Australia's humpback populations rebound, raising hopes of marine scientists

July marks the peak of the humpback whale's 6,000-mile migration north to Queensland, Australia's warmer waters, where they mate and give birth.We think we have more whales in the population than we did pre-whaling," professor Mike Noad, director of the Centre for Marine Science at the University of Queensland, told ABC News.The bloody story of how Australia's humpbacks reached near extinction only came to light with the fall of the Soviet Union, in part thanks to the work of husband-and-wife marine biologists Philip Clapham and Yulia Ivashchenko.

Starting in 1948, the USSR ignored restrictions implemented by the International Whaling Commission and conducted a 30-year campaign of illegal whaling in the rich feeding grounds of the Antarctic, Clapham told ABC News from their home on Vashon Island, Washington state."They were doing this completely in secret," he added.They were submitting falsified catch data to the International Whaling Commission but keeping the secret data to themselves," he continued

Starting in 1948, the USSR ignored restrictions implemented by the International Whaling Commission and conducted a 30-year campaign of illegal whaling in the rich feeding grounds of the Antarctic, Clapham told ABC News from their home on Vashon Island, Washington state."They were submitting falsified catch data to the International Whaling Commission but keeping the secret data to themselves," he continuedSoviet whaling in the southern hemisphere was responsible for almost one quarter of the total number of humpback whales killed in the 20th century. "26,000 were taken in just two seasons: 1959-60 and 1960-61," Clapham confirmed. This, together with the poorly managed "legal" whaling of other nations, devastated populations.

"It hasn't required much. Just stopping killing them was enough," Noad said. "They recovered nicely under their own steam, which is very pleasing."Australia's "Humpback Highway," as experts call it, presents its own problems for ORRCA.ORRCA volunteer Jacqueline O'Neill told ABC News that on a busy day, they can receive upward of one hundred plus callouts. Most come from fishermen reporting entanglements or concerned members of the public reporting vessels flouting Australia's strict exclusion zones.While marine scientists hope Australian humpback populations have leveled off, some fear they could overshoot carrying capacity.