Ultimate Hervey Bay Whale Watching

Every whale has its own unique features, including the overall shape of the flukes (or tail), trailing edges, acquired scars, and natural pigmentation. These characteristics can be identified in photos and compared with other sightings to match and track individual whales. Pacific Whale Foundation scientists have established the longest-running Humpback Whale photo-identification project in the South Pacific. The Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whale Catalogue is also the largest curated database of photo-identified Humpback Whales in East Australia and researchers have collected detailed life histories of over 6,900 whales that visit Hervey Bay between July to October, greatly adding to scientific understanding of the population’s ecology and behaviours.

Hervey Bay is unique because it is a mid-migratory resting ground for Humpback Whales; it is neither a breeding nor feeding ground. Mother and calf pairs are of particular interest to researchers, given their use of this resting area to provide maternal care, with research focussing on long-term monitoring and quantifying potential human and non-human threats whales face.

The focus of research has always been Hervey Bay, but the research team has also studied Humpback Whale movement and connectivity among various areas of eastern Australia, including Eden (New South Wales) and the Whitsundays/Cairns/Port Douglas region (Queensland). In addition, Humpback Whales moving between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean (Western Australia) have been studied; the first and only example of inter- ocean Humpback Whale movement between these two populations, which are otherwise thought to be separate. The organisation has an extensive library of peer reviewed journal articles, technical reports, conference presentations and supported/sponsored research.

One of the key questions Pacific Whale Foundation is trying to answer is how long whales live for, as researchers do not have a definitive answer on this yet. The team is still tracking some of the whales that were photographed in the 1980s.

Guests and the general public can contribute to research as a citizen- scientist by donating Humpback Whale fluke photos. These can be uploaded while on board or after the tour, via the following website link or via their Whale & Dolphin Tracker app. These observations are also integrated with into the global catalogue Happy Whale citizen science program.

A recent study of marine life found that flexible plastics are responsible for the largest proportion of marine life deaths. In the case of whales, once ingested, the plastics can accumulate in the stomach, with the mass eventually becoming so big that it obstructs the bowels and the whale starves to death. Sometimes, whales become entangled in fishing nets and rope and die that way.

Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures Australia, has been running coastal marine clean-ups for many years in Hervey Bay, but since 2019 the aim has been to also record the types and quantity of debris found on the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) database run by Tangaroa Blue. This database was created to enable volunteers and organisations who were running beach clean-up events to also collect data on what they were finding with a consistent methodology so it could be collated into a standardised national database. This is used to better inform legislators about future changes needed in managing this worldwide problem.

Since 2004, more than 7 million pieces of marine debris have been recorded into the AMDI database, creating a comprehensive overview of what amounts and types of marine debris are impacting beaches around the country, along with suggestions on how to reduce it. Many Pacific Whale Foundation guests are inspired to further their efforts through their own beach and coastal clean-ups, and are encouraged to log any debris collected into the AMDI database through Tangaroa Blue.

Marine mammals often engage in important social and behavioural activities that may not be apparent to a casual viewer. These factsheets reinforce that approaching marine animals too closely or too quickly in a vessel often disrupts these behaviours and causes unnecessary stress.

In addition to supporting school visits or onboard excursions, the organisation has started Hervey Bay Virtual Whalewatch; a simulated whale watching experience complete with sights and sounds, expert narration, and interactive educational activities. With a duration of one hour, this program and can be utilised for whole-class instruction or individual student participation.

Plastic polymers include noxious chemical additives and contaminants, with evidence that toxins disrupt endocrine systems, even at low concentrations for marine life.

It has been estimated that up to 1 billion marine animals die each year from plastic pollution. Pacific Whale Foundation run a Plastic Pollution Solutions program for schools, beach cleanups, marine debris and prevention research and have produced a series of factsheets and tips for download, to Reduce and Rethink single plastics usage.