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yesterday

Dolphin Pod Rescues Lost Humpback During Peak Whale Migration

The rescue underscores rising overlaps of humpback whale routes with boat traffic along Australia’s coasts from Sydney to Bunbury.

FILE - Spectators watch as whales swim past at Boat Harbour north of Sydney, Australia, on June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
FILE - A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Port Stephens, Australia, on June 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
FILE - A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
People on a whale cruise tour keep eyes out for humpback whales as the breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Overview

  • Volunteers from the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury identified a young humpback in Koombana Bay and confirmed via drone footage that it was healthy and free of fishing gear entanglements.
  • A neighboring pod of dolphins guided the wayward calf out of the bay into deeper waters of Geographe Bay, helping it rejoin the northbound migration.
  • Australia hosts the world’s largest humpback migration, with over 45,000 individuals traveling between Antarctica and Queensland breeding grounds from June through November.
  • In urban waterways such as Sydney Harbour and Port Stephens, inquisitive humpbacks have been known to halt ferry and recreational boat traffic with close approaches.
  • Despite a strong recovery since commercial whaling ended in 1985, humpbacks still face risks from fishing gear entanglements, vessel strikes and noise pollution.