University of Otago team films regenerating southern right whale population off Auckland Islands

October 2, 2018

A University of Otago research team have returned from the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, after a month long expedition to examine the recovering southern right whale population.

Led by Professor Steve Dawson and Dr Will Rayment, the expedition saw high quality photographs collected by use of an unmanned aerial vehicle, having previously only done so from aeroplanes and helicopters.

"Until recently aerial photographic data have been gathered using small aeroplanes or helicopters - really expensive things to run. UAVs now allow us to collect lots of high quality photographs of these animals very cost effectively, in remote habitats and in a non-invasive way," says Dr Rayment.

The most exciting finding, comes from the discovery that calves are almost completely white, making it easier to track them from the surface.

The images collected will be able to help measure whales' condition.

"With this data we can get an indication of the individual whale's progress plus the productivity of the feeding grounds these whales access, and compare results to those in the northern hemisphere where populations of North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales have been struggling."

Southern right whales were once widespread throughout much of the southern hemisphere; the New Zealand population once numbering more than 30,000 individuals.

However, over a relatively short space of time during the 19th century, commercial whaling saw this population reduce to fewer than 100 individuals.  

Since 1937, when commercial hunting for right whales was banned, the population has been bouncing back – the most recent estimate is over 2,000 individuals and increasing at around five to seven percent per year.

"It’s one of the few instances around in conservation in which a species has managed to hang on and begin to slowly claw its way back from the brink. It’s why we’re seeing more and more right whales turning up around mainland New Zealand in recent years," Dr Rayment says.

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