Central Coast whale watchers were treated to a rare sight last Thursday afternoon, August 17.
Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast (MWRCC) said a mother and calf Southern Right whale were spotted off Soldiers Beach, near Norah Head.
“National Parks and Wildlife Service had been tracking the pair since the calf was born, north of Coffs Harbour, on July 25,” spokesperson Ronny Ling said.
“They had previously visited Port Macquarie and Port Stephens on their journey south.
“MWRCC was able to obtain great footage of the whales to help authorities monitor the pair.
“The rare whales belong to a special population of Southern Right whale which is believed to number just 250.”
The pair continued to move south, thrilling crowds of people at Avoca, Copacabana, Macmasters Beach and Killcare on Friday, August 18.
“As these massive animals are shallow water experts, they entertained crowds from just 20m from shore,” Ling said.
“There was no need for binoculars (and) plenty of time to appreciate these wonderful leviathans.”
Ling said there is a 300m exclusion zone around all whales which have a calf present.
Spokesperson for ORRCA, the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, Jacqueline O’Neill, reminded residents to keep their distance should they encounter the pair to allow them to rest and continue their migration safely.
“The species is easily stressed and need ample rest,” she said.
“Southern Right whales are considered endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, with this adult being one of only six sighted in NSW waters this season.
“Her calf is only the second to be sighted this year.”
O’Neill said the mother whale had first been sighted off Bermagui on July 15 and has been frequently sighted since, with the first sighting of mother and calf together being on July 27 off Coffs Harbour.
“ORRCA members have been working with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to identify and track Southern Right whales off the NSW east coast as part of a NSW Government research project called Right Whale ID, which seeks to better understand the whales’ movements and improve protections for this threatened species, whose populations plummeted as a result of commercial whaling over 30 years ago,” she said.
“Southern Right whales migrate from Antarctica each year to breed and calve off the east coast from May to around October and will give birth in and around the coastal bays of NSW – unlike their Humpback counterparts who travel north to Queensland.
“Southern Right whales are a rare and special sight – we see so few of them each year, particularly with newborn calves.”
To report a Southern Right whale sighting, or to report an injured, stranded, or entangled marine mammal, contact the ORRCA Rescue Hotline on 9415 3333or Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast on 0478 439 965.
Some Southern Right whale facts:
Right whales were so named as they were the “right” whales to hunt.
They move slow, travel very close to shore, float when they are dead and have the highest oil yield of any whale.
They grow to around 16m and can weigh up to 80 ton.
Calves are around 4-5m when born and weigh up to 1 ton.
Gestation time is 12 months and mothers calve every 4-5 years.
Whaling of these animals continued until 1978 and they are now listed as endangered.
The whitish lumps on the whales head are called “callosities” and are as individual as human fingerprints.
Terry Collins