Carloads of Aussies flock to water's edge as ancient annual ritual begins
Excited locals have gathered at the docks of one of Australia's oldest cities to watch an ancient ritual, the annual migration of whales from Antarctica to warmer waters. Pictures taken this week show the first two southern right whales swimming past the Victorian town of Portland.
Photographer Anne McCurdy told Yahoo News there's a dedicated group of whale watchers who eagerly await the whales return in winter.
'It's always exciting to see them. Once word is out, people come out to see them, and the Lee Breakwater is full of cars and people,' she told Yahoo News.
'I received word around 3pm (on Wednesday) that they had been spotted close to town, and rushed down to the breakwater to hopefully get some pictures. They swam around the harbour for around half an hour before heading back out.'
The news also sparked excitement across social media, with close to 2,000 people reacting to Anne's post. "They're back," one person exclaimed. "Magnificent," "Woohoo!!!!," "Incredible," others said.
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Last year, a mother stayed in the Portland area for six weeks, finding sanctuary in the harbour after she give birth.
Locals were delighted by their presence in the area, but two centuries ago, a different fate would have awaited the mother and calf. Portland was home to the Gunditjmara people for thousands of years, but when Europeans settled in the area in the 1930s they were determined to exploit the region's natural resources, including the whales.
Southern right whales, like those seen this week were some of the most highly prized. Its common name was coined by sailors who deemed it the 'right' whale to hunt because of its high oil and meat content.
In the 1800s, the settlers hunted both migrating whales and mothers who stopped in the harbour to give birth. The industry was so lucrative that 5,000 tonnes of whale oil was exported between 1833 and 1843. But the boom was short-lived because nearly all the whales were killed, and between 1851 and 1868, just 12 were taken.
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Today, migrating whales are protected in Australian waters, and watching rather than harpooning them is big business.
But southern right whales are facing ongoing threats. There are concerns that the population recovery, observed since whaling was banned in the 1970s, has stalled. This is concerning for scientists who had believed that, unlike their northern cousins, the southern species was in good shape.
Research from the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), published in May, found there has been a substantial increase in numbers following the ban, but the population is still at 'far below the pre-whaling levels'.
'We were very concerned to find not only slowed growth in births in this population, but an actual halt and what looks like the onset of a decline,' lead author Anne Grundlehner said.
While the team don't yet understand what's behind the decline, they've noted climate change and other human impacts could be to blame.
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