Research Project
Researchers: AT Design (Associated with) , Emma Flukes (Point of contact) , Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (Associated with) , Townsend, Andy (collaborator)
Full description This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Monitoring, aggregation areas and approaches to improve data effectiveness for southern right whale conservation". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.
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Southern right whales are listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and are recovering slowly from historical whaling. In Australia, recovery differs between the growing western population and the more poorly understood eastern population, where available data are largely opportunistic. Improved abundance estimates, photo-identification workflows, aggregation-area assessment, and understanding of connectivity are needed to support conservation management.
This project delivered priority information for southern right whale conservation through four linked components:
(1) long-term aerial surveys of the western population;
(2) expansion and integration of photo-identification datasets within the Australian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC);
(3) development of statistical approaches to combine opportunistic and systematic observations; and
(4) collection of movement and genomic data to assess connectivity between eastern and western subpopulations.
The project continued annual aerial surveys from Perth to Ceduna to update abundance trends and reproductive parameters for the western population. Photo-identification images and metadata were collated from archived, targeted, and opportunistic sources across eastern and western aggregation areas, supporting matching of individual whales, assessment of reproductive areas, and estimation of population parameters.
The project also developed methods to expand the use of opportunistic sightings data alongside systematically collected observations, improving capacity to estimate population size, trends, recovery rates, residency, site fidelity, and connectivity. Movement, photo-identification, and genomic data collected near the boundary of the eastern and western subpopulations, particularly around Encounter Bay and adjacent waters, supported assessment of population structure, whale movements, habitat use, and potential exposure to human activities.
The outputs of this project support updates to the national Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan, Biologically Important Area (BIA) mapping, marine park management, and risk assessments for marine industries and tourism. Consultation and engagement with Indigenous groups in South Australia and Western Australia enabled communication of research goals and findings, supported knowledge sharing, and identified opportunities for collaboration and capacity building linked to southern right whale conservation.
Outputs
• Individual whale photo-identifications in aggregation areas [ARWPIC image catalogue]
• Aerial survey data for 2023, 2024, 2026 [dataset]
• Exposure to single and cumulative threats [dataset]
• Whale tracking tracking, behaviour, and dive data [dataset]
• Final project report [written]
Lineage Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned
Notes
Credit
This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy & Water (DCCEEW) through the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub. In addition to NESP (DCCEEW) funding, this project is matched by an equivalent amount of in-kind support and co-investment from project partners and collaborators.
Notes
Purpose
To address key knowledge gaps on southern right whales.
Data time period: 2023-03-01 to 2026-11-30
Möller LM and Wouters CE (2025). Project 3.15 – Informing southern right whale management through continued monitoring, determination of aggregation areas and development of approaches to increase data flow efficiencies and utility: Movements, connectivity, and population identity of southern right whales at the boundary of the eastern and western populations. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. (Technical Report)
Peel D, Lloyd-Jones L, Evans K (2024). Informing southern right whale management through continued monitoring, determination of aggregation areas and development of approaches to increase data flow efficiencies and utility: Subcomponent 3 Expanding utilisation of southern right whale datasets for estimation of national population parameters. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. CSIRO. (Technical Report)
Smith JN, Double M, Grundlehner A and Townsend A (2026). Aerial survey of the Australian southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) ‘western’ population and development of AI for photo-identification. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. Murdoch University. (Survey Report)
Smith JN, Double M and Townsend A (2025). Aerial survey of the Australian southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) ‘western’ population and development of AI for photo-identification. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. Murdoch University. (Survey Report)
Smith JN, Double M and Kelly N (2024) Relative abundance of the ‘western’ population of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) from an aerial survey off southern Australia: Final Report on 2023 survey. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. Murdoch University (Survey Report)
(Project page on NESP Marine and Coastal Hub website)
url :
https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/3-15/
(Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: NESP MaC Hub website)
url :
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/science-research/nesp/hub-marine-coastal
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- global : 2ab0b398-07fe-4d36-8e15-106c469d8bbc
- DOI : 10.71676/8F682797
