Southern right whale sightings in South Australia approached 200 individuals this season, with notable concentrations of females and calves at Head of Bight, Fowlers Bay and Encounter Bay. These numbers are the highest observed since 2016 and coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Great Australian Bight marine park, a primary calving ground. Whales migrate from sub-Antarctic foraging areas to the Australian coast between May and October for calving, nursing and mating. Long-term data show strong site fidelity, with some females returning for decades and producing multiple calves. Scientists also note ongoing concerns about a harmful algal bloom affecting marine life.
This week we recorded almost 200 whales across South Australia, with 70 females and calves at Head of Bight, nine females and calves at Fowlers Bay and four females with calves at Encounter Bay. These are record numbers observed since 2016, Charlton said. We were hoping for a bumper year, and we're really relieved that there's a lot of whales around. It's a good sign that they still are recovering and coming to our waters this is a good sign of hope.
The whales migrate from their sub-Antarctic foraging grounds to the Australian coast between May and October for calving, nursing and mating. The long-term data showed southern right whales often returned to the same places, Charlton said. This year, we know that there's a female here having a calf, that she might be as old as 50 or more, and she was first sighted with a calf in 1984. We have another female here having her 12th calf sighted at Head of Bight, she said.
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