Having a whale of a time

l GREAT BARRIER REEF

| Isaac Colman

AUTHORITIES are expecting record numbers of whales to travel through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park until September.

Since May, there have been early sightings of both minkes and humpbacks, indicating that there will be record numbers this season.

Whale numbers continue to recover, increasing by 10 percent every year. This year, about 40,000 whales will travel through the marine park.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s reef education and engagement acting director

Fiona Merida said it was a special experience to catch a glimpse of these graceful giants of the deep.

“It’s a hugely exciting time along the Reef to be visited by these amazing creatures. They travel north from the Southern Ocean and will go as far as the Cooktown area,” she said.

“It’s a chance for them to socialise, mate and for pregnant females to give birth in our sheltered waters with a high degree of protection.”

But Ms Merida warns with the number of whales on the rise it was critical that visitors look out for whales, keep a safe distance, and adhere to the whale protection rules. Vessels were required by law to stay at least 100m from whales in the marine park, she said.