Photography enthusiasts along Victoria’s coast are being called on by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to help fill gaps in the research on Southern Right Whales.
Natural Environment Programs officer at DELWP, Mandy Watson said hundreds of citizen scientists were already helping to uncover the migration patterns of the endangered whales in Victorian coastal areas by sending their photos in to WhaleFace.
Ms Watson, co-founder of WhaleFace, said recently submitted images to the online photo identification project suggested the coast of Portland could be re-emerging as a nursing ground for the endangered whales.
“Portland is an important area for Southern Right Whales as it was good habitat for them decades ago before whaling wiped them out,” she said.
“Photo ID is one of best ways to study Southern Right Whales and citizen science is helping us to fill in some of the gaps.”
Ms Watson said the WhaleFace Project built on the thousands of photos she had collected over the years and was the first-ever photo identification catalogue for Southern Rights visiting south-east Australia.
Research Scientist at DELWP’s Arthur Rylah Institute and WhaleFace co-founder, Kasey Stamation said the Project was named after the unique white growths on the heads of Southern Rights, which help researchers identify and track them.
“You can identify a humpback whale by the tail, but for Southern Right Whales, it is by the patterns on their head or face,” Dr Stamation said.
Further information on how to get involved in the Project can be accessed at this PS News link.
