Wild About Whales

Awe-inspiring wildlife experience at Coffs Harbour this week, watching Humpback whales cruise up the coast.  It's hard to describe the excitement of spotting our first group of whales just a few hundred metres off shore and the feeling of privilege to be sharing the ocean with these magnificent animals.  

The recovery of the Humpback whale has to be one of the most heart-warming of all conservation successes.  When the whaling industry collapsed in the 1960's, they were on the edge of extinction, with fewer than 200 individuals travelling up the East Coast of Australia. This season, around 18,000 individuals are expected to make the 5,000 km journey from Antarctica to the warmer waters off Queensland.

With numbers increasing by 8-10% each year, you're almost guaranteed to see whales throughout the season, from early June to September.

Southern Migration

Local aboriginal artist Jason Passfield has painted this remarkable picture for us - of humpback whales and other marine creatures migrating South.

According to Jason, the whale is regarded by coastal communities as the chief lawgiver and, as such, occupies an important place in their culture.

Return of the Humpback

When the whaling industry collapsed in the 1960's, there were fewer than 200 humpback whales migrating from Antarctica to the east coast of Australia.  This season has seen around 16,500 individuals making the journey.  That's an incredible conservation success!

Despite this huge increase in numbers, however, the species is still considered to be vulnerable. Threats include:

• continued hunting by Japan, Iceland and Norway, in contravention of the  global moratorium on commercial whaling;
• vessel strikes;
• entanglement in fishing nets;
• marine pollution; 
• noise pollution;
• depletion of prey species.

The Australian Government is offering to create the world's largest network of marine parks and sanctuaries, which should help to protect all ocean species, including the humpback whale.