Whale and young calf spotted offshore in Christchurch

The large species was seen at Te Onepoto/Taylors Mistake today.

A whale and young calf have been spotted a few hundred metres offshore near Taylors Mistake in Christchurch.

Department of Conservation Mahaanui operations manager Andy Thompson told 1 NEWS they believe they are tohorā, or southern right whales, but “have not been able to definitively identify the species”.

He said it is not unusual for southern right whales to come this close to the shore, and that they could be resting given the young age of the calf.

“Given the whales are resting and there is a young calf, it is important that people give them plenty of space and do not disturb them,” Thompson said.

“We would like to remind people to give whales with a calf at least 200 metres of space when on the water - including boats, kayaks, surfboards and any other watercraft - and that drones are not allowed to be flown within 150 metres horizontally of where the whale is.”

All whales are protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, which means it is an offence to disturb them.

“We encourage people to report sightings of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals as this helps us monitor population sizes, breeding rates and movement patterns,” he said.

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