Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00930:reg:2:p12
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00930
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 12/48)
Character Range: 94364–97401

Distribution and habitat occupancy
Southern right whales have a circumpolar distribution in the Southern Hemisphere approximately between latitudes 20°S and 65°S (Kenney 2018). Reproductive areas where females calve and nurse their young appear to be exclusively coastal, occurring either off continental landmasses or oceanic islands, and occupied during late autumn, winter, and early spring. Foraging and feeding occurs in a similarly broad latitudinal range between at least 30°S and 65°S, particularly in offshore areas associated with large-scale features such as the Sub-Tropical and Polar Fronts (Torres et al. 2013, Carman et al. 2019).
Breeding aggregations of southern right whales occur over a wide environmental range across the entire southern Australian coast, although preferred habitat generally includes shallow sloping sandy bottom bays that provide protection from prevailing wind and weather (Elwen & Best 2004, Pirzl 2008). Fine-scale habitat selection by southern right whales appears to be influenced by breeding status, with breeding females being more selective than non-calving whales and preferring sheltered, nearshore waters during the early life-stages of their calves (Pirzl 2008, Rayment et al. 2015). At the Head of Bight, whales show preference to < 10 m depth and within 1 km from shore, with some geographic separation of population classes. Females accompanied by a calf favour the shallow embayment and unaccompanied adults favour the deeper water. Females accompanied by a calf demonstrate seasonal variation in distribution, by expanding their range throughout the season and moving from the sheltered embayment to deeper waters (Burnell 2001, Charlton et al. 2019).

   2.8.1.  Seasonal distribution
Southern right whales in Australian waters predominantly occupy shallow, coastal areas where they calve and nurse their young from May to October, although may occur as early as April and as late as November on the Australian coast. The peak period of abundance is typically in late July and August, although there is within season variability that differs between females with calves and unaccompanied whales. Females accompanied by a calf generally occupy the calving ground for 2 to 3 months between June and September, whereas unaccompanied whales (males and females without a calf) are more variable in their occupancy of coastal areas throughout the reproductive season (Burnell & Bryden 1997, Charlton et al. 2019).

   2.8.2     Spatial distribution and re-occupation of historical habitat
In Australian coastal waters, the southern right whale distribution range (i.e., species range) represents the area the whales can occur in Australian waters between April and November (Figure 3). The species distribution range extends north to Hervey Bay in Qld. (23°S, 150°E) on the east coast and Exmouth/Ningaloo Reef (21°S, 114°E) off the WA coast (Bannister 1986, Smith et al. 2024). Within the species distribution range southern right whales occupy nearshore areas with greater consistency