Conservation of humpbacks a sign of ‘hope’
Print Edition
AUSTRALIA’S humpback populations have recovered so well from years of devastating whaling that they could be delisted as a threatened species in a conservation success story scientists hailed as “a symbol of hope.”
Humpback whales were commercially harvested around the Australian coast between 1912 and 1972, with tens of thousands of the animals killed, decimating the species.
But their recovery has been remarkable, spawning a thriving whale watching industry.
A new paper, “Embracing conservation success of recovering humpback whale populations,” said Australian numbers were increasing at nine percent a year off the country’s west coast and 10 percent for the east coast.
As of 2012, they had grown to more than 63 percent (east coast) and 90 percent (west coast) of those recorded before the whaling era.
Australia’s Murdoch University’s Cetacean Research Unit, which contributed to the paper published in the journal “Marine Policy,” said it was a rare success story. “For the first time in over a generation, the iconic humpback whales of Australia have become a symbol of both hope and optimism for marine conservation,” it said.
“Optimism in conservation biology is essential to encourage politicians, policy makers and the public to solve conservation problems.”
The paper, which involved scientists from Oregon and North Carolina in the US, said the animals were no longer at risk of extinction and proposed they be delisted as a threatened species under Australian law, where they are listed as vulnerable.
Marine scientist Michelle Bejder, who led the review, said removing humpbacks from the threatened list would allow conservation funding to be redirected toward other species more at risk.
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