The Guardian Australia

Low-flying drones could disrupt whale migration off Australia’s east coast, experts warn

As whales migrate up Australia’s east coast in the coming months, drones are hot on their tails. But experts are warning that low-flying drones seeking a viral shot can disrupt the whales’ migration patterns and may even place their mating season at risk.

Grace Russell, a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University who studies marine mammals with drones, said whales had been known to exhibit disturbanc­e behaviours when drones were flown near them at low altitudes.

It could mean sudden dives, changes in swim direction and increased frequencie­s of surfacing, she said, which wasted the precious stores of cetaceans making vast migrations with finite energy sources.

While not all studies into the responses of cetaceans to drones showed disturbanc­es, these studies were “thrown out the window” in highdensit­y places such as Sydney, where many drones are flown over an animal at once, amplifying disturbanc­e pressures.

“This footage is so hard to see, and unfortunat­ely not a rare occurrence,” Russell said.

The Australian National Guidelines for Whale and Dolphin Watching state that drones may disturb whales and dolphins due to their speed, noise and shadow. Marine mammals are known to lash out when disturbed, and have seriously injured people in the past.

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In New South Wales and Queensland, where whales can be seen migrating from June to November, drones must keep a distance of at least 100 metres from whales, dolphins and seals, and must not hover above the animals or approach them head-on.

The rules are stricter in other jurisdicti­ons: in South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia drones must be at least 300 metres away, while in Victoria they must stay at least 500 metres away.

In NSW people who are caught operating a drone closer than 100 metres to an animal can face fines of up to $3,300.

Experience­d drone operators such as Jason Iggleden, who runs the social media account Drone Shark App, use high zoom drones and extensivel­y edit their clips to “get a good shot” while filming from a legal distance, he said.

“With a good drone, there is no need to go close because you can get a good shot … but most everyday people just go and buy a cheaper drone and need to get closer than 100 metres.”

Iggleden said there was a significan­t rise in the number of drone operators in the last few years, many of whom are unaware of the regulation­s due to little public education.

But the increase in drone flyers has made it difficult to police those acting

in contravent­ion of the guidelines. A spokespers­on from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said it was necessary to both identify the drone operator and establish the elevation of a drone at the time of an alleged incident before penalties are issued.

Iggleden suggested that future laws could change to allow drones, which he described as “still quite new”, to fly closer to the animals. He added that drones were “light and quiet” compared with helicopter­s, which the regulation­s were designed for.

A Canadian study published in Marine Mammal Science found that sudden dives in beluga whales – a clear sign of stress – were common when the drone was flown below 23 metres in altitude.

In a review of related studies, the authors found that drone disturbanc­e rarely occurred when the drone was flown above 30 metres in altitude, but they also suggested that disturbanc­e of whales via drones was likely underrepor­ted.

A wildlife scientist, Dr Vanessa Pirotta, said the 100 metres guideline was adequate.

In her own study – where she used drones to collect the snot of more than 70 whales from a safe distance – there was no behavioura­l response observed. But she added: “That’s not suggesting that [on a widespread level] the whales had no idea the drone was there or did know and didn’t do anything.

“We want to take the precaution­ary approach. People feel that they need to get as close as can be, but the reality is we can observe whales safely from a distance.

“We certainly don’t want to add another challenge for whales as they navigate north … it’s very much about keeping whales safe from the water and from the air.”