Marine Mammals

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Long-term protection of Otago’s coastal habitats took a step closer to reality after more than 100 marine Significant Ecological Areas (SEA) were identified as part of a research project led by NIWA.
As New Zealanders search for the summer sun, 38 researchers and crew will board RV Tangaroa tomorrow for a six-week science voyage deep into the waters of Antarctica.
NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa leaves soon on a six-week voyage to Antarctica, making it one of the few full scientific expeditions to the continent since the global outbreak of COVID-19.
When scientists head south to Antarctica on board NIWA research vessel Tangaroa next month, they’ll be keeping a close eye out for an animal that is particularly good at staying out of sight.

Latest videos

Eavesdropping on sperm whales in Antarctica

Whale researchers such as NIWA Marine Mammal Acoustician Dr Giacomo Giorli are eagerly awaiting the return of RV Tangaroa after its five-week Antarctic voyage.

The moorings team is bringing back precious data from long-term underwater listening devices which the researchers are using to search for signs that sperm whales are finally returning in numbers to the Ross Sea.

Sperm whales were targeted by the whaling industry in the 19th and 20th centuries and more than 70 per cent of their population wiped out. Scientists are now trying to establish if the sperm whale population is making a comeback.
Weddell seals - web

A NIWA-led team of marine ecologists are using seal-mounted cameras to get a first-hand view into the behaviour and movements of Weddell seals under the Antarctic ice.

Southern right whale observed in Wellington Harbour

On 4 July 2018 NIWA photographer Dave Allen took some close-up footage of a southern right whale seen surfacing in Wellington Harbour for several days. Dave worked alongside marine ecologist Kim Goetz, fisheries technician Pete Notman and Department of Conservation staff to take a biopsy sample for genetic analysis and acoustic recordings taken for NIWA's ongoing whale research.

Breakfast with Ebony - Episode 1

Plastic spoons aren’t always used for eating - fisheries scientist Dr Jim Roberts found them handy when studying sub-Antarctic sea lions. Find out just how in the first of our new series presented by our inquisitive mailroom administrator Ebony Barrett.

The new science season at Antarctica is just a few days away from opening and NIWA researchers are busy packing containers and shipping them to the ice where they will be reunited with them in the coming months.
Identifying dolphins using photos of the unique pigment patterns on their fins can be used to help in the management of a species, says a NIWA scientist.
Wellington’s whale may be a sign they are returning to their historical habitat, says NIWA.
Southern right whale observed in Wellington Harbour

On 4 July 2018 NIWA photographer Dave Allen took some close-up footage of a southern right whale seen surfacing in Wellington Harbour for several days. Dave worked alongside marine ecologist Kim Goetz, fisheries technician Pete Notman and Department of Conservation staff to take a biopsy sample for genetic analysis and acoustic recordings taken for NIWA's ongoing whale research.

Two yet-to-be identified species of beaked whales have been detected in the Cook Strait region. Identifying which species they are is important for understanding the status of marine mammal populations in New Zealand waters.
The aim of this voyage was to examine the movement and habitat utilization of pygmy blue whales in New Zealand waters.

A couple of days ago we deployed the last of three long-term passive acoustic monitoring moorings, as a collaboration between the Ross-RAMP MBIE Endeavour project and The Australian Antarctic Division.

A two-week expedition to tag blue whales in New Zealand waters for the first time, almost came up empty due to warmer sea temperatures causing the animals to change their behaviour.
Beachgoers are being asked to look out for leopard seals over summer and report sightings as soon as possible.
A leopard seal pup born off St Kilda beach, Dunedin, on Tuesday has been found to have only had 10 per cent of normal lung capacity.
A leopard seal has spent so much time in New Zealand waters she has prompted a NIWA scientist to challenge conventional thinking about the species.
The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded in a pioneering underwater sound project.
Breakfast with Ebony - Episode 1

Plastic spoons aren’t always used for eating - fisheries scientist Dr Jim Roberts found them handy when studying sub-Antarctic sea lions. Find out just how in the first of our new series presented by our inquisitive mailroom administrator Ebony Barrett.

Māui dolphins, a subspecies of Hector’s dolphins, are listed as nationally critical in New Zealand with a population estimate between 57 and 75 dolphins over one year old.
Pilot whale ((Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Pilot whale (Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand from December 2016 to January 2017. See more on the NIWA research project: niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/research-projects/passive-acoustic-monitoring-cetaceans-new-zealand-cook-strait-region

Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand from December 2016 to January 2017. See more on the NIWA research project: niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/research-projects/passive-acoustic-monitoring-cetaceans-new-zealand-cook-strait-region

The critically endangered Māui dolphin is getting a helping hand from scientists this month who are beginning a year-long research project to listen in on them.

Unique research records rare whale species in Cook Strait

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded by NIWA scientist in a pioneering underwater sound project. In 2016 NIWA marine ecologist Dr Kim Goetz led a programme to deploy seven acoustic moorings in Cook Strait that recorded the sounds of marine mammals for six months until they were retrieved in December.

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded by a NIWA scientist in a pioneering underwater sound project.

Great humpback whale trail

Their team is getting up close with the huge number of whales around Raoul Island to work out what attracts them to this area, as they are not there feed nor breed. Watch the video below to find out more about this fascinating research and get a close-up look at these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

Over the last few days the “dive team” have been recording corals, fishes, urchins and other invertebrates from the shallow waters (0-30m) surrounding Raoul Island to complement the biodiversity records from the deeper ocean collected by the other scientists onboard.
New Zealand is lucky to have its own sea lion. They were nearly driven to extinction more than 150 years ago by the first human settlers and then by commercial sealing—a story shared with nearly all seals.

The main breeding population of New Zealand sea lions at the Auckland Islands has halved in size since the late-1990s; NIWA scientists are working with the government and experts from around New Zealand and overseas to understand why.

The sounds made by whales and dolphins as they pass through New Zealand’s Cook Strait are to be recorded for the first time through a research project being undertaken by a NIWA scientist.

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Marine Ecologist - Quantitative Modeller
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