Dwarf Minke Whale Biology

MIGRATION

Like other baleen whales, the various populations of minke whales appear to migrate from high latitude feeding grounds in the summer to low latitude grounds in winter months. However, the detailed pattern of migration is still unclear and may be quite complex. In the northeast Pacific, for instance, it has been suggested that some minke whales are migratory while others form a resident population.

There is not enough evidence to plot migration patterns for dwarf minke whales. We know that dwarf minke whales occur broadly from Victoria to northern Queensland between March and October, with maximum sightings on the northern Great Barrier Reef in June and July.

Dwarf minke whales have also been reported between December and March in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic, with most sightings between 53-62°S. A sighting survey off Western Australia recorded dwarf minke whales well offshore (600-830km) between about 18-35°S in late November and early December. No dwarf minke whales were recorded in the same area during a repeat survey in late February and March.

Scattered sightings and strandings from southern Queensland and northern New South Wales early in the season (May-June) and late in the season (September) give hints of a migration along the east Australian coast but records are far too few to document movements of the whales. This underscores the importance of the data from our Whale Sighting Sheets which have been widely distributed to dive industry vessels and other regular Reef users.