In Australia\u2019s latest survey of whale populations, humpbacks have been seen migrating north along the eastern coastline in record numbers.<\/p>\n
Over 5,000 confirmed sightings were made by mariners and others in the state of New South Wales so far, as the animals make their way out of the southern oceans with their calves.<\/p>\n
The Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (ORRCA) held its 26th annual whale census, an activity which over 600 citizen scientists participated in. Bringing binoculars, flasks of hot tea, folding chairs, and their kids, they lined 159 individual locations along the coast of NSW hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the largest animals on the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a wild species coming right on our doorstep and they\u2019re just magnificent creatures,\u201d Caroline Jones, who has volunteered with ORRCA for more than three years, told ABC News AU.<\/p>\n
In the 1960s, perhaps a few hundred humpback and minke whales would pass north along Australia\u2019s east coast. Still more than a decade away from the international whaling moratorium of the 1980s, their populations were heavily depleted.<\/p>\n
Preyed upon only rarely by orcas and great white sharks, humpback whales\u2019 primary threats come from illness, ship strikes, or auditory trauma. Since the moratorium came into effect, the humpback populations around the world have grown remarkably, and it\u2019s excepted that 40,000 will make the trip north from Antarctica this year.<\/p>\n
The ORRCA census tries to track numbers of animals as well as species they belong to, along with individual size and health.<\/p>\n
ABC News reports that the count is still ongoing, as the whales\u2019 migratory period lasts until August.<\/p>\n