Whale Flatulence Stuns Scientists "We got away from the bow of the ship very quickly ... it does stink," said Nick Gales, a research scientist from the Australian Antarctic Division. However, the episode did not detract from their mission, which was to collect DNA from whale dung and attach satellite tracking devices in the first research of its kind to track where the creatures go and what and how much they eat. -- via Quark Soup

If their mission is to collect whale poop, I don't think they have much call to be complaining about the smell of whale farts.