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From the monthly archives:

September 2008

Whale play delights tourists

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A southern right whale has thrilled cruise passengers by taking a leisurely break in the River Derwent off Sandy Bay.

The whale was spotted cavorting off Bellerive early in the week and spent most of yesterday in the waters between Maning Reef and Wrest Point Casino.

“We caught a glimpse of it just off the casino … it just rolled over a bit,” Peppermint Bay Cruise guide Ben Brown said.

“We had quite a few international tourists and a good number from the mainland, so it was pretty exciting.”

He said the tourists were surprised to see a whale so far up the river.

[Via The Mercury]

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Threat to Tasmanian abalone

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The world’s biggest wild abalone fishery, which accounts for 25 percent of the global annual harvest, may be under threat from a destructive virus.

The ganglioneuritis virus has been detected in two abalone from waters off Tasmania and tests are under way to determine the extent of the threat.

The virus has already devastated the abalone industry in nearby Victorian waters.

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