Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) - removal from the vulnerable species list

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Final Determination to remove the Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828, from the Schedules of the Act by omitting reference to this species from Schedule 2 (Vulnerable species). The omission of species from the Schedules is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.

NSW Scientific Committee - final determination

The Scientific Committee has found that:

1. The Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis, is currently listed as a vulnerable species on Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act.

2. The Sei Whale was transferred to Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act from Schedule 6 of the National Parks & Wildlife Act based on the national status for this species given in the Action Plan for Cetaceans (Bannister et al. 1996).

3. There are no confirmed records of the species within the waters of New South Wales and no museum specimens exist for NSW (Smith 2001). The Sei Whale is therefore not eligible for consideration under the Threatened Species Conservation Act as it is not indigenous to NSW.

4. There are two unconfirmed sightings of the species in NSW, in Twofold Bay in 1991 and on the far south coast in 1997. The Sei Whale is difficult to distinguish from Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera edeni with even stranded specimens, for example at Valla Beach in 1983, being mistakenly identified as a Sei Whale and subsequently re-identified as Bryde's Whale.

5. The Southern Hemisphere population of Sei Whale south of 30°S was estimated at 17,000 (Butterworth et al. 1995), and sightings are infrequently reported from waters off Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. Nationally, the Sei Whale is listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

6. In view of the above the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that the Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828, is no longer eligible to be listed as a vulnerable species in Schedule 2 of the Act.

Proposed Gazettal date: 12/07/02
Exhibition period: 12/07/02 - 16/08/02

References

Bannister, J.L., Kemper, C.M. and Warneke, R.M. (1996). 'The Action Plan for Australian Cetaceans.' (Australian Nature Conservancy: Canberra.)

Butterworth, D.S., Borchers, D.L., Chalis, S. and De Decker, J.B. (1995). 'Estimates of Abundance for Southern Hemisphere Blue, Fin, Sei, Humpback, Sperm, Killer and Pilot Whales From the 1978/79 to 1990/91 IWC/IDCR Sighting Survey Cruises, With Extrapolations to the Area South of 30°S for the First Five Species Based On Japanese Scouting Vessel Data. Report SC/46/SH24.' (International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee: Cambridge.)

Smith, P. (2001). Review of the conservation status of marine mammals in New South Wales. Report to the NSW Scientific Committee.