Southern Right Whale

The waters of Flinders Bay are a nursery ground for this endangered species as mothers come to raise the next generation each year.

Recovering after many years of extensive whaling the Southern Right Whale population in Australia only numbers between three to four and thousand individuals. The good news is that the population is growing by about six percent every year with females having one precious calf every three to four years on average. The nursery grounds found in Flinders Bay, Augusta are a vital part of the future of this species and a fantastic location to meet these gentle giants.

Similar to the Humpback Whale migration, the Southern Right Whales will travel north during the winter before returning back south in the late spring to waters off Antarctica to feed during the summer months. Due to their immense size of 16-18 meters in length and 80 tons in weigh these impressive whales don’t need to migrate as far north when in search of suitable nursery grounds. Their blubber reserve is up to thirty centimetres thick so keeps them well insulated and not in need of tropical waters during the winter. Our research is to continue adding to our catalogue of the Southern Right Whales who visit Augusta each year and document the frequency of calf birthing rates amongst the female population to monitor their recovery.