Victorians are being called on to help build our understanding of whales in our waters, by reporting their sightings as part of the Two Bays Whale Project.
Sightings of large whales in our bays and along Victoria’s open coast have become so regular in the winter months that it is now more of an expectation rather than a novelty to see a whale at this time of year.
Whale watchers on high coastal vantage points can now expect to catch a glimpse of humpback whales as they migrate along the coast. Southern right and killer whales may also occasionally be seen.
With a good set of binoculars, whale watchers should be looking for the characteristic "blow" to first pinpoint whales. Careful observations may permit behaviours and directions of movement to be noted. It can be very difficult, even for experienced observers to be sure about numbers but an estimate is helpful. Record date, time, numbers, location as well as you can pinpoint (eg. 500m SE of Cape Schanck), direction of travel and behaviours. Lodge sightings at www.dolphinresearch.org.au.
Understanding whale numbers and movements is critical to their management and protection. But it is a huge challenge, taking decades of piecing together snippets of data, to create a reliable understanding about the lives of these remarkable visitors in our waters.
This is where the Two Bays Whale Project has been making a difference since 2015 in a collaboration between the Dolphin Research Institute and Wildlife Coast Cruises, and many passionate citizen scientists.
According to the project’s co-founder and curator, David Donnelly, "The 2017 whale season broke all previous records with a total of 218 validated sightings of 4 whale species between May 15th and December 5th. In total the estimated number of individual whales was 458, which is a whopping 296 more whales than the 2016 season estimate!"
"Whether this is a case of more whales, more people looking or a combination of both is yet to be determined but one thing’s for sure, whales never fail to attract the attention of the public," said Donnelly.
Humpback whales are most likely passing through our waters on their northerly migration from Antarctica along the Eastern Australian Coast. Hunted to the edge of extinction during the industrial whaling era, humpback whales have made an impressive comeback, with eastern Australian numbers expected to reach around 33,000 individuals this year. This is quite remarkable when you consider the post whaling population estimate to be only 200 – 400 individuals.
Southern right whales come to our waters to mate and give birth. These animals are from the southeast Australian population with numbers estimated to be between just 250 and 300 individuals with no noticeable increase in population size since whaling ceased. This species is still classed as "threatened".
We invite people and organisations to report sightings and contribute images of whales to the project to help us understand more about these ocean giants in Victorian waters.
People are reminded to obey the whale watching guidelines for the safety of both whales and people. (200m vessels, 300m jetskis and 500m aircraft (including drones)).
For details of Two Bays, including the 2017 Report and to report sightings, go to: www.dolphinresearch.org.au and select "Report Sightings". The community is also urged to support the Dolphin Research Institute’s 2018 Appeal on the same website.
· David Donnelly (Two Bays Whale Project co-founder and curator): 0401 011 022
· Jeff Weir, DRI Executive Director (for access to imagery and information): 0419 356 388
Hunted to the edge of extinction during the industrial whaling era, humpback whales have made an impressive comeback, with eastern Australian numbers expected to reach around 33,000 individuals this year. This is quite remarkable when you consider the post whaling population estimate to be only 200 – 400 individuals. Unfortunately, the news is not so great for the southern right whale, with their southeast Australian numbers estimated to be between just 250 and 300 individuals with no noticeable increase in population size.
· Barwon Bluff
· Port Phillip Heads
· Cape Schanck
· The Nobbies,
· Pyramid Rock,
· Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island and
· the Bass Coast.
a. 200m for vessels
b. 300m for jetskis
c. 500m height for aircraft (including drones)
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