SC/59/SM7 1 Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Australian territorial waters
Much of the information on killer whales in Australian territorial waters came from incidental sightings that were collated as part of state and Commonwealth wildlife databases, and from a sighting program on Macquarie Island. Other incidental information was sourced from previously unreported sight...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.597.2083 http://www.iwcoffice.co.uk/_documents/sci_com/SC59docs/SC-59-SM7.pdf |
| Summary: | Much of the information on killer whales in Australian territorial waters came from incidental sightings that were collated as part of state and Commonwealth wildlife databases, and from a sighting program on Macquarie Island. Other incidental information was sourced from previously unreported sightings from the public, marine charters and fishers. The Southern Ocean Cetacean Ecosystem Program (SOCEP, Dr Debbie Thiele) provided the only sighting data available from systematic cetacean surveys. No dedicated field study on killer whales has ever occurred in Australian waters. To date a total of 933 unpublished and reliable records of killer whales have been collected from most regions of Australia’s territorial waters. The majority of these records were incidental (848), and over 59 % of all records were from Macquarie Island. Other regions where sightings were common included the coastal and continental shelf waters off South Australia, Victoria, south-east Tasmania and in the Australian Antarctic Territory. These records are likely to reflect increased killer whale aggregations in areas where their prey are concentrated and where fishing activities are seasonally active, combined with a disproportionate effort in recording sightings by some programs. No sightings have been recorded in the Australian territories of the Cocos Keeling Island Group and Christmas Island, possibly due to the lack of survey coverage in these regions. No additional sightings were recorded for the Heard and McDonald Island Group. |
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