Migratory Shifts of Humpback Whales in Australia and Climate Change

Migratory cetacean species like Humpbacks whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are exposed to a wide range of environmental conditions. A number of drivers have been identified to strongly influence feeding, breeding and migration of Humpback whales following a review of literature. Most studies recognized the importance of depth, SST, distance to shore, and large scale phenomena such as Southern Oscillation Index, El Niño-Southern Oscillation as important drivers affecting humpback whale distribution, movement and reproduction. However, there are still data gaps and a limited understanding how climate influenced drivers may alter behaviour and population of humpback whales. Acquiring extensive datasets on these animals can be expensive and time consuming due to their vast home ranges. The contemporary data sets on Humpback whales available for Australian waters have been explored and assessed for suitable inclusion in future modeling studies. Over 45 data sets with more than 100 000 entries have been assessed for Australian waters, which are hold and maintained by varies groups and stakeholders. The collection a method of the data was ranging from traditional land based surveys to visual surveys from opportunistic platforms and to aerial surveys. Preliminary results suggest that migratory patterns can be detected over large spatial and temporal scales and can be related to environmental drivers. This work will assist in developing models to forecast potential impacts of climate change on this species.