Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289:body:0:p24
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 74153–77199

contribute to overall population increases and enable calf production to regularly occur at a greater number of sites as recovery progresses.

      * Coastal connecting habitat, which may also serve a migratory function or encompass locations that will emerge as calving habitat as recovery progresses (some locations within connecting habitat are occupied intermittently but do not yet meet criteria for aggregation areas).

      * Historic high use areas or suitable habitat in parts of the coastal range currently not used or under-used and potentially important to support full spatial recovery.
Incidental sighting records suggest a number of additional BIAs for the south-eastern population of southern right whales are emerging, mostly within historic high use areas. These are areas of importance, where small, but growing numbers of mostly non-calving southern right whales regularly aggregate for short periods of time such as Peterborough, Port Campbell, Port Fairy and Portland in Victoria, east coast and southern Tasmania, including Great Oyster Bay, Frederick Henry Bay and Storm Bay, Sleaford Bay in South Australia, and Twofold Bay and Jervis Bay in NSW48,60,91,104.

Maps presented later in this section identify these areas. Data for the maps were provided by Rebecca Pirzl, Skadia Pty Ltd under contract to the department. Additional data were provided by Mandy Watson, DSE Victoria. BIA maps and descriptions are available in the conservation values atlas at: www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/atlas/index.html.

4.3 Attributes to be Monitored
The abundance, population trend and habitat occupancy of both the south-east and south-west southern right whale populations will be monitored as indicators of recovery. These attributes have been selected as the most relevant attributes to investigate considering the current conservation status, life history and population structure of southern right whales in Australian waters.

Measuring population abundance and trends will require continuation of the ongoing monitoring started in 1976, with an annual data series required to ensure variability in coastal visitation caused by a three year reproductive cycle, and fluctuations in environmental or other conditions is appropriately considered9. Habitat occupancy is determined by the level of use of aggregation areas. Established aggregation areas are reliably occupied every year. Large established aggregations contain some tens (usually greater than 50) of calving females at the peak of the season, while small established aggregations contain up to about 10 (usually less than five) calving females at the peak of the season. Emerging aggregation areas are not occupied every winter, but in some winters contain a small number (around three) of calving females at the peak of the season. Emerging aggregation areas are those areas that have been used on and off (often more frequently in recent years) by a small number of calving females, and so may become established aggregation areas over time. Historic high use