Southern Right Whale Aerial Survey Population Data for Southern Australia, 2022-2023

Aerial survey data of the endangered Southern Right Whale 'western' sub-population off southern Australia from Perth to Ceduna. The 2022 survey recorded 526 whales, including 247 cow-calf pairs, and contributed to a long-term dataset running since 1993. The project is managed by the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub and data is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling population growth trends based on the reported ~5.3% average annual growth rate.
• Analyzing calving intervals and reproductive success based on counts of cow-calf pairs.
• Assessing spatial distribution and movement patterns of whales along the southern Australian coast.
• Comparing population trends between the 'western' and 'eastern' sub-populations as mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous long-term dataset with annual surveys conducted since 1993.
• Includes specific counts from the 2022 survey: 526 total whales, 247 cow-calf pairs, and 31 unaccompanied adults.
• Supports population estimates, with a 2022 model estimating approximately 2,675 individuals.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the aerial survey method and region.

Provenance

Source

NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project, data hosted by Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Aerial surveys conducted along the southern Australian coast.

Time Range

2022-2023, part of a time series starting in 1993.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 11:44:01.363156; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Australian coast from Perth (Western Australia) to Ceduna (South Australia).