A Comeback Story With a Caveat
Whale season is my favourite season of the year. These incredible creatures have had a wild and remarkable trajectory through history. And the humpback whales are undeniably one of Australiaโs most phenomenal conservation comeback stories. ๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ข ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ค๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ข๐ต.
Some may not know, but whaling or whale hunting used to be a booming industry in Australia.
Between 1950 and 1962 nearly 12,500 humpback whales were killed and processed at whaling stations along the east coast including Byron Bay. Additionally, between 1960 and 1961 illegal hunting by Russian whaling ships in waters south of Australia and New Zealand killed around 24,000 whales and wiped out this entire population.
Over exploitation meant that every year the whalers were able to hunt less and less whales until by the 1960โs there were almost no whales left. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฆ๐น๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
Whale โmuggingโ off the coast of Byron Bay | September 2025
Double breach, Byron Bay | August 2025
In 1963 a ban on hunting humpbacks was established and they were protected worldwide in 1965 after it was recognised that there had been a dramatic decline in numbers globally.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐.
Watching these mystical friendly giants glide through the water and throw themselves in the air as if they didnโt weigh 30,000 kg is an otherworldly sight. Not to mention the 5,000 kilometer migration they embark on each year. Their continued presence in our waters is a testament to the many people who fought for their safety and evidence of how nature can bounce back when adequately protected.
But I would be remiss if I didnโt mention that these spectacular creatures are still facing a myriad of threats. From ship strikes to entanglements and water pollution, as well rampant overfishing of their primarily food source, krill in Antarctica, the whales need our continued advocacy and support. As we speak, their main food source and the foundation of much of our ocean life is being hoovered up by supertrawler ships in Antarctica. And itโs not just whales who depend on krill, itโs the seals, the penguins, the fish and so much more. Without krill, the entire Southern Ocean could collapse.
Right now our seas and all of their inhabitants need our help. Check out this campaign to end krill fishing in Antarctica by the Bob Brown Foundation: https://lnkd.in/g53BA4G9 Please donate, sign their petitions or lend your voice to this fight. The whales don't get to speak in Parliament... but we can!
