Long-term whale study to track endangered whales along Victoria's south west coast

A new Eastern Maar-led research program will track the eastern Southern Right Whale population off Victoria’s south west coast as the critically endangered species shows signs its recovery is slowing.

What happened: Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation has launched the Southern Right Koontapool research program across Eastern Maar Sea Country, combining Traditional Owner knowledge with science to monitor whale numbers, health, breeding and movements.

• The program will build on more than two decades of photo identification data to improve understanding of the eastern population, which has only about 300 whales remaining.

Gathering data: Sea Country manager Mandy Watson said the research would help identify the conservation and protective measures needed to support the species’ long-term recovery.

🗣️ “If we understand where whales are moving, whether the population is declining and how they're using important habitat, we're in a much better position to support conservation decisions,” she said.

• The research will also improve the understanding of various threats to the species such as climate change, offshore gas exploration and other environmental pressures.

Populations slowing down: Watson said recent research suggested the species' recovery had begun to stall, with changing ocean conditions potentially affecting breeding success.

🗣️ “We're not seeing our regular breeding females come back to Logan’s Beach as often, and that's really concerning,” Watson said.

• The project uses drones to photograph the distinctive white callosity patterns on each whale's head, allowing researchers to identify individuals without disturbing them and track their movements over time.