Latest news with #Meynecke
The Age
2 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Humpbacks are an Australian success story. They have two advantages that most whales don't
It is peak hour on the humpback highway off the east coast of Australia, a sign of one of the greatest conservation successes of the 20th century, but half of the world's great whale species are yet to recover from commercial whaling. During the 20th century, nearly 3 million whales were commercially harvested, driving many species to the brink of extinction. Some species have rebounded – humpback numbers on the east coast of Australia have grown from less than 100 in the 1960s to about 40,000 now. Yet many other species such as blue whales are not doing nearly as well. Of about 15 species of great whale, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists two as critically endangered, three as endangered, two as vulnerable and one as near threatened. Dr Olaf Meynecke, a research fellow at the Coastal and Marine Research Centre at Griffith University, said humpback whales have two advantages. 'Humpback whales can have a calf every year if the conditions are very good, but at least every two years,' Meynecke said. 'And humpback whales can switch between different prey – different fish species or krill. They also develop advanced social feeding strategies, sharing food amongst each other and information about it.' By contrast, Meynecke said, blue whales need to feed on krill most of the time to survive, and can only give birth every two to three years at maximum. Research last year from the Australian Antarctic Division suggested that blue whale populations may be starting to recover. The World Wide Fund for Nature on Wednesday released Blue Corridors, an interactive mapping tool to show the migratory routes and range of different species. The collaboration between WWF and more than 50 global research groups combines over 3.2 million kilometres of satellite tracking data from more than 1400 migratory whales, with information on overlapping threats and conservation solutions. Chris Johnson, the global lead of the WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative, said the animation collates all the data and plots it over a year to show how the whales move in both space and time. The map is launching with eight whale species, but there are plans to expand. Johnson said this would help the Australian government update its 'biologically important areas' – critical ocean areas that are key for various species – to inform how to reduce risks such as ship traffic or noise from the seismic surveys or construction of offshore oil, gas or wind projects. 'The aim is to make this transparent and open,' Johnson said. 'Right now when there's oil and gas exploration, the data is actually owned by the company doing the environmental impact statement, and you can only find very limited data online from seismic surveys, for example.' Minke whales and 'underwater microphones' In a separate development, while on his industry placement at Accenture, University of Sydney student Oscar Mower, 22, developed AI technology that can recognise the song of the minke whale. 'There are millions and millions of 'hydrophones', which are underwater microphones, and they're scattered around coastlines all around the world,' Mower said. 'They pick up the very diverse ocean soundscape, and essentially what this model does is it analyses these soundscapes and identifies minke whale vocalisations.' Mower said there was a lot of research on bigger whales, while not much was known about the migratory patterns of minke whales, but his techniques could be broadened out and applied to other species as well. Antarctic minke whales are listed by IUCN as near threatened. Johnson said there was scientific debate about whether they were a separate species to common minke whales, found in the northern Pacific.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Humpbacks are an Australian success story. They have two advantages that most whales don't
It is peak hour on the humpback highway off the east coast of Australia, a sign of one of the greatest conservation successes of the 20th century, but half of the world's great whale species are yet to recover from commercial whaling. During the 20th century, nearly 3 million whales were commercially harvested, driving many species to the brink of extinction. Some species have rebounded – humpback numbers on the east coast of Australia have grown from less than 100 in the 1960s to about 40,000 now. Yet many other species such as blue whales are not doing nearly as well. Of about 15 species of great whale, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists two as critically endangered, three as endangered, two as vulnerable and one as near threatened. Dr Olaf Meynecke, a research fellow at the Coastal and Marine Research Centre at Griffith University, said humpback whales have two advantages. 'Humpback whales can have a calf every year if the conditions are very good, but at least every two years,' Meynecke said. 'And humpback whales can switch between different prey – different fish species or krill. They also develop advanced social feeding strategies, sharing food amongst each other and information about it.' By contrast, Meynecke said, blue whales need to feed on krill most of the time to survive, and can only give birth every two to three years at maximum. Loading Research last year from the Australian Antarctic Division suggested that blue whale populations may be starting to recover. The World Wide Fund for Nature on Wednesday released Blue Corridors, an interactive mapping tool to show the migratory routes and range of different species. The collaboration between WWF and more than 50 global research groups combines over 3.2 million kilometres of satellite tracking data from more than 1400 migratory whales, with information on overlapping threats and conservation solutions. Chris Johnson, the global lead of the WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative, said the animation collates all the data and plots it over a year to show how the whales move in both space and time. The map is launching with eight whale species, but there are plans to expand. Johnson said this would help the Australian government update its 'biologically important areas' – critical ocean areas that are key for various species – to inform how to reduce risks such as ship traffic or noise from the seismic surveys or construction of offshore oil, gas or wind projects. 'The aim is to make this transparent and open,' Johnson said. 'Right now when there's oil and gas exploration, the data is actually owned by the company doing the environmental impact statement, and you can only find very limited data online from seismic surveys, for example.' Minke whales and 'underwater microphones' In a separate development, while on his industry placement at Accenture, University of Sydney student Oscar Mower, 22, developed AI technology that can recognise the song of the minke whale. 'There are millions and millions of 'hydrophones', which are underwater microphones, and they're scattered around coastlines all around the world,' Mower said. 'They pick up the very diverse ocean soundscape, and essentially what this model does is it analyses these soundscapes and identifies minke whale vocalisations.' Mower said there was a lot of research on bigger whales, while not much was known about the migratory patterns of minke whales, but his techniques could be broadened out and applied to other species as well. Antarctic minke whales are listed by IUCN as near threatened. Johnson said there was scientific debate about whether they were a separate species to common minke whales, found in the northern Pacific.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Humpbacks are an Australian success story. They have two advantages most whales don't
It is peak hour on the humpback highway off the east coast of Australia, a sign of one of the greatest conservation successes of the 20th century, but half of the world's great whale species are yet to recover from commercial whaling. During the 20th century, nearly 3 million whales were commercially harvested, driving many species to the brink of extinction. Some species have rebounded – humpback numbers on the east coast of Australia have grown from less than 100 in the 1960s to about 40,000 now. Yet many other species such as blue whales are not doing nearly as well. Of about 15 species of great whale, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists two as critically endangered, three as endangered, two as vulnerable and one as near threatened. Dr Olaf Meynecke, a research fellow at the Coastal and Marine Research Centre at Griffith University, said humpback whales have two advantages. 'Humpback whales can have a calf every year if the conditions are very good, but at least every two years,' Meynecke said. 'And humpback whales can switch between different prey – different fish species or krill. They also develop advanced social feeding strategies, sharing food amongst each other and information about it.' By contrast, Meynecke said, blue whales need to feed on krill most of the time to survive, and can only give birth every two to three years at maximum. Loading Research last year from the Australian Antarctic Division suggested that blue whale populations may be starting to recover. The World Wide Fund for Nature on Wednesday released Blue Corridors, an interactive mapping tool to show the migratory routes and range of different species. The collaboration between WWF and more than 50 global research groups combines over 3.2 million kilometres of satellite tracking data from more than 1400 migratory whales, with information on overlapping threats and conservation solutions. Chris Johnson, the global lead of the WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative, said the animation collates all the data and plots it over a year to show how the whales move in both space and time. The map is launching with eight whale species, but there are plans to expand. Johnson said this would help the Australian government update its 'biologically important areas' – critical ocean areas that are key for various species – to inform how to reduce risks such as ship traffic or noise from the seismic surveys or construction of offshore oil, gas or wind projects. 'The aim is to make this transparent and open,' Johnson said. 'Right now when there's oil and gas exploration, the data is actually owned by the company doing the environmental impact statement, and you can only find very limited data online from seismic surveys, for example.' Minke whales and 'underwater microphones' In a separate development, while on his industry placement at Accenture, University of Sydney student Oscar Mower, 22, developed AI technology that can recognise the song of the minke whale. 'There are millions and millions of 'hydrophones', which are underwater microphones, and they're scattered around coastlines all around the world,' Mower said. 'They pick up the very diverse ocean soundscape, and essentially what this model does is it analyses these soundscapes and identifies minke whale vocalisations.' Mower said there was a lot of research on bigger whales, while not much was known about the migratory patterns of minke whales, but his techniques could be broadened out and applied to other species as well. Antarctic minke whales are listed by IUCN as near threatened. Johnson said there was scientific debate about whether they were a separate species to common minke whales, found in the northern Pacific.
The Age
2 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Humpbacks are an Australian success story. They have two advantages most whales don't
It is peak hour on the humpback highway off the east coast of Australia, a sign of one of the greatest conservation successes of the 20th century, but half of the world's great whale species are yet to recover from commercial whaling. During the 20th century, nearly 3 million whales were commercially harvested, driving many species to the brink of extinction. Some species have rebounded – humpback numbers on the east coast of Australia have grown from less than 100 in the 1960s to about 40,000 now. Yet many other species such as blue whales are not doing nearly as well. Of about 15 species of great whale, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists two as critically endangered, three as endangered, two as vulnerable and one as near threatened. Dr Olaf Meynecke, a research fellow at the Coastal and Marine Research Centre at Griffith University, said humpback whales have two advantages. 'Humpback whales can have a calf every year if the conditions are very good, but at least every two years,' Meynecke said. 'And humpback whales can switch between different prey – different fish species or krill. They also develop advanced social feeding strategies, sharing food amongst each other and information about it.' By contrast, Meynecke said, blue whales need to feed on krill most of the time to survive, and can only give birth every two to three years at maximum. Loading Research last year from the Australian Antarctic Division suggested that blue whale populations may be starting to recover. The World Wide Fund for Nature on Wednesday released Blue Corridors, an interactive mapping tool to show the migratory routes and range of different species. The collaboration between WWF and more than 50 global research groups combines over 3.2 million kilometres of satellite tracking data from more than 1400 migratory whales, with information on overlapping threats and conservation solutions. Chris Johnson, the global lead of the WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative, said the animation collates all the data and plots it over a year to show how the whales move in both space and time. The map is launching with eight whale species, but there are plans to expand. Johnson said this would help the Australian government update its 'biologically important areas' – critical ocean areas that are key for various species – to inform how to reduce risks such as ship traffic or noise from the seismic surveys or construction of offshore oil, gas or wind projects. 'The aim is to make this transparent and open,' Johnson said. 'Right now when there's oil and gas exploration, the data is actually owned by the company doing the environmental impact statement, and you can only find very limited data online from seismic surveys, for example.' Minke whales and 'underwater microphones' In a separate development, while on his industry placement at Accenture, University of Sydney student Oscar Mower, 22, developed AI technology that can recognise the song of the minke whale. 'There are millions and millions of 'hydrophones', which are underwater microphones, and they're scattered around coastlines all around the world,' Mower said. 'They pick up the very diverse ocean soundscape, and essentially what this model does is it analyses these soundscapes and identifies minke whale vocalisations.' Mower said there was a lot of research on bigger whales, while not much was known about the migratory patterns of minke whales, but his techniques could be broadened out and applied to other species as well. Antarctic minke whales are listed by IUCN as near threatened. Johnson said there was scientific debate about whether they were a separate species to common minke whales, found in the northern Pacific.
The Advertiser
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Advertiser
Young humpbacks exposed to danger with shifting births
Every year, thousands of humpback whales journey up Australia's coast to sub-tropical waters for calving. But researchers say an increasing number appear to be giving birth in colder southern waters in what could expose youngsters to more risks. A recent UNSW-led study has documented humpback calves being found more than 1500km further south than their assumed birth zone. Lead author Jane McPhee-Frew was working as a skipper on a whale-watching boat in Newcastle in 2023 when she spotted a new calf. The sighting piqued her interest, sparking a citizen science project that accumulated 200 calf sightings. They received reports from the bottom of Tasmania, the southernmost part of WA and New Zealand's south island. Ms McPhee-Frew said the observations suggested humpbacks might have more complex behaviour than previously thought and much could still be learned about their migration. Calving in cooler waters had been documented in first-hand evidence and whaling log books from the early 20th and 19th centuries, she said. The recent data could be observations of an existing behaviour made more visible as the species' numbers recovered from the bring of extinction, Ms McPhee-Frew added. Griffith University marine scientist Olaf Meynecke said the number of calves seen in cooler waters was definitely trending upwards. "The number of calves in the last few years just on the Gold Coast ... we have just not seen those numbers, say 10 years ago," he said. Some humpbacks' migratory habits were also shifting and they were not going all the way to their usual Great Barrier Reef end point. "What we do see is an earlier (migration), likely to do with an earlier sea ice melt in the Antarctic and (faster) warming in Antarctica," Dr Meynecke said. "(We've also seen) more intense feeding outside the traditional feeding grounds, just in Australian waters around Victoria, Tasmania and the southeast coast of NSW." Calving further south could be in response to changes in food availability, creating a strategy among females to avoid competition in northern feeding grounds, Dr Meynecke said. "We don't know how much further north mothers migrate with their newborn calves and what effect this has on the newborn," he said. Calves born at more southerly locations might traverse extra kilometres off Australia's coasts, exposing them to greater risk of entanglement or boat collisions. "The pattern we're seeing is mother whales with calves travelling through some of the busiest shipping lanes and urbanised regions," Ms McPhee-Frew said. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service's Adelaide Dedden said boat users needed to be aware of migrating calves. "People need to be aware that calves are being seen not just on the southern migration but also on the northern one," she said. Every year, thousands of humpback whales journey up Australia's coast to sub-tropical waters for calving. But researchers say an increasing number appear to be giving birth in colder southern waters in what could expose youngsters to more risks. A recent UNSW-led study has documented humpback calves being found more than 1500km further south than their assumed birth zone. Lead author Jane McPhee-Frew was working as a skipper on a whale-watching boat in Newcastle in 2023 when she spotted a new calf. The sighting piqued her interest, sparking a citizen science project that accumulated 200 calf sightings. They received reports from the bottom of Tasmania, the southernmost part of WA and New Zealand's south island. Ms McPhee-Frew said the observations suggested humpbacks might have more complex behaviour than previously thought and much could still be learned about their migration. Calving in cooler waters had been documented in first-hand evidence and whaling log books from the early 20th and 19th centuries, she said. The recent data could be observations of an existing behaviour made more visible as the species' numbers recovered from the bring of extinction, Ms McPhee-Frew added. Griffith University marine scientist Olaf Meynecke said the number of calves seen in cooler waters was definitely trending upwards. "The number of calves in the last few years just on the Gold Coast ... we have just not seen those numbers, say 10 years ago," he said. Some humpbacks' migratory habits were also shifting and they were not going all the way to their usual Great Barrier Reef end point. "What we do see is an earlier (migration), likely to do with an earlier sea ice melt in the Antarctic and (faster) warming in Antarctica," Dr Meynecke said. "(We've also seen) more intense feeding outside the traditional feeding grounds, just in Australian waters around Victoria, Tasmania and the southeast coast of NSW." Calving further south could be in response to changes in food availability, creating a strategy among females to avoid competition in northern feeding grounds, Dr Meynecke said. "We don't know how much further north mothers migrate with their newborn calves and what effect this has on the newborn," he said. Calves born at more southerly locations might traverse extra kilometres off Australia's coasts, exposing them to greater risk of entanglement or boat collisions. "The pattern we're seeing is mother whales with calves travelling through some of the busiest shipping lanes and urbanised regions," Ms McPhee-Frew said. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service's Adelaide Dedden said boat users needed to be aware of migrating calves. "People need to be aware that calves are being seen not just on the southern migration but also on the northern one," she said. Every year, thousands of humpback whales journey up Australia's coast to sub-tropical waters for calving. But researchers say an increasing number appear to be giving birth in colder southern waters in what could expose youngsters to more risks. A recent UNSW-led study has documented humpback calves being found more than 1500km further south than their assumed birth zone. Lead author Jane McPhee-Frew was working as a skipper on a whale-watching boat in Newcastle in 2023 when she spotted a new calf. The sighting piqued her interest, sparking a citizen science project that accumulated 200 calf sightings. They received reports from the bottom of Tasmania, the southernmost part of WA and New Zealand's south island. Ms McPhee-Frew said the observations suggested humpbacks might have more complex behaviour than previously thought and much could still be learned about their migration. Calving in cooler waters had been documented in first-hand evidence and whaling log books from the early 20th and 19th centuries, she said. The recent data could be observations of an existing behaviour made more visible as the species' numbers recovered from the bring of extinction, Ms McPhee-Frew added. Griffith University marine scientist Olaf Meynecke said the number of calves seen in cooler waters was definitely trending upwards. "The number of calves in the last few years just on the Gold Coast ... we have just not seen those numbers, say 10 years ago," he said. Some humpbacks' migratory habits were also shifting and they were not going all the way to their usual Great Barrier Reef end point. "What we do see is an earlier (migration), likely to do with an earlier sea ice melt in the Antarctic and (faster) warming in Antarctica," Dr Meynecke said. "(We've also seen) more intense feeding outside the traditional feeding grounds, just in Australian waters around Victoria, Tasmania and the southeast coast of NSW." Calving further south could be in response to changes in food availability, creating a strategy among females to avoid competition in northern feeding grounds, Dr Meynecke said. "We don't know how much further north mothers migrate with their newborn calves and what effect this has on the newborn," he said. Calves born at more southerly locations might traverse extra kilometres off Australia's coasts, exposing them to greater risk of entanglement or boat collisions. "The pattern we're seeing is mother whales with calves travelling through some of the busiest shipping lanes and urbanised regions," Ms McPhee-Frew said. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service's Adelaide Dedden said boat users needed to be aware of migrating calves. "People need to be aware that calves are being seen not just on the southern migration but also on the northern one," she said. Every year, thousands of humpback whales journey up Australia's coast to sub-tropical waters for calving. But researchers say an increasing number appear to be giving birth in colder southern waters in what could expose youngsters to more risks. A recent UNSW-led study has documented humpback calves being found more than 1500km further south than their assumed birth zone. Lead author Jane McPhee-Frew was working as a skipper on a whale-watching boat in Newcastle in 2023 when she spotted a new calf. The sighting piqued her interest, sparking a citizen science project that accumulated 200 calf sightings. They received reports from the bottom of Tasmania, the southernmost part of WA and New Zealand's south island. Ms McPhee-Frew said the observations suggested humpbacks might have more complex behaviour than previously thought and much could still be learned about their migration. Calving in cooler waters had been documented in first-hand evidence and whaling log books from the early 20th and 19th centuries, she said. The recent data could be observations of an existing behaviour made more visible as the species' numbers recovered from the bring of extinction, Ms McPhee-Frew added. Griffith University marine scientist Olaf Meynecke said the number of calves seen in cooler waters was definitely trending upwards. "The number of calves in the last few years just on the Gold Coast ... we have just not seen those numbers, say 10 years ago," he said. Some humpbacks' migratory habits were also shifting and they were not going all the way to their usual Great Barrier Reef end point. "What we do see is an earlier (migration), likely to do with an earlier sea ice melt in the Antarctic and (faster) warming in Antarctica," Dr Meynecke said. "(We've also seen) more intense feeding outside the traditional feeding grounds, just in Australian waters around Victoria, Tasmania and the southeast coast of NSW." Calving further south could be in response to changes in food availability, creating a strategy among females to avoid competition in northern feeding grounds, Dr Meynecke said. "We don't know how much further north mothers migrate with their newborn calves and what effect this has on the newborn," he said. Calves born at more southerly locations might traverse extra kilometres off Australia's coasts, exposing them to greater risk of entanglement or boat collisions. "The pattern we're seeing is mother whales with calves travelling through some of the busiest shipping lanes and urbanised regions," Ms McPhee-Frew said. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service's Adelaide Dedden said boat users needed to be aware of migrating calves. "People need to be aware that calves are being seen not just on the southern migration but also on the northern one," she said.
