Eagle Radio – News – Rare She Blows: White Humpback Whale Spotted

The Department of Conservation (DoC) whale survey yesterday sighted a white humpback whale just after 9am in Cook Strait.

The whale identified as “Migaloo” was seen alongside a black humpback during the Cook Strait Whale Survey on Sunday, in the final week of a four-week count of whales passing through the strait.

Migaloo, which is Aboriginal for “whitefella”, has been spotted every year since 1991 off the Australian east coast as he migrates north from Antarctica to warmer waters.

Researchers from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation believe the whale, one of only four known white humpbacks in the world, was Migaloo, who was first spotted off the eastern coast of Australia in 1991. “I have never seen anything like this in New Zealand”, said marine mammal scientist Carlos Olavarria, according to the release.

Whale survey leader Nadine Bott told the New Zealand Herald of the sighting, “It’s a once in a lifetime thing, that’s for sure”.

“I thought, wow that whale is white, that is incredible!” said John Gibbs, skipper of the boat. Animals with these are commonly called “razor backs”.

They said when they approached a normal black humpback whale with their boat, they were delighted to discover that it was swimming alongside an extremely rare white humpback whale.

The biologists will compare DNA taken yesterday from the white whale via a biopsy dart, with Migaloo’s DNA.

Of those, one is Migaloo and another is a whale spotted off Norway this year.

“One has been named MJ, short for Migaloo junior”, said the scientist.

New Zealand has been assessing the recovery of the humpback whale population since commercial whaling ended in 1964. Previously the highest was 106 humpbacks in 2012.

She said distinctive features on the whale in Cook Strait strongly indicated it was Migaloo.