WHALE watchers planning on a close encounter with the famous white humpback Migaloo could be hit with stiff penalties under new protection measures.

As whales begin their annual migration north to Queensland’s warm waters, the Government has declared Migaloo a "special interest" whale.

The move means no one can bring a boat or jet ski closer than 500m or fly an aircraft closer than 2000ft to the whale without written permission.

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Acting Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Annastasia Palaszczuk said the new rules would give the albino whale more space and ensure his safety when he arrives in Queensland waters.

"There have been unconfirmed sightings on the New South Wales coast so he could be on his way," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"While we’re all hoping to get a glimpse of this famous white whale, it’s important to remember that Migaloo and all the whales travelling up our coast at this time of year need to be given room to move."

The maximum penalty for getting too close to Migaloo is $16,500.

Whale watchers must stay at least 300m away from all other whales.

Far Northerners, meanwhile, will have to wait for the "big white fella" to make his way up north.

The first Queensland sighting of Migaloo last year was off the Gold Coast on July 1, but he has arrived earlier in some years.

First seen in 1991, the albino whale has been seen off the Far North’s coast almost every year since and is set to star in a new documentary being produced by the BBC.

The tighter rules to protect Migaloo come as Greenland won the right to hunt 27 humpback whales each year through 2012 on the closing day of the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting in Morocco.

Anyone who sights Migaloo or other white whales is urged to report the sighting to 1300 130 372.

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