Sixteen whales were tagged near Eden in October and their movements were tracked for six months over an area covering about 4000km.

The study's findings suggest the whales spend more time feeding in temperate waters than scientists thought, in areas east of Flinders Island off northeast Tasmania, and west of Fiordland, New Zealand.

The discovery conflicts with the traditional understanding of the humpback whale's travel routes identified by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The Federal Government hopes the research will help protect Southern Ocean whales.

"The activity of humpback whales within Bass Strait is much greater than thought previously and this is the first study to show migration through Bass Strait and also down Tasmania's west coast," Australian Marine Mammal Centre director Nick Gales said.

The study provided information on whale feeding patterns in Antarctica and the relationship between their food source, krill, and retreating sea ice during the summer melt.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the research strengthened Australia's conservation argument.

"It means that we are better possessed of good quality science to continue our very, very strong position and argument about reforming the IWC so that it is a conservation-focussed organisation,'' Mr Garrett said.

He said Japan was not part of the program "but their invitation remains open''.

Mr Garrett described it as part of the "most comprehensive effort ever to address what is a dysfunctional situation'' where the IWC permits countries to kill whales in the name of science.

He would not say whether the government would use the scientific research to get the Japanese to stop whaling altogether.