December 2004
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RECORD MINKE WHALE SIGHTINGSby Rhona Barr Every year, mysterious dwarf minke whales emerge from the depths to gather on the Great Barrier Reef. Where they come from, and why they congregate here year after year is unknown. The Minke Whale Project research team, led by Dr Alastair Birtles, meets with the minkes each year to piece together the evidence and to ensure that the swim-with-whale industry is positive for both whales and their watchers.
Now in its ninth consecutive year, the Minke Whale Project had its most successful field season to date. In the June-July period, the research team recorded the highest number of whale sightings so far. During the six weeks aboard the research and live-aboard dive vessel Undersea Explorer, between 216 and 238 dwarf minke whales were sighted by the team, with in-water interactions with about 150 whales. “Over the last nine years we have found that individual whales, which we can identify by their unique colour patterns, return to the same sites again and again. Although dwarf minke whales occur right around the southern oceans, this is the only place in the world that they are known to gather year after year,” Dr Birtles said. “We are still not sure why they come here, and information collected by the public could help to solve that mystery. One hypothesis is that the Great Barrier Reef is a courtship area, and the whales come here to mate,” he said. “This is one reason why it is critically important to manage the swim-with-whale tourism industry sustainably, and ensure that there are no negative impacts on the whales.” Highlights of the season included re-sightings of old friends, within and between seasons, and documentation of interesting behaviours, including courtship displays and cow and calf interactions. This season has also produced the highest data returns from the swim-with-whales industry, with 213 Whale Sighting Sheets completed by 12 dive vessels (day boats and liveaboards) and 689 completed Minke Whale Questionnaires from ‘swim-with-whales’ passengers. The research team are now analysing these data so that they can provide feedback to the industry and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority at a Post-Season Minke Industry, Research & Managers’ Workshop in December 2004. The project has just received a second year of funding from GBRMPA for analysing the whale sightings data and conducting two workshops. Members of the Minke Whale Project include Dr Alastair Birtles (Project Leader), Dr Peter Arnold (Museum of Tropical Queensland),Mr Matt Curnock (Research Officer), Professor Peter Valentine (Associate Professor, JCU School of TESAG), Mr Andy Dunstan (Undersea Explorer), Ms Susan Sobtzick (videographer & For more information visit the Minke Whale section in Discover the Reef or the minke whale tourism task page.
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