Southern right whales in Australia are breeding less often due to climate change, with declining Antarctic sea ice and warming oceans threatening the species’ recovery.
CANBERRA: New research reveals Australia’s southern right whales are breeding less frequently, serving as a stark warning of climate change’s impact on marine ecosystems.
The study, led by Flinders and Curtin universities, shows a significant drop in reproductive output over the past decade due to prolonged intervals between calving.
Analysing over 30 years of photo-identification data from the Great Australian Bight, scientists linked the declining breeding rates to reduced Antarctic sea ice and shifting oceanic conditions.
Aerial surveys from 1976 to 2024 estimate the current Australian population at 2,300 to 3,900 individuals, roughly a quarter of pre-whaling levels.
Calf numbers have been in decline since 2017, a trend also observed in populations off South America and South Africa.
Researchers say krill-dependent predators face growing pressure from marine heatwaves, declining sea ice, and human activities like ship strikes and coastal development.
Some whales have shifted feeding grounds northward and broadened their diet from krill to copepods in response to environmental changes.
“This reproductive decline represents a threshold warning for the species,” said Claire Charlton, leader of the Australian Right Whale Programme.
She highlighted the urgent need for coordinated conservation efforts in the Southern Ocean to combat anthropogenic climate change.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
