The Cape Byron Whale Research Project is coordinated by the Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre, and involves collaborations with a number of different organisations, including the University of Newcastle, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Marine Parks Authority, and Cape Byron Trust.

Background

Southern Hemisphere humpback whales divide their time annually between feeding grounds in Antarctica during summer and breeding and calving grounds in low latitude equatorial regions during winter. As a result they are often observed migrating between these two key habitats along continental coastlines. The whales that are observed migrating along the east Australian coast annually from their Antarctic feeding area to the breeding and calving grounds around the Great Barrier Reef are known as 'Group E' whales. Prior to commercial whaling this population was thought to number up to 40,000 individuals. However, over-harvesting by whaling operations led to the number of humpbacks in this population falling to perhaps as low as 104 individuals by 1968, by which time the species had been declared protected in the Southern Hemisphere (1963) (Bannister & Hedley 2001).

History of the Project

In 1978, Paul Hodda and a team from the Australian Whale Conservation Society commenced an annual whale count from Cape Byron, the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. This area is renowned for its high numbers of humpbacks passing close to the shore and was once the site of a major land-based commercial whaling station (1954-1962). The survey undertaken in 1981 produced counts of the number of humpback whales that passed the Cape on their northern migration over a two week survey period. This study was continued annually to monitor the recovery of the Group E population post-whaling, with results each year reporting increases in the number of whales observed.

In 1995 the Cape Byron Whale Research Project was started by David Paton, who was working at the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the project has since evolved from a purely land-based humpback whale survey to a multi-faceted research program that integrates diverse cetacean research techniques, such as surveying, genetics, and photo-identification. Acoustic surveys have also been included in some years, working in collaboration with Dr Mike Noad from the University of Queensland.

Traditionally the Cape Byron project was carried out annually over a two week period, generally the last week of June and the first week of July. The timing of this study coincided with the peak of the northward migration of humpback whales each year. In some years the survey has been expanded to survey for a longer time around the peak of the migration.

The project is now coordinated by the Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre and includes the following survey methods:

• Land-based surveys: Theodolite tracking of humpback whales
• Photo identification
• Sloughed skin collection
• Behavioural observations

Updated: 10 January 2011