Humpback nursery discovered off southern shores
Baby humpbacks born as far south as Tassie? New 2025 study reveals risky surprises for whale migration and conservation.
What’s Happening?
A groundbreaking UNSW-led study has found that humpback whale calves are being born much farther south than previously believed, as far south as Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand, rather than only in tropical waters like the Great Barrier Reef. The discovery is based on over 200 confirmed sightings from 2016–2024, with a significant spike in 2023–2024.
Lead researcher and PhD candidate Jane McPhee-Frew, also a whale-watching skipper, first spotted a newborn calf in Newcastle waters in 2023. This sighting, and many more like it, are shifting our understanding of where and how humpbacks give birth.
“It’s not just the sightings themselves that are important,” says McPhee-Frew. “The pattern we’re seeing is mother whales with calves travelling through some of the busiest shipping lanes and urbanised regions.”
Why It Matters
The discovery suggests humpbacks may not follow a singular migratory path to the tropics for calving. Instead, they may be giving birth along the way, even in heavily trafficked and risk-prone coastal areas. This raises new concerns for marine protection, especially for newborn whales navigating through urban marine zones like Newcastle, WA, Victoria, Tasmania, and even off the Gold Coast.
Professor Tracey Rogers from UNSW notes the physical vulnerability of these newborns:
“Newborns are like Great Dane puppies... they’re not very strong swimmers. So they rest a lot of the time on their mum’s back.”
Local Impact
Newborn whales are increasingly seen in busy recreational waters, including those off NSW and the Gold Coast. Despite laws requiring a 100m distance from adult whales and 300m from mother-calf pairs, awareness among recreational boaters, surfers, and jet-skiers remains low.
“People need to be aware that calves are being seen not just on the southern migration but also on the northern one,” says Dr Adelaide Dedden from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The Gold Coast’s extensive boating activity, whale tours, and proximity to shipping lanes make these waters particularly high-risk for calves.
By the Numbers
Over 200 confirmed sightings of humpback whale calves were recorded from Queensland to Tasmania, WA, and NZ.
More than two-thirds of those sightings occurred in 2023–2024, indicating a growing trend.
Humpback populations have recovered from under 1,000 in the 1960s to over 50,000 today.
Zoom In
McPhee-Frew and her team compiled not only recent reports but also historical evidence, including 19th-century whaling logbooks and Antarctic expedition journals. These records confirm that sightings of calves at southern latitudes were not new, only newly visible now due to population recovery and public engagement.
“We just ran out of land to see them from,” McPhee-Frew says, citing calf sightings all the way to Tasmania’s southern edge.
Zoom Out
This revelation is part of a larger conversation about climate, conservation, and co-existence with wildlife. The return of humpback whales in such numbers is a conservation success story, but their presence in busy human spaces highlights the need for shared responsibility.
Platforms like Instagram and Facebook have played a vital role in citizen science, with the public helping build one of the largest repositories of whale sightings data.
What to Look For Next?
Ongoing research will explore why whales give birth so far south when the tropics offer no food. The study is pushing scientists to rethink migratory “endpoints” and understand how whales use different environments along their journeys.
As McPhee-Frew puts it:
“We still have a lot to learn. But, you know what? It’s such a privilege to see whales... We just need to follow the rules so everyone can enjoy.”