The Keogh family’s award-winning whale tours come to an abrupt end following new government restrictions
For almost two decades, the Keogh family have dedicated their lives to protecting and sharing one of South Australia’s most remarkable marine environments — the Fowlers Bay whale nursery.
But this week, they received a letter from the Minister for Environment and Water, informing them that their much-loved whale tours are over.
The exemption that allowed EP Cruises to operate responsibly, safely, and in line with best-practice guidelines — giving thousands of tourists unforgettable encounters with Southern Right Whales — has been cancelled.
A 300-metre exclusion zone from whales and their calves, means the Keoghs will no longer be able to run their signature whale tours — a devastating blow to both the family and the local Eyre Peninsula community.
Rod Keogh passionately documents around 100 whales which pass through Fowlers Bay during their annual migration, and says a 2023 study by whale expert Dr Claire Charlton, documents a calving recovery rate of more than double the biological maximum for the species.
“Under controlled conditions, we have proven over nearly two decades that respectful, dedicated whale-watching is not only compatible with conservation, but enhances it,” Rod said.
“The continued return of mother–calf pairs to Fowlers Bay is itself the strongest scientific evidence that our operation has no negative impact on these whales’ natural behaviours.”
But according to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Hon Lucy Hood, while the numbers are positive, “in the absence of independently reviewed quantitive studies demonstrating that there is no impact of your whale watching vessel’s operation at Fowler’s Bay, the precautionary principle must be applied in line with best practises to provide protection.”
This has left the Keogh’s “totally lost”.
“We know the pain of loss,” Rod said. “When we lost the ability to operate expeditions to the Nuyts Archipelago and St Francis Islands, we lost not only a key part of our business but also four years of tireless work promoting regional tourism.
Those expeditions enhanced visitor experiences, built a national profile for South Australia’s wild coastal heritage, and directly aligned with the Department of Environment’s Strategic Management Plan for Parks and Wildlife. Despite that alignment, the opportunity was closed to us, and it was a devastating blow.”
EP Cruises is proud to stand as one of Australia’s leading whale-watching operators – recognised as world leaders in nursery based what tourism. But Rod says the new 300 metre exclusion dismantles everything they’ve built – for the business, the whales and the Eyre Peninsula.
