Project ORCA in Perth, Western Australia | Education

Project ORCA

Locality: Perth, Western Australia

Address: Australia Perth, WA, Australia

Website: http://www.projectorca.com.au

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25.01.2022 We have arrived at Exmouth field site to continue working in collaboration with our friends and colleagues at CETREC WA on the killer whale population off Ningaloo. Our first day was a success with a sighting of orca family group Pec, Wisp, Willo, Fin and Fluke. It was great to see both offspring of Pec- Fin and Fluke- doing well. We came at the tail-end of a successful humpback calf kill and Pec and co. continued to feed on the calf at depth. The mother humpback and escort r...emained in the area, with continuous interactions with the killer whale group. We are grateful to everybody that alerted us to this sighting and happy to have gotten out, despite the windy conditions. On our way home from a long day, we came across some other remains on the reef- an intestine floating on the surface! Samples were taken, and with the vegetative contents inside this large intestine, we suspect a possible deceased dugong. Images collected under permit whilst conducting research with our colleagues from CETREC WA. #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia #killerwhales #orcatalkoz @ Exmouth, Western Australia

16.01.2022 Continuing on from yesterday’s #NAIDOC week post - Meet Bunuru (SWA095, first sighted in 2014), named after the Noongar (southwest Aus) season. The Noongar calendar includes six seasons in a yearly cycle, Bunuru is the second season also known as the second summer or season of adolescence. This is the hottest part of the year occurring during February and March. The Bunuru season is when we most commonly conduct our fieldwork in the Bremer sub-basin and we have only ever sighted this particular killer whale during the months of February and March making this name very fitting. #projectorca #orcatalkoz #killerwhales #orca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia

16.01.2022 A lucky encounter off Rottnest this day last year. Thanks to Sue and her family for donating their imagery of this group of friendly orca approaching their vessel. We have been able to identify 2 of these animals as resighted individuals documented off Rottnest Island since 2016. We are continuing to learn more about this mid-coast population seen spring time each year. Documenting these individuals and resighting known animals is all possible thanks to citizen scientists... such as Sue and her family. This year has seen the largest number of reported killer whale sightings off Rottnest Island and we are so grateful to be on this journey with you learning more about what is our own backyard. We are adding new individuals to our database every year! Thank you to everyone who has ever informed us of their lucky encounter and donated their imagery. Have you been lucky enough to spot some orca off our coastline? All imagery credited to Sue, Mark, Indie and crew. #citizenscience #projectorca #killerwhalesaustralia #orcatalkoz #orca #killerwhale #rottnest #rottnestisland See more

16.01.2022 **NEW SIGHTING ALERT*** We have just received a new sighting of killer whales seen off Cape Naturaliste this week. Thank you to Cameron Lancaster and Matt Durrell for submitting these videos and thanks to Kyle Sims for passing on Project ORCA details. Earlier this week Cameron and Matt were lucky enough to encounter a group of at least 2 killer whales whilst they were fishing. This group was last seen heading south.... Over the years we have had a few sightings of killer whales off Cape Naturaliste. In fact, around this time last year on the 28th of July, we had a sighting sent in of 5 killer whales travelling off Cape Naturaliste lighthouse. Have you seen any killer whales in Western Australian waters lately? We'd love to hear! Thank you to everyone who calls in their sighting and donates their images and information - research cannot be done alone and we are grateful for all the incredible citizen scientists out there! Here is a video from Cameron showing his encounter with killer whales whales this week. #citizenscience #citizenscientists #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia

16.01.2022 Earlier this year, the Project ORCA team worked with ABC TV + iview and Wildbear Entertainment to help create a special episode in ‘Australia Remastered: Wild Australians’. The series draws upon the ABC’s rich treasure trove of unique 16mm and 35mm archive footage, which has been digitally remastered, preserving the footage. Check it out on iView- and keep a eye out in the first 10 minutes for some very special Bremer orca Some spectacular footage shot by Project ORCA rese...arch assistant Pierce is highlighted, featuring known animals such as El Notcho, Three Stripes and a new calf suckling! You can watch it online here: Watching Australia Remastered: Wild Australians Orca in iview https://iview.abc.net.au//aus/series/0/video/DO1847H001S00

16.01.2022 The southerly migration of humpback whales along Australian coastlines is slowly coming to an end. With the steady increase of humpback whale numbers along the Western Australian coast, predator populations are expected to follow suit. This theory appears to be supported by the rise in killer whale sightings reported along the WA coastline. This winter season was an exceptional year for sightings of the Ningaloo killer whale population, which have now been sighted as far south as Kalbarri and as far north as the Rowley Shoals. Have you been lucky enough to see any killer whales off WA this year? We'd love to hear! #citizenscience #projectorca #orca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia #humpbacks #orcatalkoz

16.01.2022 We have been overwhelmed with your response from our last post. Thank you to everyone who has since sent in more sightings of killer whales off the Western Australian coastline. We now have a second match!!!! First is a video of a large group of killer whales seen off Rockingham last week. What an incredible encounter- thanks to Scott Phillips for sending this in. Although conducting photo-identification can be difficult with low-resolution images and videos, there is a disti...nct fin in this group with a large notch in the trailing edge of the dorsal fin. This animal also appears to be a new mum- with a young calf swimming alongside. Four days later, another group of orca with 8-10 animals, was observed off Rottnest. In this group, was the same female with the large notch in her dorsal fin, and young calf in tow. Thanks to longtime contributor Luke Nelson for these sighting details and image posted here in the comments. Another great example of the power of citizen science and how your can help with the conservation of orca here in Australia. Thank you to everyone for your support and contributions! #citizenscience #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia

15.01.2022 Want to hear more about a day in the office for an orca researcher? And learn why Bec from Project ORCA is advocating to expand the Marine Park Area off the WA South Coast for not only killer whales, but other marine life. Have a listen to Bec chatting on the radio with Simon Beaumont from NewsTalk6PR and calling out for the locals of Perth to keep an eye out for orca in the coming months off Rottnest Island!

15.01.2022 Exciting news- we have the first match ever made of killer whales sighted off Rottnest Island! Meet George. Thanks to citizen science, we were able to identify one male killer whale, George, seen off Rottnest Island in 2016, 2019 and now in 2020- last week. Named by one of our citizen scientists who helped with this match and contributed imagery. This data is invaluable as we continue to build the bigger picture of killer whales seen off Western Australia. Thank you to our... citizen scientists and contributors: Plaxy, Dan, Ry, Ben and Patrick. Images here credited to: Plaxy Barratt and Patrick Lane. They have all donated imagery that allowed this match of an individual to occur. Without your help and donation of data, we would never have made this discovery. Just an example of the power of citizen science. #citizenscience #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia

14.01.2022 Thanks to Reefwalker Charters, crew and Rob for sending through information on their recent sighting of killer whales off Kalbarri whilst on tour. Wow, what an encounter to have! The crew at Reefwalker and guests were lucky to witness the well-known Ningaloo orca off Kalbarri late September attacking a humpback calf. This sighting is important as it is the furthest south we have recorded the Ningaloo orca and gives us a better understanding of their distribution range. Well-...known Ningaloo killer whales Hook and co. were positively identified as by our colleague CETREC’s Ningaloo identification catalogue. Another great contribution of citizen science that really helps us build the puzzle of the West Australian orca. There are many days we are out on survey off Ningaloo, with no orca to be seen, and wondering where they could be. We now know they could be much further south than expected! Images credited to Rob from Reefwalker Charters Kalbarri. #citizenscience #projectorca #killerwhalesaustralia #killerwhaleresearchaustralia

14.01.2022 Another successful day on the water yesterday off Ningaloo. We were alerted to a group of 8-9 orca off the reef in the morning and swung into action and launched the research vessel straight away. Upon arrival, the group of orca had split and been lost in the glare. We were lucky enough to find a group of 4 orca further to the west- Pec’s family again. Animals were resting and slowly traveling north, with many humpbacks migrating past, not a bother to either species. Thanks... to everyone who alerted us they were off the south of the reef. We are currently waiting for better winds and hope to get back out today. Images collected under permit whilst conducting research with our colleagues from CETREC WA. #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia

13.01.2022 We are chasing a killer whale sighting that is occurring off Kalbarri today. We are seeking any images or footage that could help to confirm this sighting. Sightings in our database confirm killer whale sightings of different animals south and north of Kalbarri, we are interested to try and match any known individuals. The image here of killer whales sighted off Jurien Bay is by Kane Krollig from Turquoise Safaris. Another great contribution by the citizen scientists of Australia. Thanks to Blair Ranford and Adam from Happy Dayz Imagery for alerting us to today's sighting. #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #citizenscience

13.01.2022 We are chasing a killer whale sighting today off Dunsborough in the south-west. We are seeking any images or footage that could help to confirm this sighting. Thanks to Brodee Elsdon for alerting us to this. #projectorca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #citizenscience

09.01.2022 To finish off #NAIDOC week for 2020 - Meet Koomba (SWA068, first sighted in 2016), this mature male’s name means big in the Noongar (southwest Aus) language - as a reference for size the dorsal fin of a male killer whale can reach up to 6 ft tall! #projectorca #orcatalkoz #killerwhales #orca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia

08.01.2022 Yesterday well-known family group Hook, Spinner and Elle undertook a successful attack on a humpback calf off the Ningaloo Reef. Our colleagues at CETREC WA were there to document the entire event and collected important data. We will be joining our friends and colleagues next week at CETREC WA for this season to continue our collaboration on killer whale research here in Australia. Please remember if you are lucky enough to encounter such an event like this, to maintain a respectful and legal distance. All regulations and permits should be adhered to, and understand this can be an extremely stressful moment for these animals.

07.01.2022 What does #WorldOrcaDay mean to you? To us, it means we continue working hard to understand this apex predator in our waters by means of dedicated research, collaboration, and communication. Did you know orca here in Australia are currently listed as Data Deficient? We hope with continued research and collaboration we can change this in the future and implement the right management plans to protect and conserve this incredible species. Here is a well-known killer whale Dot ...(SWA049), seen surfacing in the Bremer Sub-Basin in Western Australia. Dot is named for her distinctive round scar seen on her eyepatch.....just about to emerge from that deep blue Bremer water. #worldorcaday2020 #projectorca #killerwhalesaustralia

06.01.2022 Look how big Shadow has grown! What a privilege it is to be able to monitor the growth of individuals in the population of orca in the Bremer Sub-Basin. Our research intern Corinna is currently processing our data collected in our 2020 field season. Here is Bindi’s calf, Shadow, first sighted when she was born in 2017. And here she is again in 2020. We were lucky enough to observe Bindi many times this year, with Shadow following closely behind. Long-term population monitor...ing through photo-ID is an essential tool for understanding killer whale populations and is vital for the establishment of management policies. Image collected under permit whilst conducting research with our colleagues from CETREC WA. #projectorca #killerwhales #killerwhalesaustralia

06.01.2022 Hook, Elle, Spinner, alongside 3 other killer whales we documented for the first time this year, were in the Gulf yesterday! Each year we are learning more about their range and distribution. It was only 3 weeks ago this group was sighted off Kalbarri. Our good friends and colleague, Cetrec WA was able to obtain biopsies of these new animals from yesterday’s sighting, another piece to add to the incredible WA Orca puzzle! #killerwhaleresearchaustralia

05.01.2022 This week, across Australia we have been celebrating #NAIDOC week with this year’s theme - Always Was, Always Will Be. Recognising that First Nations people have occupied and cared for Australia for over 65,000 years and that our country’s story began well before European settlement [-o-] . Project Orca’s research is primarily based on Noongar land in Australia’s southwest. One way we acknowledge and incorporate the rich culture and history of our First Nations people is thro...ugh incorporating names and words from Indigenous dialects when naming the killer whales in our ID-catalogue. Over the next few days we will share with you some of the Bremer sub-basin killer whales with Indigenous names and the meanings behind them. . First up meet Jandamarra (SWA093, first sighted in 2015), named after an Aboriginal warrior and legend from Bunuba country (West Kimberley region). He was a clever and courageous leader who fought to save his country and people from European colonisation. The marked up fin of this male killer whale seemed only fitting for a warrior. We consulted with the Bunuba people prior to giving this Bremer sub-basin killer whale such a significant name and are so grateful to have their blessing and to be able to share this story with you. #projectorca #orcatalkoz #killerwhales #orca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia

05.01.2022 Some gorgeous footage from the archives donated by S S Kwong back in 2016 of killer whales off Bruny Island in Tasmania. This footage was analysed by our colleagues at Killer Whales Australia and in this group Groovey, Split Fin and Mid Nick can be seen. If you're lucky enough to spot any killer whales off beautiuful Tasmania, please consider donating your imagery to science and Killer Whales Australia so we can gain a better understanding of these apex predators in our waters. Science is stronger when we work together! #citizenscience #projectorca #killerwhalesaustralia

02.01.2022 Listen up! When you're facing a long commute to work (or even a short drive), treat yourself to an earful of this recent podcast. Or even grab a cuppa and learn all about orca whilst you are staying home and safe. The Future Of Killer Whales: check out this great podcast by Curtin University chatting with Dr Wellard from Project ORCA and CMST. The perfect way to kick off National Science Week! Killer whales are at once both fascinating and fearsome, and Dr Wellard has dedicat...ed the past 10 years of her research career to learning more about these mammals. In this episode, Dr Wellard reveals some of key characteristics and behaviours of orcas, such as their ability to take on sharks and whether they really connect with humans. She explains how killer whales use bioacoustics, including echolocation clicks and burst-pulse sounds, to navigate, hunt, communicate and socialise with other pod members. Dr Wellard also reveals the habitats of killer whales, including the deep waters off the Western Australian coast, and how her research is expanding the scientific knowledge of killer whales, enabling stronger population monitoring and conversation efforts. Check out "The Future Of Killer Whales" on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/21tX8CzHBquf0LoVLmhfgn And Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com//pod/the-future-of/id1478709485 Centre for Marine Science & Technology - CMST, Curtin University Curtin University Alumni

02.01.2022 Heading into the weekend with Akama, Cookie and Oreo. We have observed Oreo in the Bremer Sub-Basin since 2014 and he/she is estimated to be almost 10 years old. Male killer whales can be identified by their tall dorsal fins that begin to straighten and lose their curve around the age of 15 years - also known as sprouting. Although Oreo’s gender is currently unknown, we are keeping a close eye on any changes in the coming seasons. ... #projectorca #orcatalkoz #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia #orca #killerwhales See more

01.01.2022 ~~ WORKING TOGETHER FOR STRONGER PROTECTION ~~ We have exciting news! Earlier this year, working with colleagues across the globe, we collectively submitted a proposal to the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force highlighting and aiming to protect the southwest region where we regularly sight killer whales and sperm whales. With the hard work of this team, this region has now been declared an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA)! So what does this mean? Well, the IMMA ...initiative helps support a stronger global profile for the role of marine mammals in protected areas, and provides a stronger voice for the MMPA constituency within IUCN. IMMAs are identified in order to prioritise their consideration for conservation measures by governments, intergovernmental organisations, conservation groups, and the general public. This means we are working towards greater protection for the Bremer Sub-Basin and Albany canyon area with global recognition. You can check out the details of this newly created Albany Canyon Region IMMA here: https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org/p/albany-canyon-region/ Thanks to all our partners for a collaborative effort on this one, science and conservation is stronger when we work together. Thanks to Centre for Marine Science & Technology - CMST, Curtin University, WWF-Australia, CETREC WA, Edith Cowan University, CEBEL Flinders University, Killer Whales Australia and the University of St Andrews. #projectorca #orcatalkoz #killerwhales #orca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia

01.01.2022 As an apex predator, killer whales play an important role in the ecosystem. They occupy the top of the trophic food chain and can be considered an indicator species. Indicator species can be used to: monitor environmental changes signal a change in the biological condition of the ecosystem... provide warning signals for impending ecological shifts be used as a proxy to diagnose the health of an ecosystem This photo features Tricky (SWA021) and was taken during a beaked whale predation in the Bremer Sub-Basin. #projectorca #orcatalkoz #killerwhales #orca #killerwhaleresearchaustralia #killerwhalesaustralia