Live Ocean checks in with the University of Auckland team on the latest updates of their tohorā southern right whale research.

Following the world’s first circumpolar simultaneous satellite tagging program with Australian, South African and South American research teams, the New Zealand – University of Auckland research tagging data has helped to inform policy and decision-making aimed at enhancing the protection of New Zealand’s tohorā southern right whale population.

1. The research has been a critical component to the revision of DOC’s 2017 ‘Regional Coastal Plan: Kermadec and Subantarctic Islands’.

The plan is currently under consultation but the contributions from the University of Auckland work has ensured that the collision risk of vessels with whales has been given the second highest risk rating to protect wildlife and risk to vessels.

2. Better understanding the efficacy of Marine Protected Areas in New Zealand

The team at the University of Auckland assessed the efficacy of different Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Specifically looking at the subantarctic region – ‘Auckland Islands Marine Mammal Protected Area’, ‘Auckland Islands Marine Reserve’, ‘Campbell Island Marine Reserve’, internationally recognised ‘New Zealand Subantarctic Important Marine Mammal Area’, as well as the ‘Te Ara a Kiwa Rakiura Stewart Island Important Marine Mammal Area’ and the mainland Te Wae Wae Bay and Catlins Marine Mammal Sanctuaries designated to protect Hector’s dolphins.

Overall, the subantarctic MPAs protect whales when near to the shore but whales regularly move away from the protected waters around Maungahuka Auckland Islands. The research team identified two previously unknown and currently unprotected key areas used by the whales for periods of time. During the peak season (June to October) there was high spatial temporal overlap between whales and vessels within the subantarctic and mainland MPAs highlighting that the whales are exposed to risks associated with vessel presence. With a recovering population, although still a fraction of their pre-exploitation numbers, this assessment of the efficacy of MPAs needs to be more closely monitored by DOC and industry (shipping, marine construction, aquaculture development, and fishing) in southern New Zealand and the subantarctic, especially under a rapidly changing climate. The below animation shows whale and vessel movements in southern New Zealand waters. 

The heat map image shows encounters between the vessels and whales – highlighting where the whales were at an elevated risk of ship strike.

3. Facilitating improved relationships between Indigenous peoples, governments, agencies, researchers and communities

The addition of the Australian southern right whale research Mirnong Maat to the Tohorā voyages website provided a unique platform to recognise the Indigenous Australian connection to the southern right whales in southwest Australia. This outreach has been important to facilitate improved relationships between Indigenous peoples, government agencies, researchers, and communities.

Live Ocean Foundation has supported Dr Emma Carroll’s research into the southern right whale in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Live Ocean supporters have helped fund satellite trackers to support the ongoing work of Dr Carroll and her research partners as they seek to understand how this recovering whale population will cope with climate change, simultaneously providing insight into the whole ocean ecosystem.