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The Minke Whale Project

The Minke Whale Project (based at James Cook University, North Queensland, Australia) conducts multi-disciplinary research into dwarf minke whale biology and behaviour, the social and economic values of the whales and the sustainable management of swim-with-whales tourism. The MWP research team works collaboratively with the GBR swim-with-minke whales tourism industry, Reef managers and wildlife conservation NGOs.

Dwarf minke whales visit the northern Great Barrier Reef each austral winter, forming the only known predictable aggregation of these whales in the world. Growing up to eight metres and weighing several tonnes, they are exceptionally inquisitive and often approach boats, divers and snorkelers closely, sometimes interacting for extended periods. 

This project aims to improve management strategies to mitigate risks and threats to dwarf minke whales (a still undescribed subspecies) in Australian and adjacent waters as part of an individual, population and species-level risk assessment. It will assess Australian dwarf minke whale: 
(1) population parameters such as size and structure, 
(2) habitat preferences and potential feeding grounds along Australia’s east coast and adjacent south-west Pacific waters, 
(3) the extent of their interactions with humans in Australasia and the south west Pacific, and  
(4) movements and migratory pathways in Australasian and South Pacific waters.
1.    Whale photo-ID database: >150,000 images + >100hrs digital video.
2.    Whale Sightings database (Access & Excel): c.3,000 whale encounters over 16 years (includes >2,301 whale encounters over last 9 years + archival data 1996-2002).
3.    Whale watching industry effort database (Access & Excel): >1,300 vessel days at sea records over 6 years.
4.    Whale watching tourist survey database (SPSS & Excel): >5,000 passenger questionnaires over 13 years.

Note that external funding is currently being sought to support database entry and analyses of archival data (photo-ID + whale sightings), to allow long-term analyses c.20 years of minke whale interactions in the GBR.
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    Data Record Details
    Data record related to this publication The Minke Whale Project
    Data Publication title The Minke Whale Project
  • Description

    The Minke Whale Project (based at James Cook University, North Queensland, Australia) conducts multi-disciplinary research into dwarf minke whale biology and behaviour, the social and economic values of the whales and the sustainable management of swim-with-whales tourism. The MWP research team works collaboratively with the GBR swim-with-minke whales tourism industry, Reef managers and wildlife conservation NGOs.

    Dwarf minke whales visit the northern Great Barrier Reef each austral winter, forming the only known predictable aggregation of these whales in the world. Growing up to eight metres and weighing several tonnes, they are exceptionally inquisitive and often approach boats, divers and snorkelers closely, sometimes interacting for extended periods. 

    This project aims to improve management strategies to mitigate risks and threats to dwarf minke whales (a still undescribed subspecies) in Australian and adjacent waters as part of an individual, population and species-level risk assessment. It will assess Australian dwarf minke whale: 
    (1) population parameters such as size and structure, 
    (2) habitat preferences and potential feeding grounds along Australia’s east coast and adjacent south-west Pacific waters, 
    (3) the extent of their interactions with humans in Australasia and the south west Pacific, and  
    (4) movements and migratory pathways in Australasian and South Pacific waters.
    1.    Whale photo-ID database: >150,000 images + >100hrs digital video.
    2.    Whale Sightings database (Access & Excel): c.3,000 whale encounters over 16 years (includes >2,301 whale encounters over last 9 years + archival data 1996-2002).
    3.    Whale watching industry effort database (Access & Excel): >1,300 vessel days at sea records over 6 years.
    4.    Whale watching tourist survey database (SPSS & Excel): >5,000 passenger questionnaires over 13 years.

    Note that external funding is currently being sought to support database entry and analyses of archival data (photo-ID + whale sightings), to allow long-term analyses c.20 years of minke whale interactions in the GBR.

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  • Other Descriptors
    • Descriptor
      • Descriptor type
    • Data type dataset
  • Keywords
    • dwarf minke whales
    • population ecology
    • swim-with-whales tourism
    • whale interactions
  • Funding source
    • James Cook University
    • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
    • Sustainable Tourism CRC
    • Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF)
    • Tourism Quality Projects Program (TQUAL)
    • Australian Marine Mammal Centre (AMMC)
    • Code Hole and Ribbon Reef Operators Association (CHARROA)
    • Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)
    • International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
  • Research grant(s)/Scheme name(s)
    • - Great Barrier Reef Marathon Research Fund
    • - Implementing sustainable swim-with-whales tourism in Far North Queensland (TQUAL)
    • - Understanding the social and economic values of key marine species in the GBR (MTSRF)
    • - Dwarf Minke Whale Tourism Monitoring Program (GBRMPA)
    • - Extending the photo-identification of the GBR dwarf minke whale population to investigate dwarf minke spatial and temporal movements and support the larger-scale results of our satellite telemetry (IFAW)
    • - Cataloguing the GBR dwarf minke whale population and investigating its migratory pathways, spatial ecology and areas of critical habitat (IFAW)
    • - Spatial ecology, migratory paths and critical areas of habitat use of Australia’s dwarf minke whales (AMMC)
    • 16127 - Dwarf minke whale tourism research and monitoring program
    • 16373 - Dwarf Minke Whale Biology and Implications for Tourism Management
    • 18213 - Dwarf Minke Whale Tourism Research and Monitoring Program
    • Research themes
    Tropical Ecosystems, Conservation and Climate Change
    Industries and Economies in the Tropics
    FoR Codes (*)
    SEO Codes
- Specify coverage
    Specify spatial or temporal setting of the data
    Temporal (time) coverage
  • Start Date
  • End Date
    • Time Period
    Spatial (location) coverage
  • Locations
- Data
    Data Locations

    Type Location Notes
    Physical Location QCIF Collection Q0150
    The Data Manager is: Alistair Birtles
    College or Centre College of Science & Engineering
    Access conditions Conditional: Contact researchdata@jcu.edu.au to request access to this data.
  • Alternative access conditions
    • Data record size 13.193 TiB
- Related resources
  • Related publications
      Name Birtles A., Valentine P., Curnock M., Mangott A., Sobtzick S. & Marsh H. (2014). Report to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on the dwarf minke whale tourism monitoring program (2003-2008), Research Publication 112, GBRMPA, Townsville.
    • URL https://hdl.handle.net/11017/2908
    • Notes Freely available from GBRMPA website
      • Name Mustika, Putu Liza Kusuma, Birtles, Alastair, Everingham, Yvette, and Marsh, Helene (2015) Evaluating the potential disturbance from dolphin watching in Lovina, north Bali, Indonesia. Marine Mammal Science, 31 (2). pp. 808-817.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12188
    • Notes
      • Name Beeden, R.J., Turner, M.A., Dryden, J., Merida, F., Goudkamp, K., Malone, C., Marshall, P.A., Birtles, A., and Maynard, J.A. (2014) Rapid survey protocol that provides dynamic information on reef condition to managers of the Great Barrier Reef. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 186 (12). pp. 8527-8540.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4022-0
    • Notes
      • Name Birtles, R.A., & Arnold, P.W. (2013). Dwarf Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata. In S. Van Dyck, I. Gynther & A. Baker (Eds.), Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia. (pp. 212 & 332). Sydney, NSW: New Holland.
    • URL https://au.newhollandpublishers.com/9781877069819.html
    • Notes Book chapter
      • Name Mustika, Putu Liza Kusuma, Birtles, Alastair, Everingham, Yvette, and Marsh, Helene (2013) The human dimensions of wildlife tourism in a developing country: watching spinner dolphins at Lovina, Bali, Indonesia. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21 (2). pp. 229-251.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2012.692881
    • Notes
      • Name Halliday, Allison, Horton, Hank, and Birtles, Alastair (2013) The role and importance of the Australian World Heritage Indigenous Network (AWHIN) in achieving best practice management of World Heritage in Australia. In: Figgis, Penelope, Leverington, Andrea, Mackay, Richard, Maclean, Andrew, and Valentine, Peter, (eds.) Keeping the Outstanding Exceptional: the future of world heritage in Australia. Australian Committee for IUCN, Sydney, NSW, Australia, pp. 158-163.
    • URL https://www.iucn.org/content/keeping-outstanding-exceptional-future-world-heritage-australia-0
    • Notes Book chapter; Open Access
      • Name Figgis, Penelope, Leverington, Andrea, Mackay, Richard, Maclean, Andrew, and Valentine, Peter, (eds.) (2013) Keeping the Outstanding Exceptional: the future of world heritage in Australia. Australian Committee for IUCN, Sydney, NSW, Australia
    • URL https://www.iucn.org/content/keeping-outstanding-exceptional-future-world-heritage-australia-0
    • Notes Edited book; Open Access
      • Name Curnock, Matthew I., Birtles, R. Alastair, and Valentine, Peter S. (2013) Increased use levels, effort, and spatial distribution of tourists swimming with dwarf minke whales at the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism in Marine Environments, 9 (1-2). pp. 5-17.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/154427313X13659574649867
    • Notes Accepted version available from ResearchOnline@JCU: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/24944/
      • Name Mustika, Putu Liza Kusuma, Birtles, Alastair, Welters, Riccardo, and Marsh, Helene (2012) The economic influence of community-based dolphin watching on a local economy in a developing country: implications for conservation. Ecological Economics, 79. pp. 11-20.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.04.018
    • Notes
      • Name Birtles, Alastair, and Mangott, Arnold (2011) Highly interactive behaviour of inquisitive dwarf minke whales. In: Brakes, Philippa, and Simmonds, Mark Peter, (eds.) Whales & Dolphins: cognition, culture, conservation and human perceptions. Earthscan, London, UK, pp. 140-148.
    • URL http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781849712255/
    • Notes Book chapter
      • Name Birtles, R.A., and Arnold, P.W. (2008) Dwarf Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). In: Van Dyck, Steve, and Straham, Ronald, (eds.) The Mammals of Australia. Reed New Holland, Sydney, NSW, Australia, pp. 792-794.
    • URL https://au.newhollandpublishers.com/the-mammals-of-australia-9781877069253.html
    • Notes Book chapter
      • Name Mangott, Arnold Hubert, Birtles, Robert Alastair, and Marsh, Helene (2011) Attraction of dwarf minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata to vessels and swimmers in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area – the management challenges of an inquisitive whale. Journal of Ecotourism, 10 (1). pp. 64-76.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14724041003690468
    • Notes
      • Name Stoeckl, Natalie, Birtles, Alastair, Farr, Marina, Mangott, Arnold, Curnock, Matthew, and Valentine, Peter (2010) Live-aboard dive boats in the Great Barrier Reef: regional economic impact and the relative values of their target marine species. Tourism Economics, 16 (4). pp. 995-1018.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/te.2010.0005
    • Notes
      • Name Tibiriçá, Y., Birtles, A., Valentine, P., Miller, D.K. (2011) Diving tourism in Mozambique: An opportunity at risk? Tourism in Marine Environments, 7(3-4). pp. 141-151.
    • URL https://doi.org/10.3727/154427311X13195453162732
    • Notes
      • Name Stoeckl, N., Birtles, A., Valentine, P., Farr, M., Curnock, M., Mangott, A., and Sobtzick, S. (2010) Understanding the Social and Economic Values of Key Marine Species in the Great Barrier Reef: MTSRF Project 4.8.6(a) Final Report, June 2010 with a section focusing on marine turtles. Report. Reef & Rainforest Research Centre, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
    • URL https://www.rrrc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/486a-JCU-Stoeckl-N-et-al-2010-Social-economic-values-of-key-marine-species-GBR.pdf
    • Notes Freely available from Reef & Rainforest Research Centre website
      • Name Birtles, A., Arnold, P., Curnock, M., Salmon, S., Mangott, A., Sobtzick, S., Valentine, P., Caillaud, A., and Rumney, J. (2008) Code of Practice for dwarf minke whale interactions in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
    • URL http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/4476/Birtles-et-al-2008.pdf
    • Notes Freely available from GBRMPA website
      • Name Birtles, A., Valentine, P.S., Curnock, M., Mangott, A., and Sobtzick, S. (2008) Managing the swimming-with-dwarf minke whales tourism industry in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: developing collaboration between managers, industry and researchers. In: Proceedings of Australian Protected Areas Congress 2008. pp. 190-192. From: Australian Protected Areas Congress 2008, 24-28 November 2008, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia.
    • URL https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/10508/
    • Notes Conference proceedings
      • Name Arnold , Peter W., Birtles, R. Alastair, Dunstan, Andy , Lukoschek, Vimoksalehi, and Matthews, Monique (2005) Colour patterns of the dwarf minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata sensu lato: description, cladistic analysis and taxonomic implications. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 51 (2). pp. 277-307.
    • URL https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/4935/1/4935_Arnold_et_al...2005.pdf
    • Notes Freely available from ResearchOnline@JCU. Reproduced with permission from Memoirs of the Queensland Museum
      • Name Arnold, P.W., Birtles, R. A., Sobtzick, S., Matthews, M., and Dunstan, A. (2005) Gulping behaviour in rorqual whales: underwater observations and functional interpretation. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 51 (2). pp. 309-332.
    • URL https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/4943/1/4943_Arnold_et_al...2005.pdf
    • Notes Freely available from ResearchOnline@JCU. Reproduced with permission from Memoirs of the Queensland Museum
      • Name Valentine, Peter S., Birtles, Alastair, Curnock, Matt, Arnold, Peter, and Dunstan, Andy (2004) Getting closer to whales - passenger expectations and experiences, and the management of swim with dwarf minke whale interactions in the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism Management, 25 (6). pp. 647-655.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2003.09.001
    • Notes
      • Name Birtles, R.A., Arnold, P.W., and Dunstan, A.J. (2002) Commercial swim programs with dwarf minke whales on the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia: some characteristics of the encounters with management implications. Australian Mammalogy, 24 (1). pp. 23-38.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AM02023
    • Notes
      • Name Davis, D., Banks, S., Birtles, A., Valentine, P. & Cuthill, M. (1997) Whale Sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park: Managing Tourism in an Australian Marine Protected Area. J. Tourism Management, 18(5). pp.259-271.
    • URL https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(97)00015-0
    • Notes
      • Name Rowe, F.W.E., Hoggett, A.K., Birtles, R.A. & Vail, L.L. (1986) Revision of some comasterid genera from Australia (Echinodermata: Crinoidea), with descriptions of two new genera and nine new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 86(3). pp. 197-277.
    • URL https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1986.tb01812.
    • Notes
      • Name Anderson, P.K. & Birtles, R.A. (1978) Behaviour and Ecology of the Dugong, Dugong dugon (Sirenia): observations in Shoalwater and Cleveland Bays, Queensland. Australian Wildlife Research, 5(1). pp. 1-23.
    • URL https://doi.org/10.1071/WR9780001
    • Notes
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    Citation Birtles, Alistair; Curnock, Matthew; Sobztick, Susan; Arnold, Peter; Valentine, Peter (2022): The Minke Whale Project. James Cook University. https://doi.org/10.25903/1j26-ka69