Kaikoura sperm whale study continues with support from Whale Watch Kaikoura
Steve Dawson and Liz Slooten, both Professors at Otago University, started the sperm whale research programme in Kaikoura in 1990. Since then, the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust has supported research on population size, behaviour and ecology, development of new acoustic techniques to locate and survey sperm whales and assessments of the impacts of tourism.
What sustains the diet of sperm whales in the Canyon?
The new, three year research project has just been funded by Whale Watch Kaikoura in conjunction with the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust. It aims to answer questions such as: ‘What sustains the diet of sperm whales in the Canyon? What areas are good for searching for food? What makes these areas so productive?’ As part of the long-term study we will also produce an updated estimate of sperm whale abundance at Kaikoura, a crucial step to assess population trends and long-term survivability.
By photographing the flukes when whales dive, they have identify some individual whales for over 16 years.
A moratorium on new whale watching permits
They use echolocation sounds to track the whales and by using several hydrophones they can figure out how deep they dive, and how they find prey – without having to attach any kind of tag to the whales. While sometimes they dive to more than 1000m, mostly they forage for squid at around 500m.
They have also studied how they react to whalewatch boats. While some whales are very tolerant of boats, others react with sudden turns and changes in speed, as well as changes in the length of time the whales spend at the surface and their breathing pattern.
A 10-year moratorium on new whale watching permits was implemented in response to our research.
