50 years of spotting southern right whales off Great Australian Bight
From WA's capital to SA's far west coast, scientists have collated 50 years' worth of data on the southern right whale to track changes to breeding cycles.
A 50-year aerial tracking study off the Great Australian Bight has revealed significant changes in the breeding patterns of endangered southern right whales. The data shows a decline in cow-calf pairs, with nearly twice as many whales traveling solo compared to 2023. Long-term trends reveal that the calving cycle has extended from every three years to every five.
Researchers have been monitoring the whales' migratory patterns between Fremantle and Ceduna, and the latest census recorded 520 whales, including 235 cow-calf pairs. While the Bight still saw a significant gathering of mother-calf pairs, overall activity was unusually quiet, and the population appears to be stagnating rather than increasing.
Changes in water temperatures are impacting marine food webs and breeding patterns, with fewer sea lice leading to less krill available for the whales.
Brief written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
