Three reports have been prepared by Southern Cross University’s Whale Research Centre using photo-identification catalogues of humpbacks from Hervey Bay, Ballina, New Zealand, Western Australia and Antarctica.

The research involved collaboration with scientists from the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium, The Centre for Whale Research, Western Australia, the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, The International Fund for Animal Welfare and Greenpeace International.

Wally Franklin, a PhD student with the centre and co-director of The Oceania Project, said the reports confirmed the relationship between the Australian humpback whales that migrate up and down the east coast and whales sighted near New Zealand and the Balleny Islands feeding area in Antarctica.

“The long-term photo-identification undertaken in eastern Australia by scientists at Southern Cross University’s Whale Research Centre has made it possible to investigate the destinations of humpback whales using the New Zealand migratory corridor and seen feeding in the Balleny Islands,” Mr Franklin said.

“What’s important about the finding is that it suggests the recovery of the eastern Australian humpbacks might be a factor in the recovery of the Pacific populations.”

Mr Franklin said while the population of humpbacks which migrated each year along the east coast of Australia was steadily increasing, that was not the case for smaller populations in the Pacific.

“There is a likelihood that the key to recovery of the humpbacks in the Pacific may be related to continued recovery of the eastern Australian populations,” he said.

“But, what we know of how the humpback whales mix in Antarctica is very limited and we need to have more data.