However, their numbers are growing at around 7% per annum, which means that sightings are becoming increasingly common, which is all the better for whale watchers! It has very dark grey or black skin, with occasional white patches on the belly. Southern right whales can be found in very shallow water including estuaries and bays. If the opportunity arises, feeding can occur even in temperate waters such as along Buenos Aires. The Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute (MRI) will be conducting this year’s aerial survey of southern right whales from 28 September to mid-October. The southern right whale spends summer in the far Southern Ocean feeding, probably close to Antarctica. “The views are beautiful,” says the research manager of the whale unit at the University of Pretoria about the annual aerial survey of southern right whales between Nature’s Valley and Muizenberg. Southern right whale breeding success in both Argentina and Brazil has been correlated with changes in sea surface temperature at feeding grounds in the South Atlantic [26,27], therefore fidelity to feeding grounds that may be sub-optimal could limit population recovery. A Southern Right Whale having fun in our harbour, in front of the Beehive. It is well known that overexploitation by the whaling industry led to serious declines in many of the world’s populations of whales, although thankfully no species was brought to extinction and many are now in the process of recovering, although not all. A southern right whale Whalers caused the New Zealand population of southern right whales to crash from around 30,000 to just 110, an international team of researches has estimated. About the recovery plan The southern right whale is listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) as endangered. By the 1920s there may have been fewer than 300 individuals left. This estimate was 922 animals; however, biases were identified in the survey methodology, and the estimate should be considered unreliable given its low precision. pic.twitter.com/NoVOXVoDE2. Pumping limited resources into a project that is predominantly meant to extend dirty coal energy in South Africa is not what local communities and the climate needs. Numbers this year are the second-lowest in October in the past 32 years, after the extremely low numbers of 2016 (55 pairs). But we’re now looking at issues not as easily solved as whaling,” she says. An estimated 12,000 southern right whales are spread throughout the southern hemisphere, compared to an original population before whaling of more than 100,000. Southern rights have an enormous head which is up to one quarter of total body length. While their calving and nursing grounds are generally located in shallow bays and nearshore waters on the continental shelf, all three species are thought to feed in productive offshore waters at high latitudes2. The only existing estimate of the western North Pacific right whale population comes from 3 Japanese minke whale sighting surveys in the Sea of Okhotsk conducted between 1989 and 1992. As the second wave engulfs the country here is what specialists have to say. Their breeding areas are often close to shore, off southern South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and various temperate and sub Antarctic islands. Southern right whales were hunted almost to extinction in the 1800s. Whalers considered them the ‘right’ whale to hunt because they are slow moving and docile. Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis)are typically black in colour but can have irregular white patches. Southern right whales live throughout the Southern hemisphere, they are migratory whales, commuting annually between their warmer breeding areas and colder favourite feeding areas. The Ethiopian government has created its own ‘fact-checking’ unit — and it is not the only government to do so. This This species is easily distinguished from others because of their broad back without a dorsal fin, wide pectoral fins, a long arching mouth that begins above the eye and small rough patches of skin (or callosities) on its large head. An updated recovery plan, the Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan, has now been made under s269A(2) of the EPBC Act. Right whales or black whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus Eubalaena: the North Atlantic right whale (E. glacialis), the North Pacific right whale (E. japonica) and the Southern right whale (E. australis).They are classified in the family Balaenidae with the bowhead whale.Right whales have rotund bodies with arching rostrums, V-shaped blowholes and dark gray or black skin. An estimated 12,000 southern right whales are spread throughout the southern hemisphere, compared to an original population before whaling of more than 100,000. The south-eastern Australian population remains very low (250 -300 animals). Southern right whales are now thought to be recovering steadily, with the NZ population increasing at about 5% per year. Commercial whaling began in Australia in 1820, taking around 75% of the southern right whale population between 1835 and 1845, when the industry collapsed. Now it is time to expand this access, In its latest policy documents, the ANC is self-critical and wants ‘consequence management’, yet it’s letting its members off the hook again, The findings have wide relevance, from learning more about African history and migration to specific variants of people’s health, The minister of environment, forestry and fisheries, likes to watch the British medical drama series Casualty, she tells Sheree Bega, The climate policies of both parties are constrained because they are far too wedded to the neoliberal economic systems, KZN’s premier has tried to intervene by offering South Africans preferential access to jobs, but foreign drivers say locals don’t want the work, Allegations of bribery against the bank’s chief executive, Jacques Celliers, thrown up in a separate court case, The teachers union and several learners will appear before the Pretoria high court on Thursday, where they will ask that Motshekga’s decision for a national rewrite of two leaked matric exams be set aside, Stephanie Frappart is doing her bit to normalise the phenomenon of women match officials in male-dominated sports, Myths abound about what works and doesn’t once you have contracted the virus. It’s the best part of Dr Els Vermeulen’s year: three days, up in an Airbus ECI20B, counting southern right whales in South Africa’s coastal waters. The unit’s data indicates strong correlations between southern right whale prevalence along South Africa’s shores with climate conditions in the Southern Ocean and fluctuations in food availability. They are also inquisitive. Only in Wellington. These are unprecedented times, and the role of media to tell and record the story of South Africa as it develops is more important than ever. COMMENT: The disaster regulations mandated zero-rating for some websites. These days, southern right whales delight whale watchers with their peculiar looks and crowd attracting antics, like breaching and headstands. Today this whale’s numbers are increasing and its status is Least Concern (LC) on the list of threatened species. This year saw the successful birth of two Southern Resident killer whale calves, increasing the population to 74. Sadtu says Motshekga bowed to pressure from Umalusi to allow... What works and doesn’t once you have Covid-19, A glimpse into the future of government propaganda. Whalers considered them the ‘right’ whale to hunt because they are slow moving and docile. This is the 41st annual southern right whale photo-identification aerial survey, making it one of the longest-running datasets on any marine mammal worldwide. The Southern Right whale seldom ventures further than about 55° South, it is found in a belt around the pole from about 20 ° South to 55° South. North Atlantic right whales are generally restricted to the coastal waters of the East coast of the United states and Canada, while southern right whales have a ci… Fun Facts for Kids Photo taken with zoom lens. They have even been known to swim into the surf zone, but are not known to strand. If you are lucky enough, you may even delight in watching the mothers and calves playing together. However, their numbers are growing at around 7% per annum, which means that sightings are becoming increasingly common, which is all the better for whale watchers! According to whalers’ records—incomplete at best—they had flensed 38,000 southern right whales in the South Atlantic, 39,000 in the South Pacific, 1300 in the Indian Ocean and 15,000 in the North Pacific, all before the global ban on whaling the species in 1935. Land-based whaling in Australia initially concentrated on southern right whales. All material © Mail & Guardian Online. In 2009 the number of right whales in NZ waters was approximately 2000 individuals, less than 10% of their original population size. Their breeding areas are often close to shore, off southern South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and various temperate and sub Antarctic islands. Material may not be published or reproduced in any form without prior written permission. The shift, Vermeulen says, may be an attempt to keep up with a changing ocean, but the changes may not be enough to ensure adequate body condition is obtained, hindering the success of calving and migration. The southern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii) is a small and slender species of mammal, found in cool waters of the Southern Hemisphere.It is one of two species of right whale dolphin (genus Lissodelphis).This genus is characterized by the lack of a dorsal fin. Regional (southern African) abundance is estimated at just over 6000 individuals, with a global population size of just under 15000 individuals. Tohorā are slow swimmers but are very acrobatic. The southern right whale is a baleen whale and one of three species classified as right whales. Southern Right Whales became a protected species in 1935 from commercial Whaling. please consider taking out a subscription, Editorial: Crocodile tears from the coalface, We must keep Covid-19’s gains in education, ANC: ‘We’re operating under conditions of anarchy’, Africa study finds three million new genetic variations, Barbara Creecy: ‘You can make a difference if you want to’, US elections: Neither candidate is taking climate change seriously. A southern right whale calf breaches in the subantarctic Auckland Islands. It took another 90 years before they were officially protected. Southern right whales live throughout the Southern hemisphere, they are migratory whales, commuting annually between their warmer breeding areas and colder favourite feeding areas. Numbers have recovered slightly, thanks to protection, but the Australian population of southern right whales still stands at … Image:Mandy Watson The Southern Right Whale is Australia’s only inshore large whale species and was almost hunted to extinction. Sheree Bega is an environment reporter at the Mail & Guardian. — Simon Woolf (@WoolfSimon) July 4, 2018. One reason for this is the improved management of whaling that began in the mid-1970s, when management by population or stock was introduced. The three species of right whales are separated by ocean basins. The Southern Right Whale has circumpolar distribution in the Southern Hemisphere occurring between latitudes of approx. “We go down for 150m for the photos; for the search, we go up to 300m above sea level.”. Southern right whale, showing flukes in Karitane, Otago. This is a very important time for the calf, as the mother is teaching its young the life skills it will need before it returns to the Antarctic. Populations are recovering from past whaling, when this species was hunted to near extinction; however the south-east Australian population is still estimated at around only 600 individuals. This year, 136 females and calves (68 pairs) were counted and photographed and “extremely low” numbers of 29 adult whales without a calf, bringing the total to 165. Length Adults: 14m to 18m; Calves: 5m to 6m at birth, Weight Adults: up to 80 tonnes; Calves: 1 to 1.5 tonnes at birth, Physical maturity age: unknown; Length: 16m, Blow pattern: V-shaped bushy blow, up to 5m. It migrates north in winter for breeding and can be seen by the coasts of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Namibia, Mozambique, Peru, Tristan de Cunha, Uruguay, Madagascar, New Zealand and South Africa, however, whales have been known to winter on sub-Antarctic regions. Photo taken with zoom lens. The population is slowly increasing by 7 percent per year. Newborn: length 4.5-6 m Adult: length 11-18 m Fluke of Southern Right whale. An additional recent threat to the southern right whale population at Peninsula Valdés has been predation by seabirds that peck blubber from calves which, when young, stay near the surface . They used to be a significant part of our eco-system until the population was decimated by whaling in the 18th century. The number, shape and position of the callosities are unique to each individual whale, and allow us to tell them apart. But decreasing numbers reveal the depressing nature of this work Unfortunately, the population is still at a fraction of its original population to what it was. 30-60 0S, they are known to occur in coastal waters of South America, South Africa, New Zealand and some oceanic islands but populations of Southern Right Whales in Australia are genetically distinct from other southern hemisphere populations. function loadDoc() {var xhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); xhttp.onreadystatechange = function() { if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) { document.getElementById("pressoffice").innerHTML = this.responseText; }}; xhttp.open("GET", "https://mg.co.za/scripts/rss/pressofficeServer.php?menu=false&items=5&feed=http://pressoffice.mg.co.za/feed/rss2.php", true); xhttp.send();} loadDoc(); For all the latest information and advice from the Department of Health relating to Covid-19, please visit sacoronavirus.co.za. In Australia, Southern Right Whales are recorded alon… The total population is estimated … South African southern right whales have drastically changed their feeding locations in the past 20 years, “suggesting their previously productive feeding grounds have changed over time”. The population of southern right whales that migrate along south-eastern Australia from sub-Antarctic waters each year used to number almost 20,000. They are increasingly seen on the NSW coastline from May to the end of November. Southern Right Whale and calf. This led to the development of the … By 1920 there were only thought to be 40 whales … Live Ocean is helping fund important research by the University of Auckland into New Zealand’s tohorā/southern right whale. Similar trends are being recorded in South America and Australia. This appears to be a startling change from the whaling era. Southern right whales were hunted almost to extinction in the 1800s. Scientists have been searching for an explanation for a precipitous decline in the North Atlantic right whale population, which has dropped from 482 in 2010 to about 411 today. By 1920 there were only thought to be 40 whales from the original estimated population of 30,000. The callosities on the head are made of hard material, similar to human finger-nails, which appear white due to large colonies of whale lice called cyamids. You can spot them off the shore of a beach, on a boat or venture into a NSW national park. “It’s worrying because southern right whales have come back from the brink. Established in 1985, the MRI Whale Unit is a global, African research, conservation and education facility that researches the ecology, population dynamics and behaviour of the diverse cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in the Southern African sub-region and surrounding oceans, with the principal objective of providing knowledge that will promote their conservation. Southern right whales tend to have a large callosity at the front of the head, called a ‘bonnet’. The most recent population size estimate we have is from 2009, when there were about 2,000 whales. Currently the Right Whale population is growing from 5 - 15% per year, depending on distribution and which sub-population is being considered. To help us continue for another 35 future years with the same proud values, please consider taking out a subscription. They get their name because they were the ‘right’ whale to catch: they were slow-swimming, floated when dead, and provided large amounts of valuable products – particularly oil for illumination and lubrication. It’s considered a sentinel species for climate change. According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Southern right whale is about 7,500 individuals. The Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) is a large, rotund baleen whale, up to 80 tonnes in weight and 18 metres long. Its two separate blow holes produce a distinguishing V-shaped blow. Researcher Els Vermeulen has a whale of a time conducting an annual aerial survey of the country’s southern right whales. Will says that he usually spends three weeks at the Auckland Islands each winter, and he estimates there are between 300-400 whales when he is there. The southern hemisphere population (Southern Right Whales) was estimated at 55,000–70,000 individuals in 1770, but is believed to have dropped to only 300 by the 1920s. An estimated 55,000 - 70,000 southern right whales lived in the Southern Hemisphere in the late 1700s. The Mail & Guardian is a proud news publisher with roots stretching back 35 years, and we’ve survived right from day one thanks to the support of readers who value fiercely independent journalism that is beholden to no-one. The flippers are large and paddle-shaped. In 2005, the Australian Government released the first southern right whale recovery plan. 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