Humpback whales migrate in historic numbers down Australia’s eastern coast

Humpback whales have been spotted along Australia’s eastern coast in record numbers, in a sign the species is thriving again after decades of conservation work.

It has been estimated that up to 60,000 humpbacks are travelling north from Antarctica as part of an annual migration, with the majority heading to northern Australia to feed and nurse their young in the waters off Queensland.

Data from a recent census held across Queensland and New South Wales showed 4,792 whales were spotted by scientists in just one day – a record number of observations since the census began a decade ago.

The same census recorded 2,139 whale sightings in 2021 and 3,203 last year.

Craig Parry, a wildlife photographer in New South Wales, told The Telegraph this year’s migration was “by far the biggest” he had ever seen.

“The ocean feels more alive,” said Mr Parry.

In one “special” close encounter, Mr Parry was capturing images of the animals from an inflatable dinghy as the sun set over Byron Bay when a whale spanning 40ft suddenly burst from the water.

“The feeling was a mixture of adrenaline and pure excitement,” said Mr Parry, adding that he had feared being crushed by the 40-ton giant.

“It breached around 30 times and at one stage it breached so close that the water washed into my boat,” he said. “You could smell the fish on its breath.”

A wildlife photographer whose career highlights include filming with the actor Chris Hemsworth, Mr Parry is used to stunning subject matter. But he said eyeballing the humpback was a lifetime highlight.

“Getting that connection with an animal, you feel a bond with nature,” said Mr Parry. “You really cherish those moments.”

This year’s sightings have delighted onlookers and given scientists cause to be optimistic about Australia’s humpback population, which was hovering as low as 200 when commercial whaling of the species was halted in the country in the 1960s.

But they have also raised questions about the impact of warming sea temperatures on marine animal behaviours, with whales seen breaching closer to shore and birthing calves in regions further south than in years gone by.

Mr Parry said he had spotted newborn humpbacks off the coast of Byron Bay for the first time this year after more than two decades spent documenting the whales as they make their passage along the Australian coastline.

The majority of humpbacks travelling through Australian waters migrate north from June to August, and back towards the Southern Ocean from September to November. However, this year the animals arrived earlier and have already been seen travelling back south.

Exactly why they migrate to tropical waters is unclear, although theories range from avoiding predators to providing warmth for newborns.

Writing in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science last year, scientists warned that whale migration patterns could change if rising sea surface temperature overheated breeding and feeding grounds. If whales begin travelling closer to shore, they could also be at risk of beach strandings.

One calf was euthanised late last month after it beached at Lennox Head and an adult also died after washing up nearby.

It followed a mass stranding in Western Australia, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 100 long-finned pilot whales.