Management Concern: Low    

Adequacy of Information: Good

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Most whales appear to be maintaining intact populations. Humpback whales are recovering strongly after being decimated by whaling.
  
• There is now a range of mandatory and voluntary management arrangements that minimise the impact of commercial tourism operations in the Great Barrier Reef, such that the impacts associated with tourism activities are seen as minor.

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Population increase of humpback whales along the Eastern Australian coast
• Migration of humpback whales along the Australian east coast 
• East Coast Australian humpback whale population study - 1978 to 1982 Surveys 
• Status of recovering stock of humpback whales in Eastern Australian Waters - 1983 to 1987 Surveys 
• Status of humpback whales in Eastern Australia thirty years after whaling - 1984 to 1992 Surveys 
• Status of humpback whales in Eastern Australia at the end of the 20th Century - 1994 to 1999 Surveys
• Continued Increase in East Australian humpback whales in 2001 and 2002
• East coast Australian humpback whale population estimate - 2007 Survey
• Humpback whale Australian east coast relative and absolute abundances
• Blue whales
• Fin whales
• Sei whales
  
• Impact of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals
• Impacts of boat strike on cetaceans
• Marine tourism impacts on the Great Barrier Reef 
• Impacts of tourism and recreational use on the Great Barrier Reef
• The impacts of cetacean watching
• Swimming with dwarf minke whales - A 
• Swimming with dwarf minke whales - B
• Strandings of cetaceans in Queensland and interactions with the Queensland shark control program

Existing policies and management actions

• Operational Policy on Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [450KB]
  
• Protected Species in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Queensland’s Nature Conservation (Whale and Dolphin) Conservation Plan 1997
  
• Action Plan for Australian Cetaceans
  
• Australian National Guidelines for Whale and Dolphin Watching 2005 
• High standard tourism operations 
• Ecocertification of Marine Park operators
• Policies and guidelines for managing tourism and recreational use
• Responsible Reef Practices
  
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 

Future management requirements

• Review of Operational Policy on Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Biodiversity strategy
• Draft Queensland Coastal Management Plan 
• Overarching Great Barrier Reef Tourism Strategy
• Review of management arrangements for the Dwarf Minke Whale swimming with whales activity
  

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring