“We find a lot of juveniles washed up on the beaches. This could be an indication that these animals are just starving or have some diseases.”
He adds that the effects of La Niña on ocean currents have been “very strong” this year and in 2011. Whales depend on the current for migration and the changes may mean that weaker whales that would normally have died offshore are being washed up instead.
An estimated 15,000 whales are migrating along the east coast from chilly Antarctica to the warmer waters of northern Australia to breed and calve. The 10,000km migration normally occurs annually between May and November.
A recent study by HHR and Griffith Centre for Coastal Management on cetacean incidents suggests that humpback whales tend to be washed up on shore around August every year, with south-east Queensland being a hotspot for such incidents. Stranding is also the second most common incident reported for humpback whales, after net entanglements.
Students at Griffith University, in collaboration with HHR, have recently developed a whale tracking Android app that researchers hope will engage the Gold Coast community in supporting whale research and protection.
