PhD candidate Kate Sprogis is taking habitat modeling courses at Duke University, USA while research associate Krista Nicholson continues to collect dolphin data for the SWMRP
Theodolite, focal follows, acoustic loggers, supervisors, marine mammals a plenty … and it’s not over yet!
My final field season saw the monthly intensive boat-based photo-identification surveys come to an end after two years of data collection. We now concentrate our efforts on collecting theodolite tracking data in both Kealakekua Bay and Kauhako Bay, increasing our focal follow data and continuing to collect more bioacoustic data from our bottom-mounted loggers.
Another begging dolphin: Backpack
The Coastal and Estuarine Dolphin Project (CEDP) collects photo-identification, behavioural, and longitudinal data to support the long-term conservation of bottlenose dolphins in metropolitan waters of Perth, Western Australia. The beggars The illegal feeding of dolphins is a key conservation issue for dolphins in the Perth area. Finn et al. (2008) reported 14 dolphins resident in Cockburn [...]
Whales, flying fish, sea lions and dolphins galore
During our spring field season (Sept-Nov) in Bunbury, Western Australia, we were on the water for over 130 hours and encountered 64 groups of dolphins. Spring is an exciting time to conduct fieldwork because humpback whales pass on their southern migration. During this time, mother and calves pass closer to shore than on their northern [...]
Snubfin season?
Earlier this year, MUCRU commenced research on the poorly understood Australian snubfin and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. Here, MUCRU Phd candidate Alex Brown reports on an exciting second trip to the Cygnet Bay study site in September 2012.
Showdown: Unmanned versus Manned
We were back in Shark Bay, WA, in August/September to conduct the ultimate trial of the UAV, and it was a showdown between two teams: the UAV team and the Human team.
WA Winter Wanderers
Where do adult male dolphins go during winter off Bunbury, Western Australia? We hypothesise that they move offshore, helping to explain their larger home ranges. Here, Kate Sprogis reports on her winter field season.
A challenging month on the Cambridge Gulf
In the middle of May, MUCRU’s Kimberley inshore dolphin team left the blue waters of the Dampier Peninsula to travel deep into the eastern Kimberley. With sealed road access to the coast entirely absent for over 900 km east of Derby, our options for launching a vessel in this area were somewhat limited. So we chose Wyndham [...]
“Fish tales” from the SWMRP
Over the past 1.5 years, I have been carrying out dolphin surveys for my PhD in Bunbury, Western Australia, as part of the South West Marine Research Program. During this time my assistants and I have been boating for over 550 hours. Spending this much time on the water allows us to experience some amazing dolphin behaviour, such as feeding [...]
Spinner dolphins (listen to audio), false killer whales, rough-toothed dolphins and hammerhead sharks (see the video!)
We have now carried out 21 months of photographic-identification of spinner dolphins off Hawai’i Island. Over the past two months, we have encountered spinners dolphins, false killer whales, rough-toothed dolphins and hammerhead sharks. Read more here…
