Data on incidental sightings of cetaceans reported to the Institute of Marine Research by letter or telephone, as well as information from newspapers, have been collected since 1967. From the late 1970s, data have also been obtained from research vessels, coast guard vessels, some fishing vessels and inspectors. These reports contain basic information on date, position and species, but also additional information such as group sizes. These sightings are not useful for assessing abundance, but might reveal distributional aspects. Most of the reports come from the northern areas (Barents Sea); this is clearly related to the distribution of the activities which form the basis for this kind of reporting.