SOUTHERN right whales have returned to the bays and seas surrounding the Mornington Peninsula after spending summer feeding in sub-Antarctic waters.
The southern rights, the only whales to calve in Victorian waters, arrive to give birth and raise their young from May to October.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action said cows and their calves had been spotted at Flinders, Cape Schanck, Rye, while unaccompanied adult whales had been reported in Port Phillip.
The Dolphin Research Institute said over the past month there had been a “huge growth” in whale sightings reported through PodWatch (270 per cent) on its website and Two Bays Tracker Program (144 per cent).
The institute suggested the best place to look for whales was from “elevated coastal locations”, such as on peninsula back beaches, Cape Schanck and southern Phillip Island.
It said the date being collected about whales had never been more important “particularly with the growth of offshore developments in our region”.
The department said boaters should “stay alert protect the endangered species”.
Boaters must slow to five knots within 30 metres of a whale and travel at less than 10 knots within one kilometre.
The department says southern right whales have no dorsal fin and can be hard to see and “look like floating logs as they rest near the surface”.
The recommended “safe distance” from whales is 200m for boats and the legally required 300m for jet skis.
Aircraft and drones must not fly within 500m of a whale unless being operated by the holder of a wildlife permit.
If boats get too close their motors should be placed in neutral until the whales have passed.
Southern right whales are listed as endangered in Victoria, with the south-eastern Australian population estimated at about 300 individuals.
“Boat operators should exercise caution … Blows and splashes are the most obvious signs that whales are present in the area,” Teisha Lay, forest and wildlife officer with the Conservation Regulator, said.
“Over the next few months, Conservation Regulator authorised officers will be patrolling Port Phillip to ensure vessel users are keeping their distance from whales and other marine mammals.”
Photographs of whales can be uploaded to WhaleFace and reports about regulations being breached can be reported by calling 1800 333 000.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 21st June 2023