In the North Atlantic the International Whaleing Commission (IWC) agrees the population is depleted to below 54% of its original level and should be protected. The latest (1995) unofficial estimate is around 60,000. Norway is currently catching around 300 minke whales a year in the North Atlantic under their objection to the IWC moratorium. The estimated Global population for Minke whale is between 610,000 and 1,284,000.