Hervey Bay Whales 1001

“We can hear you singing

But it’s a song of pain

An ocean blue this morning

Has turned to red again” – Ian Quinn.

Such is the fate of the world’s most majestic creature, the

whale. If the International Whaling Commission can’t save

it, who can? A commercial fisherman, and a bushwacker?

Award winning singer songwriter, and commercial fisher,

Ian Quinn has released the second single ‘Swimming Home’ photo: Michael Dawes

off his latest album Quinny, a collection of country-folk-rock songs including duets with Bill Chambers and Dobe Newton.

Co-written and produced by Roger Corbett (The Bushwackers) at The Valley Studio ‘Swimming Home’ protests the senseless and brutal slaughter of thousands of whales in the Southern Ocean each year for so called ‘scientific’ reasons.

“It’s not as though I’m a radical conservationist because I’ve had a long association with the commercial fishing

industry for over 20 years, but I think when topics are this important, and this big, I’m quite prepared to throw my weight behind writing a protest song if it helps the cause.”

Although the song pleads for the slaughter to stop Ian Quinn says a compromise must be found before it’s too late.

“We need to also respect the Japanese and the whalers for their right to hunt, and why they have done it for so many years, but we’ve got to find a resolution to make sure we have these creatures in our oceans in 10,000 years time.”

The Golden Guitar winner penned the final words to the whale anthem following a yarn with an old school mate from Bundaberg, and now environmental activist, Madeleine Habib from Greenpeace.

“I found out Madeleine had became the captain of the ship the Esperanza , which is a Greenpeace ship heavily involved in some of these operations, so a conversation with her gave me the catalyst to finish writing the song.”

Although sitting in the final position on his new album Ian Quinn says “the whale song” is definitely one of his favourites.

"Two powerful protest songs grace the album. Leave The Mary Mighty was a rallying call in opposition to the damming of the fragile Mary River. We can only hope that Swimming Home is equally successful in stopping the slaughter of the whales.“

– Deborah Minter, Capital News.

Ian

 

 

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres (40–50 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The Humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.

 

Found in oceans and seas around the world, Humpback Whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or sub-tropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter. During the winter, Humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves. The species' diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the spectacular bubble net fishing technique.

 

Like other large whales, the Humpback was a target for the whaling industry, and its population fell by an estimated 90% before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966. Stocks of the species have since partially recovered, however entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution are ongoing concerns. Current estimates for the abundance of Humpback Whales range from about 30,000 to 60,000, approximately one third of pre-whaling levels. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, Humpbacks are now sought out by whale-watchers, particularly off parts of Australia and the United States.

 

Done