Mission & Justice

Susie Cameron; 13/8/08

A southern right whale and her calf frolicking off the coast delighted Sydney recently. The visit was a boon for whale watchers - and for scientists working to conserve the species. It’s 1.40pm and Rob Harcourt and his small boatload of researchers are just a stone’s throw away from a rare southern right whale and her newborn calf. They’re waiting for the perfect moment to draw even closer and fire a tiny plastic dart into the side of the 50-tonne sea mammal. The migrating new mother has halted for a rest in the calm waters of Long Bay, Malabar, while her three-week-old calf splashes around her.On a grassy knoll directly opposite the basking whales, a local mum and her own toddler are playing out a similar scene; the tiny tot buzzes among other watchers as the mother relaxes on the grass.

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13/8/08

After being hunted to the brink of extinction, humpback whales have bounced back so well that most are nearly clear of danger. This success for whales in a world of continuing species loss is also being claimed as a win by whalers, who advocate a renewed humpback kill. The shift came in the Red List of Threatened Species for Cetaceans released yesterday by IUCN, the World Conservation Union. Humpbacks have been reclassified from “vulnerable” to “least concern”, the lowest level of risk. Small stocks of the species in the South Pacific and Arabian Sea are still endangered. Other conservation wins include a similar downlisting of the southern right whale.

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David Fogarty; 18/4/08

Scientists studying the icy depths of the sea around Antarctica have detected changes in salinity that could have profound effects on the world’s climate and ocean currents. The scientists returned to Hobart on Thursday after a one-month voyage studying the Southern Ocean to see how it is changing and what those changes might mean for global climate patterns. Voyage leader Steve Rintoul said his team found that salty, dense water that sinks near the edge of Antarctica to the bottom of the ocean about 5 km down was becoming fresher and more buoyant. So-called Antarctic bottom water helps power the great ocean conveyor belt, a system of currents spanning the Southern, Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans that shifts heat around the globe.

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