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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Graham Readfearn Climate and environment correspondent

Whales on Australia’s ‘humpback highway’ are at growing risk of injury from boat and propeller strikes

A humpback whale's tail fluke rises above the ocean surface, water splashing below
The fluke of a female humpback whale first seen in Hervey Bay, Queensland in 2004 as a subadult. In 2026 her calf was seen with propeller injuries. Photograph: Isabel Taylor Pacific Whale Foundation Eco Adventures Australia

Gruesome images of adult and juvenile humpback whales along Australia’s east coast with slash and gouge injuries from boat and propeller strikes highlight what experts say is a growing problem, as the population booms 60 years after the ban on whaling.

Missing tail parts, deep red lacerations and shocking injuries to the spine of a whale calf can be clearly seen on the images, gathered by WWF Australia and shared with the Guardian.

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