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8mo ago

Dolphin Pod Rescues Lost Humpback During Peak Whale Migration

The rescue underscores rising overlaps of humpback whale routes with boat traffic along Australia’s coasts from Sydney to Bunbury.

FILE - Spectators watch as whales swim past at Boat Harbour north of Sydney, Australia, on June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
FILE - A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Port Stephens, Australia, on June 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
FILE - A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
People on a whale cruise tour keep eyes out for humpback whales as the breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Overview

  • Volunteers from the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury identified a young humpback in Koombana Bay and confirmed via drone footage that it was healthy and free of fishing gear entanglements.
  • A neighboring pod of dolphins guided the wayward calf out of the bay into deeper waters of Geographe Bay, helping it rejoin the northbound migration.
  • Australia hosts the world’s largest humpback migration, with over 45,000 individuals traveling between Antarctica and Queensland breeding grounds from June through November.
  • In urban waterways such as Sydney Harbour and Port Stephens, inquisitive humpbacks have been known to halt ferry and recreational boat traffic with close approaches.
  • Despite a strong recovery since commercial whaling ended in 1985, humpbacks still face risks from fishing gear entanglements, vessel strikes and noise pollution.