[11] In 2002, the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) accepted Rosenbaum's findings, and recommended that the Eubalaena nomenclature be retained for this genus.

[citation needed] One behaviour unique to the southern right whale, known as tail sailing, is that of using their elevated flukes to catch the wind, remaining in the same position for a considerable amount of time.

[45][47] A stranding of a 21.3 m (71 feet) right whale at Gajana, northwestern India in November 1944 was reported, but the true identity of this animal is unclear.

[48][49] Aside from impacts on whales and environments caused by mankind, their distributions and residences could be largely affected by presences of natural predators or enemies,[42] and similar trends are also probable for other subspecies.

Only a handful of animals venture further north to historical breeding grounds such as at Walvis Bay, but their numbers are slowly increasing.

Until illegal hunting ceased, whales were rare along Namibian shores, with no sighting recorded north of Orange River until 1971.

[55] Historical records suggest that this whale's regular range could have once reached further northwards up the coasts of Cape Fria (northern Namibia)[56] and Angola as far as Baia dos Tigres (Tiger Bay).

[62] Whales were historically seen in large numbers at various locations such as off the coast of Durban, in Delagoa/Maputo Bay,[63] Inhaca Island, Ponta do Ouro, and around the Bazaruto Archipelago.

[75] Due to illegal whaling by the USSR, the recovery of many stocks including the population off Tristan da Cunha[76] and adjacent areas such as Gough Island has been severely hindered, resulting in relatively few numbers of visiting animals.

In recent years, possibly due to changing habitat environments by human activities and conflicts with local fisheries, the number of whales visiting the coasts is decreasing.

[99][100] Recent studies[101] also show a decrease in the number of sightings along the southeastern Brazilian coast, which includes the highly urbanized States of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

[113] In Uruguay, coastal areas such as Punta del Este host congregating sites for whales in breeding seasons, but these are not likely to be calving grounds.

[121] Hopes are arising for the establishment of a new tourism industry on the eastern side of the Strait of Magellan,[122] especially near Cape Virgenes[123] and Punta Dungeness, as the number of sightings increases.

[47] Early settlers of Wellington, New Zealand, and the River Derwent in Tasmania complained that sounds of cavorting whales kept them awake at night.

[132] The return of southern right whales to the Derwent River and other parts of Australia in recent decades is a sign that they are slowly recovering from their earlier exploitation to near extinction.

[159] It is notable that whales of all age groups[160] are present in this small area annually, not only using them as feeding and summering[161] grounds but also for wintering, breeding, and calving during harsh, cold periods.

[162] In winter, whales migrate north to New Zealand waters and large concentrations occasionally visit the southern coasts of South Island.

In oceanic islands and offshore waters other than the above-mentioned areas, very little about the presence and recovery status of southern right whales is known.

[188] The southern right whale, listed as "endangered" by CITES, is protected by all countries with known breeding populations (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and Uruguay).

In Argentina, it is considered a "Natural Monument" under national law Nº 23094, with all whales sighted on Argentine waters under legal protection.

[192] In Australia, Southern right whales are listed for protection variously under state and federal legislation, as reflected in the table below: A two-year, £740,000 project, led by the British Antarctic Survey began in 2016, to discover why almost 500 young have been washed up on the Valdes Peninsula over the last ten years.

[198] One possibly significant contributor to the calf mortality rate has alarmed scientists – since at least 1996, kelp gulls off the coast of Patagonia have been observed attacking and feeding on live right whales.

[199] The kelp gull uses its powerful beak to peck down several centimetres into the skin and blubber, often leaving the whales with large open sores – some of which have been observed to be half a metre in diameter.

Underwater noise from human activities such as drilling and dredging can interfere with whales' communication, and deter them from their usual habitats and breeding grounds.

During the winter months (June to October), southern right whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can watch them from the shore as well as from strategically placed hotels.

In Argentina, Península Valdés in Patagonia hosts (in winter) the largest breeding population, with more than 2,000 catalogued by the Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance.

[205] As in the south of Argentina, the whales come within 200 m (660 ft) of the main beach in the city of Puerto Madryn and form a part of the large ecotourism industry.

[214][215][216][217] Though their numbers are dangerously small, land-based sightings of whales are on the increase in recent years off Chile and Peru, with some hope of creating new tourism industries,[218] especially in the Strait of Magellan, most notably around Cape Virgenes.

The whales' migratory range is extending as the species continues to recover and re-colonize other areas of the continent, including the coastal waters of New South Wales and Tasmania.

[220][221] In the Subantarctic Islands and in the vicinity of Antarctica,[222] where few regulations exist or are enforced, whales can be observed on expedition tours with increasing probability.