Overview

• Survey teams recorded almost 200 whales across South Australia this week, including about 140 at Head of Bight, marking the strongest start since 2016.
• South Australia will introduce whale nursery protection areas at Fowlers Bay and Sleaford Bay on September 1, requiring tourist vessels to keep 300 metres from whales.
• Peer‑reviewed studies drawing on three decades of data report slowing population growth and reduced reproductive success since about 2016–17.
• Aerial surveys from 1976–2024 estimate 2,346–3,940 southern right whales, and the species remains listed as endangered under federal law.
• Authorities are monitoring a toxic algal bloom affecting parts of the coast, which has not been detected in the far west where most whales gather and is not considered toxic to mammals, as researchers credit the Great Australian Bight marine reserve and modern monitoring tools for recent gains.