Non-lethal Antarctic Whale Research Expedition Begins aboard RV Tangaroa
01.02.2010 - Water & Oceans, Flora & Fauna, Antarctic
Scientists from Australia, New Zealand, and France have embarked on the RV Tangaroa for an expedition to study whales as part of the Southern Ocean Research Partnership. The first truly international and multidisciplinary research collaboration with a focus on improving the conservation of whales was launched on 29 January by Australian Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, and New Zealand Minister for Research Science and Technology, Wayne Mapp.
As part of the Southern Ocean Research Partnership, the expedition – the largest of its kind - demonstrates the feasibility of non-lethal whale research providing all the information needed for better understanding and conservation of whales. On its inaugural voyage, the expedition will be conducting six weeks of research in the Antarctic waters to the south of Australia and New Zealand.
Through the use of state-of-the-art non-lethal research techniques such as biopsy sampling, satellite tracking and acoustic and hydrographic surveys, the research will considerably improve the understanding of the population structure, abundance, trends, distribution and the ecological role of whales in the Southern Ocean. They will further address key issues linked to climate change, such as how whales utilize their vulnerable sea-ice habitats.
