Whale recovery

We spent much of today on a whale-watching boat in Hervey Bay, 3 to 4 hours drive north of Brisbane. We saw many humpback whales, some incredibly inquisitive and trusting. 

Commercial hunting of whales ended almost everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, it’s thought that the number of humpback whales on the east coast of Australia was a few hundred. Fifty or so years later the numbers have increased to around 40,000. 

They spend summer in Antarctic waters and travel north along the east and west coasts of Australia in early winter (May and June). In the east, females calve in warm Great Barrier Reef waters mid-year and then start the return migration to the Antarctic. Along the way, many spend a few weeks in the sheltered waters of Hervey Bay.