Day 3 - My Love of Whales

Travelling from Coonabarabran to Dalby did not have many points of interest but I was grateful for the sunshine and clear road. Listening to the news of Aus tralia in the Intl Court of Justice made me think about whales and my hopes that I will see some humpbacks while I am up North. 

I still remember my excitement at the prospect of seeing whales on a trip to Cape Cod in my early 20s. I had never had the opportunity to see a whale before this and I don’t remember if one was spotted on that trip but I was forever drawn to learning about and loving whales. I like dolphins but I love whales.

Over the years I have whale watched numerous times in waters off California, Washington state, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria.  Sightings have mainly been from boats but also from land. My favourite whales are orcas but Australia is a better place to see humpbacks.

One whale sighting was from the glass bottom boat on Lady Elliot Island when I visited 10 years ago. Hervey Bay is a popular whale watching spot because Humpback whales migrate annually between June and August from polar feeding grounds to tropical calving and mating areas at the Great Barrier Reef. Then from August to the end of October, the whales begin returning to the Antarctic and stopping over in Hervey Bay for a long rest before their big journey.

My love of whales is the reason I oppose whaling and am interested in the news this week. Australia and Japan are trying to settle their differences over whaling in the Southern Ocean in the International Court of Justice. Australia has argued that there is no meaningful scientific information being gained from the data collected and whaling should stop. Japan will respond next week. Stay tuned.