NESP MaC Project 1.22 - A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The population of Southern Right Whales (SRW) in the Southern Hemisphere has been recovering slowly from near extinction due to its decimation from whaling before its ban in the mid-1970’s. As the species recovers, there is increasing evidence of expansion of aggregation areas. Consequently, there is a need to update known established aggregation areas and Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) and update relevant Marine Parks management plans based on new evidence. This project proposes to collate and complete photo-ID matching since 2010 to 2020 in the southwest of Australia and upload images to the National ARWPIC catalogue. Outputs • Photo-identifications of individual whales in southwestern Australia for 1991-2021 (photo-matches contributed to ARWPIC) • A report including evidence and recommendations for updating aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia according to the Commonwealth criteria [written]