Highly migratory marine species undertake extensive journeys during which they are frequently exposed to a multitude of anthropogenic threats. Among these threats, the expansion of vessel traffic has been particularly notable in recent decades. Vessel traffic can cause direct physical impacts such as vessel strikes which are a recognised global anthropogenic source of mortality or injury to marine megafauna populations. Baleen whales, like humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), are particularly vulnerable to vessel strike as they are large-bodied, slow moving, and dependent on the sea surface for air.

The humpback whale population migrating along Australia's east coast has experienced one of the fastest post-whaling recoveries in the world. In the same timeframe, the Australian coastline has been subject to rapid coastal and port developments, serving to increase the potential for spatial conflict between whales and vessels. However, our understanding and evaluation of this threat is hindered by the lack of seasonal whale distribution data in high marine traffic areas. Therefore, this thesis seeks to evaluate ship-strike risk, primarily according to whale distribution, whale abundance and whale-vessel co-occurrence in a highly urbanized embayment in south-east Queensland, Moreton Bay. This marine embayment forms the entrance to the nation's fastest growing container port and has been identified as a region 'of ship strike concern' in the "National Strategy for Mitigating Vessel Strike of Marine Megafauna" published by Australia's Federal government. As such, the thesis further documents the spatial and temporal overlap between whales and vessels in Moreton Bay. [...]