Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289:body:0:p36
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 110605–117574

– producing a single Australasian southern right whale photo-identification catalogue to assist in combining the current Australian photo-identification datasets and gain further knowledge about southern right whale movements81, 101.

      * Habitat use and distribution patterns of southern right whales and sperm whales discerned from spatial analyses of 19th century whaling records – developing a spatially and temporally explicit model over large scales that is capable of reliable predictions of modern-day habitat use and potential resettlement areas.

      * Southern right whales and stable isotopes: Research to define southern right whale habitat and trophic ecology – designed to investigate the use of stable isotopes in skin collected during biopsies of free-ranging whales to identify the foraging grounds and trophic level of primary prey species at those foraging grounds.

Assessing and addressing threats
Action Area A.1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Priority

Maintain and improve current levels of legal and management protection                                                                                                                                                                                                         Very High

Action
Continue or improve existing legislative management actions as listed under sections 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 and 6.1.
Recovery Targets Addressed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Threats to be Mitigated
1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Description
Refer to discussion of domestic and international protection regimes in sections 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 and 6.1 of this Plan.
Within the life of this Plan

Measure of success: Australia continues to implement domestic legislation to protect southern right whales and actively promote appropriate protection for southern right whales outside Australian waters through involvement in the IWC.

Risks: Changes to environmental assessment processes may result in inconsistent approaches to mitigating the impacts of threats to southern right whales. This risk may be mitigated by continuing communication with state agencies and industry through bi-annual meetings.

Likelihood of success: Moderate-High

Action Area A.2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Priority

Assessing and addressing anthropogenic noise                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Very High

Action
Improve the understanding of what impact anthropogenic noise may have on southern right whale populations by:
     a)      assessing anthropogenic noise in key calving areas
     b)      assessing responses of southern right whales to anthropogenic noise
     c)       if necessary, developing further mitigation measures for noise impacts.
Recovery Targets Addressed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Threats to be Mitigated
1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             B, E, F
Description
Management practices included in the Seismic Guidelines focus on the prevention of temporary or permanent injuries to the hearing of large baleen whales. In respect to behavioural impacts, rather than specific management practices, the seismic guidelines advise that seismic surveys should be undertaken outside of biologically important areas at biologically important times, otherwise they may require further assessment under the EPBC Act. Although there is increasing body of science assessing the behavioural response of whales to anthropogenic sound, knowledge in this area is still limited. In particular, very little is known about the sensitivity