SPERM WHALE (Physeter macrocephalus): Western North Atlantic Stock

The distribution of the sperm whale in the U.S. EEZ occurs on the continental shelf edge, over the continental slope, and into mid-ocean regions (Figure 1). Waring et al. (1993) suggest that this offshore distribution is more commonly associated with the Gulf Stream edge and other features. However, the sperm whales that occur in the eastern U.S. EEZ likely represent only a fraction of the total stock. The nature of linkages of the U.S. habitat with those to the south, north, and offshore is unknown. Historical whaling records compiled by Schmidly (1981) suggested an offshore distribution off the southeast U.S., over the Blake Plateau, and into deep ocean. In the southeast Caribbean, both large and small adults, as well as calves and juveniles of different sizes are reported (Watkins et al. 1985). Whether the northwest Atlantic population is discrete from the northwestern or northeastern Atlantic is currently unresolved. There exists one tag return of a male tagged off Browns Bank (Nova Scotia) in 1966 and returned from Spain in 1973. In the U.S. EEZ waters, there appears to be