Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633:body:0:p21
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 57059–60073

these sub-Antarctic blue whales is unknown.
Preliminary estimates of the number of pygmy blues caught are 13,02216, though this encompasses all catches from South Africa to New Zealand and the northern Indian Ocean for which the extent of connectivity is unknown.
The estimate of the numbers of whales using the WA coast needs to be considered in context of the larger population pool of pygmy blue whales and the currently unknown movements of animals across the full geographic extent of the population within Australian waters. Little is known about the foraging, migration patterns and population structure of blue whales off the East Coast of Australia.
Antarctic blue whale
The Antarctic blue whale subspecies occurs off the Australian Antarctic Territory19 and off at least Western Australia106. This was the most heavily exploited subspecies, with numbers estimated to have depleted from a pre-exploitation size of 239,000 (95% interval 202,000-311,000) to a minimum of 360 (95% interval 150-840) in 197317. The most recent abundance estimate comes from the circumpolar survey that took place over 1992/1993 - 2003/2004 is 2,280 (95% interval 1,160-4,500) with an average estimated increase of 8.2% per year (95% interval 1.6-14.8)14.

4.2 Biologically Important Areas for blue whale
 It is not currently possible to define habitat critical to the survival of blue whales. Due to our limited knowledge about the distribution and abundance of these subspecies, little is currently known about the location and characteristics of these habitats. To date, the best information relates to biologically important areas where foraging occurs. These foraging areas can be considered important to the survival of blue whales as they seasonally support highly productive ecosystem processes on which significant aggregations of whales rely.
Through the development of marine bioregional plans, Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) have been identified for blue whales. BIAs are not defined under the EPBC Act, but they are areas that are particularly important for the conservation of protected species and where aggregations of individuals display biologically-important behaviour such as calving, foraging, resting or migration. BIAs have been identified using expert scientific knowledge about species' distribution abundance and behaviour.
This Plan builds on the descriptions of BIAs and upon the work of the marine bioregional plans to summarise the most current information available.
Foraging Areas
 Unique areas where oceanographic processes allow sufficiently high krill densities to develop are essential to satisfy the large prey requirements of blue whales. The Eastern Great Australian Bight/Kangaroo Island canyons, SA and the area between Robe, SA and Cape Otway, VIC (both part of the Bonney Upwelling system), and the Perth Canyon, WA form the known feeding aggregation habitats for pygmy blue whales in Australia. Historical catch data and limited satellite tagging data suggest that the Southern