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.

本研究针对西澳大利亚州乔治王湾内的南露脊鲸（southern right whale, Eubalaena australis）与观鲸船舶的行为互动响应展开分析，在船舶相遇前、相遇期间及相遇后三个观测时段开展观测，并首次评估了澳大利亚近海海域南露脊鲸对观鲸活动的短期响应。基于对46个目标群组中的82头鲸的观测数据，我们发现：尽管三个观测时段内鲸的行为并无显著差异，但南露脊鲸仍会因与其互动的船舶类型和/或数量表现出一定的行为差异。观鲸互动发生时南露脊鲸所处的活动状态，会影响其对这些船舶的行为响应程度。本研究结果表明，商业观鲸运营商与休闲船艇所有者遵守现行西澳大利亚州观鲸指南，可为栖息于乔治王湾的南露脊鲸提供足够的保护。