Organisations

The White Whale Research Centre is proud to announce a working collaboration with The Great Barrier Reef Legacy Team.

Great Barrier Reef Legacy is an innovative leader in collaborative coral reef research expeditions, education, stewardship and multi-media engagement.

A not-for-profit social enterprise, Great Barrier Reef Legacy was created to address the urgent need to secure the long-term survival of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs world-wide.

Legacy builds on the experience and models of Undersea Explorer and Eye to Eye Marine Encounters – delivering marine research and tourism expeditions, innovative citizen science, outstanding wildlife encounters and world-class documentaries.

Through public, private and corporate funding, Great Barrier Reef Legacy brings together the best scientific minds, talented educators and communicators and inventive multimedia specialists creating positive and lasting outcomes for our environment.

Visit greatbarrierreeflegacy.org to find out more.

Dwarf minke whales visit the northern Great Barrier Reef each Australian 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. Swimming with dwarf minke whales is an extraordinary wildlife tourism experience, dwarf minke whales behave unlike most other whales and show exceptional interest in humans. These highly inquisitive whales often approach boats, divers and snorkelers very closely, and occasionally stay in close proximity and interact for many hours.

The Minke Whale Project (based at James Cook University, North Queensland Australia) conducts 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 conducted on the northern (Ribbon Reef) section of the Great Barrier Reef. The Minke Whale Project research team works collaboratively with the Great Barrier Reef tourism industry, reef managers and conservation groups to ensure that minke whale encounters are conducted sustainably.

Tourism operators must have an endorsement from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to conduct swims with dwarf minke whales in the Great Barrier Reef. For a list of current swim-with-whales endorsed operators, please visit the GBRMPA Website.

The Minke Whale Project Fund is a non-profit research fund set up by James Cook University to support research into dwarf minke whale biology, behaviour and sustainable tourism interactions. Donations can be tax deductible for Australian residents. Click here to find out more or to make a donation and become a Friend of the Minke Whale Project. They also have a website: http://www.minkewhaleproject.org/

The Southern Cross University Whale Research Group (SCUWRG) is a cetacean research centre that was established in 2001 at Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia.

The main objective of the SCUWRG is to support research on whale and dolphin populations in the Southern Hemisphere and through this research to contribute to their conservation. Current Australian and international projects being coordinated by researchers from the SCUWRG include studies of humpback whales in Hervey Bay and Byron Bay, as well as research on inshore dolphin populations in locations ranging from the northern NSW to the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland. This research is enhancing our understanding of these remarkable creatures, to develop effective management strategies for their long-term protection, and to promote education about whales, dolphins and other cetaceans.

The Cape Byron Whale Research Project, and the Oceania Project (Trish and Wally Franklin), involve long-term research on humpback whales and are conducted at Cape Byron, in northern NSW, and in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.