Return of the right whale: Assessment of abundance, population structure and geneflow in the New Zealand southern right whale

Abstract

Southern right whales were hunted to near extinction, with an estimated 150,000 killed by intensive 19th century and illegal 20th century whaling. This thesis focuses on the coastal calving grounds of New Zealand (NZ) and Australia, where previous genetic work and survey work suggests 2 genetically distinct stocks are recovering ... Overall, the picture is encouraging for the recovering NZ southern right whale, suggesting the population is increasing at a rate comparable with conspecific stocks. The status of the NZ southern right whale as a distinct stock based on differentiation of mtDNA haplotypes is supported by the demographic closure inferred from paternity analyses. However, the stock continues to winter almost exclusively in the Auckland Islands and remains at <10% of its prewhaling abundance. The restricted range and demographic closure means it is vulnerable to local catastrophe and should continue to be monitored.