Gentle giants: The southern right whale nursery in the midst of a marine park push off WA’s south coast

Southern right whales migrate to WA’s south coast to breed and raise their calves but a slight disturbance to their habitat could stop future generations of the recovering species from returning to the coast, researchers say. Australia’s South West population of southern right whales seek out three known major breeding grounds: Doubtful Island Bay east of Bremer Bay, Israelite Bay east of Esperance, and the Head of Bight in South Australia. The Doubtful Island Bay aggregation area is a 50km stretch including Point Ann, Point Charles and Trigelow Beach. Marine biologist Katy Fannei and University of WA masters student Max Fabry are conducting research into southern right whales in collaboration with the Little White Whale Project. The LWWP is a community-led non-for-profit organisation which aims to support southern right whale research in the region through long-term monitoring. The researchers conduct weekly plane and drone surveys of the whales across a 450km area from the Albany Wind Farm to Bremer Bay during the annual season from the end of May to October. Last year, 72 mother-calf pairs and 50 unaccompanied whales were spotted along the survey area. On Friday, The Advertiser was given the chance to see several mother-calf pairs interacting during a flight across Doubtful Island Bay towards the end of the breeding season. “Based on last year’s plane observations, 75 per cent of all sightings occurred in this area (Doubtful Island Bay) so it’s immensely important,” Ms Fannei said. “The majority of southern right whales that visit the coast around Albany are aggregating in the Doubtful Island Bay area, and the majority of them are mother-calf pairs. “Mothers and calves stay on the coast for about two months until the calves are ready for long-distance movement to the feeding grounds.” Southern right whales numbers are recovering after they were drastically slashed by whaling along the south coast. The whales got their names because they were the “right” ones for whalers to catch. By 1920, there were fewer than 300 southern right whales remaining in the southern hemisphere, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The WWF estimates the Australian population of southern right whales is now 3500. Ms Fannei said southern right whales were likely to return to the same locations along the coast each time they visited. She said any disturbance to the breeding zone could cause the whales to leave and seek other areas, which could affect their recovery. “When a calf is born and if it’s a female, when it’s ready to breed it will come back to the same location over its lifetime, research has shown,” she said. “That memory can even get passed on to the next generation. “These areas are typically characterised by very calm environments, close to shore, in shallow waters, sheltered from the winds, so the risk is if there are any disturbances in the aggregation areas it could cause the whales to leave the area. “This could happen for their lifetime and future generations as well, which might be the reason why we see a different distribution pattern now compared to what we had before whaling. “A lot of historical aggregation areas where whaling heavily took place are not populated to this day.” Ms Fannei said it was important to protect existing aggregation areas. “It’s really hard for them to establish a new aggregation area — it takes a long time, and if there is no suitable space available, it might impact their recovery,” she said. “While we are using the same space in the ocean as these animals, we have to be careful to not limit it for them, which is why it’s important to protect the current areas.” The Doubtful Island Bay breeding ground falls into the study area of the State Government’s proposed South Coast Marine Park. The study area stretches from Bremer Bay to the South Australian border, with an indicative boundary for the marine park to be developed through an ongoing consultation process. The park aims to protect marine biodiversity and cultural heritage while allowing for commercial and recreational fishing in appropriate zones. A draft management plan will be released for public consultation ahead of the finalisation of the park, which is scheduled for early 2024. Community consultation has been ongoing since last September, with the plan meeting with concern from the commercial fishing industry, which fears it could result in no-fishing zones. WA marine parks can feature four types of zones: general use, recreation, special purpose, and sanctuary. The latter zone type provides the highest level of protection for marine life, with all types of fishing and collecting banned. In June, WA Fishing Industry Council chief executive Darryl Hockey told the Advertiser commercial fishers wanted to know which areas were being considering for sanctuary zones so they could offer input, with local fishers concerned about a 30km-40km stretch from Bremer Bay running along the Fitzgerald National Park. Save our Marine Life — an alliance of 27 conservation groups working with coastal communities, recreational fishers and water users from across Australia — has been advocating for a balanced marine park on the south coast. “WA’s south coast is home to two of only three calving hotspots for southern right whales in Australia . . . making this spectacular region a very important area for this iconic species,” SOML’s Monique Barker said. “The creation of the South Coast Marine Park can help protect key nursery grounds of the endangered southern right whale while also providing an opportunity to boost nature-based tourism, and research opportunities for the region. “A well-designed marine park has enough sanctuary protection to ensure that part of the ecosystem can operate in its natural state, providing an insurance policy for the future. “A mix of other zoning types throughout the park can support a variety of uses including fishing, tourism, and recreational activities. “Creating a south coast marine park is an exciting opportunity to conserve and enhance the outstanding natural wonders of our south coast, while supporting culture, fishing, tourism and recreation opportunities, and sustainable ocean use for years to come.” While Ms Fannei surveys the 450km stretch of coastline from the air, Mr Fabry navigates the region’s rugged coastline using a four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the whales and conduct non-invasive drone surveys. The research team is able to identify the individual whales based on the unique callosities on their heads. Mr Fabry said using the drones, they could identify the whales, track their movements and see how they used the coastline. “We have confirmed what areas are really important and where the whales like to hang out for a long period of time,” he said. “We get to see their behaviour, we know where they relax, where they are breeding and where they are just travelling through. “While they are here, I personally think we have an obligation to look after them. They come right up to our coastline in very shallow areas where they are vulnerable to human impacts.” Mr Fabry said in areas where the whales came close to shore, they could be very sensitive to change. “Any changes could very easily lead them to vacate an area, and they have chosen these areas because they offer suitable conditions for raising their calves,” he said. “They are sheltered here, they are generally safe and undisturbed, and they are protected from the strong winds and other environmental conditions. Which means they overlap with areas that we also like to use as humans.” Earlier this year, the State Government launched a survey to understand how the community uses and values the ocean in the marine park study area. To take the survey, visit bit.ly/3Cd1rVd.