Project Title: Genetic stock identification of southern right whales off the south coast of Australia: Phase 2
Chief Investigators: A/Professor Rob Harcourt and Dr Nathalie Patenaude
Delineation of stock boundaries is fundamental to management of protected species. For the southern right whale, determining the level of genetic interchange is essential to accurately assess population status and rates of change, to evaluate impact of anthropogenic threats eg entanglements or boat strikes, and to delineate critical habitat in Australian waters. The primary objective of this study was to ensure on-going collection of genetic samples from remnant populations.
Training in biopsy techniques was provided to Victorian collaborators (Ian Westhorpe DPI and Mandy Watson DSE) in Warrnambool, and Portland (Peter Gill Deakin Univesity) Victoria, the site of the largest calving ground of the remnant east coast population. A PAXARMS modified biopsy rifle and accessories has been provided for opportunistic sampling of new mothers that calve in the region. The Photo-Identification catalogue of Southern Right Whales is curated by Mandy Watson, ensuring double sampling of whales is unlikely. No biopsy samples were collected in Warrnambool during this project due to an absence of whales in 2007 and only photographs were collected due to bad weather or temporary absence of whales when conditions were suitable for boat use in 2008.
Within their distribution, the region for which the lowest number of southern right whales is reported, and from where the least number of biopsy samples have been collected, is the east coast of Australia, principally NSW waters. The total number of samples prior to this study was three. Two further skin samples were obtained from new mother southern right whales one present off Eden in November 2007 and the other that became resident in Sydney waters in July 2008.
These samples plus those collected in future years will be used to formulate a larger study that will be used to identify genetic stock structure and the level of gene flow between localities across southern Australia and New Zealand.
There were three objectives of this project, training, sampling collection and preparation of a larger scale project.
The training objective was attained with a large increase in capability and support for the overall objective of the project.
Secondly, ongoing sampling was partially achieved. The number of samples from the remnant population of southern right whales that calve off the east coast of Australia is nearly double that collected prior to this project. The Warrnambool sample has not increased but the capacity to rapidly obtain samples is now present.
The final objective was to prepare a full proposal for the next phase of the study, which is to collect skin biopsy samples from southern right whales contemporaneously across the coast of southern Australia. The genetic data will form a comprehensive study of (i) the number of stocks present in Australian waters, (ii) the relationship of this stock(s) to others in the Southern Hemisphere, (iii) estimation of effective population size(s) for each stock and (iv) assess whether there is sufficient protection for individual stocks. The proposal has been prepared and a draft will be submitted for discussion at the AMMC Southern right Whale workshop planned for 2009.
