Dataset: Behavioural response of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) to whale watching in south-west Western Australia.

We examined the behavioural responses of southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) encounters to whale watching vessels in King George Sound, Western Australia over three observation periods (before, during and after vessel encounters), providing the first assessment of southern right whale short-term responses to whale watching activities off the coast of Australia. Based on observations of 82 whales across 46 focal groups, we found that although whale behaviours did not differ significantly among the three observation periods, whales did exhibit some behavioural differences associated with the type and/or number of vessels that interacted with them. The activity that southern right whales were engaged in at the time of a whale watching encounter influenced variation in their behavioural response to these vessels. Our findings suggest that compliance with current Western Australian whale watching guidelines by commercial operators and recreational boat owners is providing adequate protection for southern right whales that utilise King George Sound.

本研究对澳大利亚西部乔治王湾南部斑海豹（Eubalaena australis）在遭遇观鲸船只时的行为反应进行了考察，时间跨度为三个观测期（船只遭遇前、遭遇中及遭遇后），从而对南部斑海豹对澳大利亚海岸观鲸活动的短期反应进行了首次评估。通过对82头斑海豹在46个关注群体中的观察，我们发现尽管在三个观测期间斑海豹的行为差异并无统计学意义，但它们在遭遇不同类型和/或数量的船只时，仍表现出一些与船只交互相关的行为差异。南部斑海豹在遭遇观鲸船只时所处的活动状态影响了它们对这些船只行为反应的变异性。研究结果表明，商业运营商和休闲船只所有者遵守当前西澳大利亚观鲸指南，为利用乔治王湾的南部斑海豹提供了充足的保护。