Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633:body:0:p19
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 51524–54580

regularly observed feeding on a seasonal basis
(Annual high use area)
Known Foraging Area     Known foraging occurs in these areas but is highly variable both between and within seasons
Possible Foraging Area  Evidence for feeding is based on limited direct observations or through indirect evidence, such as occurrence of krill in close proximity of whales, or satellite tagged whales showing circling tracks. Blue whales travel through on a seasonal basis, possibly as part of their migratory route
Known to occur          Blue whales are known to occur based on direct observations, satellite tagged whales or based on acoustic detections
Likely to occur         Blue whales are likely to occur based on occasional observations in the area and nearby areas
May occur               Evidence for the presence of blue whales through strandings or rare observations
Historical catch area   Blue whales were caught during the whaling period based on whaling data

Figure 2. Pygmy blue whale migration routes

Conservation Values Atlas
The Conservation Values Atlas is an interactive web-based tool developed to support implementation of Marine Bioregional Plans. The Atlas incorporates a range of national data on Australia's marine environment as well as specific information on the location and area of important marine habitats, ecological features, known breeding and feeding areas for protected species (blue whales) and other conservation values in the marine regions

http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-bioregional-plans/conservation-values-atlas

Population structure
Blue whales are a highly mobile species. The only clear barriers to movement are large continental land masses, however it is also generally thought that movement between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is limited by warm water at the equator and opposite breeding seasons30,80. Although there has been little research to confirm population differentiation between hemispheres, acoustic evidence from the eastern tropical Pacific does indicate little overlap between blue whales in each hemisphere in the Pacific Ocean108.

Pygmy blue whales
Genetic analysis has shown that pygmy blue whales which feed off the Perth Canyon, WA and the Bonney Upwelling, SA and Vic constitute the same population5, i.e. they migrate to the same breeding ground and/or have high levels of gene flow between multiple breeding grounds. The genetic identity of blue whales travelling through Geographe Bay in Western Australia is unknown, but it is thought that they are the same population on the return from migrating to low latitude wintering grounds. Preliminary genetic data does not exclude whales in Geographe Bay from belonging to the same Australian population that uses the Perth Canyon and Bonney Upwelling (Moller et al, Report to AMMC).
Finally, acoustic recordings identify calls in the Perth Canyon as being the same call types as in Geographe Bay, further suggesting that they are from the same population. However, this has not yet been genetically confirmed as