The role of a short and profitable from the energy point of view trophic chain «phytoplankton - krill - baleen whales», which is of main interest due to the potential meaning of its last link for the commercial exploitation, reduced significantly.