The first time a southern right whale returned to mainland New Zealand in recent memory, it may have felt like an echo from a forgotten song. After being hunted to local extinction more than a century ago, these majestic creatures are finally finding their way back to the same sandy, sheltered bays where their ancestors once gathered each winter to give birth.
A groundbreaking study published this June reveals that southern right whales from a small surviving population near the remote sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands have begun migrating to the New Zealand mainland — the first time in decades that whales have been documented making this journey home. Using DNA profiling, researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Auckland, and collaborating institutions confirmed that at least seven whales are now traveling between the sub-Antarctic waters and the mainland.
"These are probably just the first pioneers," said Scott Baker, associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, who began studying these whales in 1995. "The protected bays of New Zealand are excellent breeding grounds, and I suspect that we may soon see a pulse of new whales following the pioneers, to colonize their former habitat."
Before 19th-century whaling fleets descended on New Zealand's waters, as many as 30,000 of these impressive whales migrated there each winter. Southern right whales earned their name from the grim distinction of being the "right" species to kill: they swam slowly, couldn't outrun small boats, and floated when struck — qualities that made them easy targets. By the 1830s and 1840s, hunting had peaked, and illegal Soviet harvests in the 1960s further depleted whatever remained. For decades, none were seen near mainland New Zealand.
What makes their return remarkable is the whales' strong "maternal fidelity" — mothers pass down their migration routes and calving grounds to their calves, creating what researchers call a form of cultural memory. When the last whales were killed from an area, that memory faded. Until now.
Adult southern right whales can reach 60 feet in length and weigh up to 100 tons, yet even their calves tip the scales at around a ton. Despite their enormous size, they are known for playful, acrobatic displays — breaching almost entirely out of the water, slapping their tails, and frolicking close to shore. In South Africa and Argentina, where populations have rebounded more quickly, they've become major tourist attractions.
The return of even a handful of whales represents something profound. Emma Carroll, a doctoral student at the University of Auckland and lead author of the study, noted that this maternal fidelity also contributed to the species' vulnerability — populations were wiped out quickly using nothing more than open boats and hand-held harpoons. Yet the memory of those ancestral grounds, it seems, was never entirely lost.
By 2005, fewer than a dozen reproductive females had been sighted near the mainland, and the population remains small. But the DNA evidence confirms what observers had hoped: the whales are coming home. "The right whale is remarkably graceful, very spectacular to watch," Baker said. "There used to be thousands of them in New Zealand, and they are now re-discovering their ancestral home. It will be interesting to see what develops."