Whale Research Boost For South West

A new company announced in Busselton today will spearhead more financial support for scientific research into the whale migration through Geographe Bay in Western Australia’s South West.

Geographe Marine Research, a non for profit company and a CSIRO Approved Research Institute, aims to attract corporate sponsorship and public donations to support targeted research projects.

Chair Frank Eckler said the company would also develop liaisons with other whale research groups in Australia and overseas.

Mr Eckler said it was imperative to have the statistics and scientific evidence to support improved habitat protection as whales moved along Western Australia’s coast.

“It’s also vitally important we become more proactive and professional in providing better support mechanisms for research,” he said.

Research monitoring has been held annually from a land base at Point Picquet in Geographe Bay since 2004 by trained local volunteers and small organisations.

Mr Eckler said new research technologies developed in recent years had become more complex and expensive, growing beyond the capability of volunteer groups to finance.

“That inability to raise adequate funding is a major barrier in benefiting from the research efforts made to date and enabling future scientific research,” Mr Eckler said.

Company director Chris Burton said local volunteers and researchers associated with Geographe Marine Research had spent about 20,000 hours since 2004 collecting and analysing observation data, together with photo and video identification.

Mr Burton has been a Director of Western Whale Research for 18 years, taking a lead role in organising local volunteer whale watchers, data collection and analysis.

“I’ve joined Geographe Marine Research from the beginning as I see the company as the way forward in harnessing resources to enable more studies and protection for whales along the A coast. A research team is already in place in Perth that it’s supporting,” Mr Burton said.

“Geographe Bay now has four baleen whale species passing through every year including Blue, Southern Right, Humpback and Minke whales during their southern migration season from July through to December.

“Our monitoring indicates whale numbers along our South West coast are recovering since whale hunting days. Humpbacks have risen from around 700 in 2005 to 3500 spotted last year. Blues and Southern Right numbers are variable, ranging from 100 to 300 for Blues and Geographe Marine Research Ltd a few Southern Rights in early monitoring years to around 30 in recent years. Minke whales are also passing through, but we are still assessing their numbers.”

Mr Burton said there were still many answers required about the migratory patterns of whales, the impact of climate change on their populations, movements and food sources in the coming years.

“Currently, for instance, there is an urgent need to study the implications of human interference on Southern Right whales, especially mother calf pairs, particularly in the Geographe Bay, Smiths Beach, Yallingup and Injidup areas,” Mr Burton said.

“In recent years Southern Rights have been migrating further north along our coast as far as Perth, with the mothers resting with their young in small bays en route. Unfortunately, their presence attracts recreational vessels that disturb them and they are forced to move on. Little is known about the impact this disturbance has on the survival rate of the young calves,” he said.

Geographe Marine Research has ATO Deductible Gift Recipient status. Public donations can be made via the company website at www.marineresearch.org.au

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