%0 Report %D 2020 %T Monitoring Population Dynamics of ‘Western’ Right Whales off Southern Australia 2018-2021 - Progress Report on activities for 2019 %A Joshua N. Smith %A Diana Jones %A Kenny Travouillon %A N. Kelly %A M C Double %A John Bannister %K aerial survey %K commercial whaling %K Southern right whale %X

Annual aerial surveys of Australia’s ‘western’ population of southern right whales have been conducted between Cape Leeuwin WA and Ceduna SA since 1993 to monitor recovery from commercial whaling. The latest Hub-funded survey extended for seven days in August 2019. Over 40 flying hours, 1111 right whales were sighted, including 425 calves, and 299 images were selected for computer-assisted ‘matching’ via the ARWPIC catalogue. The resulting population size estimate for ‘western’ Australian sub-population is 3164 whales. Estimates from 2018 and 2019 are the largest for the population since 1993 and are consistent with an increasing population trend of approximately 6% per year (based on counts of cow/calf pairs).

%8 16 Jun 2020 %G eng %0 Report %D 2020 %T Monitoring Population Dynamics of ‘Western’ Right Whales off Southern Australia 2018-2021 - Final Report on activities for 2019 %A Joshua N. Smith %A Diana Jones %A Kenny Travouillon %A N. Kelly %A M C Double %A John Bannister %K aerial survey %K John Bannister %K photo-identification %K population trend %K Southern right whale %X

Annual aerial surveys of Australia’s ‘western’ population of southern right whales have been conducted between Cape Leeuwin, WA, and Ceduna, SA, since 1993 to monitor recovery from commercial whaling. The latest Hub-funded survey extended for seven days in August 2019. In 40 flying hours, 1111 right whales were sighted, including 425 calves, and 299 images were selected for computer-assisted ‘matching’ via the ARWPIC catalogue. The resulting population size estimate for ‘western’ Australian sub-population is 3164 whales. Estimates from 2018 and 2019 are the largest for the population since 1993 and are consistent with an increasing population trend of approximately 6% per year (based on counts of cow/calf pairs). Considerable annual variation in whale numbers, and cycles in population growth, makes it difficult to detect reliable annual changes in abundance and supports a continued sampling frequency of annual surveys.

%G eng %0 Report %D 2019 %T Monitoring Population Dynamics of ‘Western’ Right Whales off Southern Australia 2018-2021 - Progress Report on activities for 2018 %A Diana Jones %A Kenny Travouillon %A M C Double %A Joshua N. Smith %K abundance %K aerial survey %K distribution %K Southern right whale %K trend analysis %X

Now endangered under the EPBC Act, unsustainable whaling during the 19th and 20th centuries reduced southern right whales to a few hundred animals. They now seem to be recovering slowly in most areas. Since 1993 annual aerial surveys between Cape Leeuwin (WA) and Ceduna (SA) have provided counts and photo-identification data for Australia’s south-western population aggregating close inshore during calving and nursing. To add to this long term dataset, an aerial survey between Cape Leeuwin to Ceduna, with an additional leg between Augusta and Perth up the west coast, was undertaken successfully between 18th and 27th August 2018. A total of 1095 animals were sighted including 381 calves (includes double counts). Counts comparable to previous years are 789 individuals of which 279 were cows accompanied by calves of the year. From 6005 photographic images obtained, 456 have been selected for computer -assisted ‘matching’ with those already available in the catalogue.

%8 6 Feb 2019 %G eng