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Meet Joya, Freo's own humpback whale

IT'S official - Fremantle's adopted whale has been given the name Joya, meaning joy in Italian (an Anglicised version of 'gioia').

Part of the Humpback Whale Migration Icon Project, the City of Fremantle decided to adopt a whale in December and called on the public to come up with a suitable name in a competition.

Open to all ages, each entrant received a save-the-whale wristband to help further the cause. After receiving more than 250 entries, the name was announced by Mayor Peter Tagliaferri on Friday (Feb 22) at the Fremantle Village Art Market in Kings Square, after being selected by a panel of three.

Deanna Cataldi, of Palmyra, came up with the winning name, scoring herself a whale-watching tour for four from Rottnest Express during the migration season and a dinner for four at The Mussel Bar.

“Whales make me feel so happy,” she said. “I asked my husband what joy was in Italian and that’s how I came up with the name.”

“We obviously struck a chord with this competition,” Mayor Tagliaferri said. “We received entries from as far away as Saratoga in New South Wales and Deception Bay in Queensland and even one from France.

“There was also a number of entries from grade two students at Bindoon Primary School and a council worker from the UK was inspired to take the idea back to her local council in England.

“This is a global issue, so the competition was open to absolutely everyone, not just Fremantle residents, and there were some really great names put forward.

“Deanna’s entry highlights the joy people gain from these majestic animals and ‘gioia’ is also used as an Italian form of greeting to old friends or acquaintances.”

Mayor Tagliaferri said the widespread slaughter of whales was regarded as an outdated concept – and he says it’s time our generation finally put a stop to the archaic practice.

“In this day and age, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would support such blatant disregard for animal life, particularly endangered creatures such as the humpback whale,” he said.

“Fremantle continues its opposition to the practice of whale slaughter, as a reflection of the strength of feeling in our port city, along with the wider Australian community.

“Adopting a whale was a chance to show our commitment to these magnificent sea creatures while getting the community involved at a grassroots level as part of the naming competition.”

The Humpback Whale Migration Icon Project is a collaboration between Surfers for Cetaceans (Byron Bay), The Oceania Project (Hervey Bay) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW Asia-Pacific, Sydney).