Whales in the Bay!

On the same day that Australia speaks up at the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage Alaska to save Humpback whales from slaughter, we have the pleasure of seeing three Humpbacks frolicking in Port Phillip Bay!

Hundreds of people rushed to various vantage points on the Southern Peninsula when a caller to ABC Radio 774 excitedly rang in on Friday afternoon 1st June to say she could see whales in the Bay.

Several callers then described seeing the whales breaching, shooting water spouts and tail fluking close to the Dromana and Rosebud Piers.

This photo was taken by Cpt. John Joubert, last time he saw Humpback whales in the Bay in 2006. 

What is abundantly clear is that whales are visiting Port Philip Bay more than ever before, and regular Bay users report that the Bay is cleaner than it has been in their memories. Not so if Mr. Bracks allows the massive channel dredging operation to commence next year, which even the project proponent, the Port of Melbourne Corporation admits will cause high levels of turbidity, death of seagrass and loss of some marine habitats for a period of years.

With the ongoing threats to whales posed by Japanese "scientific" whaling, and the extreme vulnerability of these animals, morally we must do the right thing and ensure that they can take refuge anywhere in our coastal waters. That's pretty unlikely if we have the supersized Queen of the Netherlands ripping away at rocks at The Entrance for at least 6 months and operating in the Bay for around two years, and the ecosystem damage that would follow for years to come says Blue Wedges spokesperson Jenny Warfe. 

Although several of us saw the whales yesterday, not one of us had a camera handy. We would love to get photos from anyone who was able to take a picture. Contact Blue Wedges at www.bluewedges.org if you would like to donate a photo to the website, and help save the Bay and the whales! 

 



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