Notification of activities affecting cetaceans
Notification of activities affecting cetaceans in or beyond the Australian Whale Sanctuary
If you are a person who undertakes an activity that results in the unintentional death, injury, trading, taking, keeping, moving, harassment, chasing, herding, tagging, marking or branding a cetacean in or beyond the Australian Whale Sanctuary, or you are a person who undertakes an activity that results in the unintentional dividing, cutting up or extraction of any product from a legally killed, injured or taken cetacean, and your activity was not authorised by a permit, then you must notify the Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts within seven days of becoming aware of the results of your activity.
This requirement to notify applies to activities:
- provided for, and done in accordance with, a recovery plan or a wildlife conservation plan in force under Part 13 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
- taken in a humane manner that are reasonably necessary to relieve or prevent suffering by a cetacean; or
- necessary to prevent a risk to human health
- necessary for the purposes of law enforcement
- necessary to deal with an emergency involving a serious threat to human life or property; or
- that occur as a result of an unavoidable accident
- provided for, and taken in accordance with, a plan or regime that is accredited under Part 13 of the EPBC Act.
Failure to notify is an offence punishable on conviction by a fine.
Notifications should be sent to:
The Secretary
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
John Gorton Building
King Edward Terrace
Parkes ACT 2600
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Hotline: 1800 803 772
Email: protected.species@environment.gov.au
Research permits
Whale watching
Stranded or entangled whales
Report a stranding or entangled whale to your State Environment Department
- RESCUE HOTLINES
- Report a stranding or entanglement