On Quandamooka Sea Country (Moreton Bay), a team of multi-disciplinary scientists have captured unique footage that cements the popular bayside site's importance as a humpback whale nursing and resting area.
The team of Griffith University researchers have captured the first known underwater video footage of humpback whale calves nursing.
Footage was captured using suction camera tags which revealed frequent bouts of nursing in around half of the individuals tagged.
These findings build evidence surrounding the critical importance of the bay as a key nursery and rest area for humpbacks.
"To our knowledge, this is the first documented use of camera-equipped suction-cup tags on humpback whale calves in Australia, and one of few datasets globally that combines video, fine-scale movement, and acoustic data for humpback whale calves," Griffith University researcher and PhD Candidate Stephanie Stack said.
This sighting formed part of Ms Stack's doctoral research at Griffith University and contributed to Professor Susan Bengston Nash's ARC Linkage project 'Life in the Shipping Lane', which investigated humpback whale shipping disturbance risks on Quandamooka Sea Country.
Other related findings from the team's field work included consistently high numbers of mother-calf pairs across both 2024/25 seasons; several lone adult whales using the Bay; and groups that included multiple mother-calf pairs socialising together which was not previously documented for Moreton Bay.
"Across both seasons, we achieved 13 successful CATS camera tag deployments, with approximately half of these capturing nursing behaviour between mothers and calves," Ms Stack said.
"In total, we now have 35 hours and 37 minutes of fine-scale movement, acoustic, and video data focusing on humpback whale calves."
The study was performed as a collaboration between Griffith University and the University of Hawaii, in partnership with Quandamooka Traditional Owners and industry partners including Port of Brisbane, DHI, Stradbroke Flyer, and Healthy Land & Water.
Professor Bengston Nash said the project's findings were of direct relevance to planned State Government re-zoning of Moreton Bay.
"Our growing understanding of the critical role that the bay plays in the life-history of the whales warrants a holistic assessment of the true ecological, social, and cultural value of the bay so that these values are not degraded or lost in favour of short-term financial gain," said Professor Bengtson Nash.
"Both years, we observed high levels of recreational vessel traffic throughout the Bay, including in areas where whales were resting at the surface or in shallow waters, and often in direct transit zones for boats."
Professor Susan Bengston Nash
"We also documented multiple whales with propeller mark scars, underscoring the need for increased awareness and caution from boaters during the migration season."
