Whale watch update

Dear whale watchers,

Welcome to the 2019 whale watch season! 

As you can see, this year we have moved our sightings reporting to a new online tool. This user-friendly portal allows you to quickly report whale sightings on an interactive map and upload photographs in one click.

Images of Southern Right Whales submitted through the SWIFFT portal are used to support DELWP’s photo-identification research project. Identifying images will be included in the South-east Australian Southern Right Whale Photo-Identification Research Program, and sightings records will be added to the department's Victorian Biodiversity Atlas.

Over the past two years, citizen scientists have contributed two thirds of the southern right whale identifications collated by DELWP for this important research and we hope the online uploader makes it easier for more people to get involved.

We will post regular news updates on the whale season on this page.

To bring you up to date, below is a summary of the confirmed sightings received by DELWP so far this season:

• 5 May Portland 1 x SRW
• 6 May Cape Bridgewater 1 x SRW
• 22 May Cape Schanck 1 x HBW
• 29 May Logans Beach 1 x SRW (Tripod)
• 30 May Logans Beach 1 x SRW (Tripod)
• 31 May Logans Beach 1 x SRW (Tripod)
• 1 June Logans Beach 1 x SRW (Tripod)
• 1 June Logans Beach 3 x HBW
• 2 June Logans Beach 1 x SRW (Tripod)
•  8 June Cape Schanck 1 x HBW
• 9 June Port Fairy 1 x SRW
• 15 June Portland 2 x SRW
• 19 June Logans Beach 1 x SRW

SRW = Southern Right Whale

HBW = Humpback Whale

Tripod with calf pictured in 2011. Image: Mandy Watson

One of the regular breeding females from Logans Beach known as Tripod, was observed and photographed at Logans Beach between 29 May and 2 June. She appeared to be heavily pregnant, so we are expecting her to return with a calf any day. Female Southern Right Whales have a strong site fidelity for nursery grounds, generally returning to the same locations every 3 years to calve and nurse their young. Tripod was last recorded at Logans Beach with a calf in 2015. It is not known why Tripod failed to calve here in 2018, but it may be that she lost a pregnancy or did not conceive in 2017.

Mandy Watson
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Barwon South West Region