Eastern Australian humpback whales now exceed pre-whaling population numbers
Humpback whale recovery along Australia’s eastern coast has reached a milestone: scientists now estimate more than 50,000 individuals completed the 2024 migration — surpassing pre-whaling population numbers for the first time. Once reduced to just 150 survivors in the early 1960s, the population’s rebound is being called “a near miracle” by researchers who have tracked individual animals for four decades using citizen science and photo-identification.









