The Song of the Humpback Whale
When I went on a whale watching trip on the weekend at Phillip Island, I knew there was a chance we would not see any whales, let alone see one breach! After a summer of feeding on krill in Antarctic waters, they migrate north to sub-tropical waters where they mate and give birth. They can be seen along the eastern Australian coast-line between April and November. Apparently, breaching is only observed in 5% of tours and only two breaches had been observed this whale watching season. It was my lucky day. I felt guilty watching it though my lens. Like many people, it is hard not be in awe of these majestic creatures and at the same time horror at the whaling industry. This Humpback whale was around 15 m in length. It is estimated that when the Australian east coast whaling industry ended in 1963, the east coast population of humpbacks had been reduced to a little over 100 individuals. The latest counts suggest around 20,000. Their recovery has contributed significantly to the rapid growth of Australia’s whale watching industry.
“The saddest sound I’ve ever heard
Is the song of the humped-back whale
His moans, his sighs, his eerie cries,
Sing a sad familiar tale
For he sighs and blows as if he knows
His race is nearly run
And that soon with all of his kind he’ll fall
Beneath the whaler’s gun’ Eric Bogle-The Song of the Whale
The Song of the Humpback Whale
When I went on a whale watching trip on the weekend at Phillip Island, I knew there was a chance we would not see any whales, let alone see one breach! After a summer of feeding on krill in Antarctic waters, they migrate north to sub-tropical waters where they mate and give birth. They can be seen along the eastern Australian coast-line between April and November. Apparently, breaching is only observed in 5% of tours and only two breaches had been observed this whale watching season. It was my lucky day. I felt guilty watching it though my lens. Like many people, it is hard not be in awe of these majestic creatures and at the same time horror at the whaling industry. This Humpback whale was around 15 m in length. It is estimated that when the Australian east coast whaling industry ended in 1963, the east coast population of humpbacks had been reduced to a little over 100 individuals. The latest counts suggest around 20,000. Their recovery has contributed significantly to the rapid growth of Australia’s whale watching industry.
“The saddest sound I’ve ever heard
Is the song of the humped-back whale
His moans, his sighs, his eerie cries,
Sing a sad familiar tale
For he sighs and blows as if he knows
His race is nearly run
And that soon with all of his kind he’ll fall
Beneath the whaler’s gun’ Eric Bogle-The Song of the Whale