Australia's great white whale returns

Jun 30, 2009, 0:20 GMT

Sydney - Australia's favourite whale has been spotted on its annual journey from the frigid waters of Antarctica to breeding grounds in the tropical warmth of far north Queensland.

The progress of a rare white humpback, nicknamed Migaloo, has generated such excitement on the east coast that sightseers were warned Tuesday that hefty fines await those who defy the law and get too close.

'Migaloo has been declared a special-interest whale, granting him more space to swim up the Queensland coast,' Kate Jones, the state's environment minister, said. 'The whale-watching regulations are there to protect the whales, but also to protect people from these huge, unpredictable mammals.'

Migaloo was injured in a collision with careless British tourists aboard a boat on the Great Barrier Reef two years ago. He was first spotted off Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point, in 1991 and has been seen in each of the last five years.

Being designated a 'special-interest whale' means those taking a boat any closer than 500 metres risk a hefty fine. Aircraft that fly low over Migaloo also risk punishment.

Around 5,000 humpbacks migrate each southern hemisphere winter from their Antarctic feeding grounds. By the spring, the females will have given birth and their young will be strong enough for the return journey.