By Live Ocean Read time: 2 min Article Summary Main Points New research by Dr Emma Carroll reveals that most southern right whales from Aotearoa travel north to feed in highly productive international waters, not Antarctica as previously thought. Scientists found rich feeding grounds south of Australia and in New Zealand’s subantarctic waters that are […]
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.
Richard Robinson’s image of whales mating has been named one of the world’s best wildlife photos at this year’s worldwide Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Run by the Natural History Museum, his image entitled New Life for the Tohorā, was named the best in the Oceans – The Bigger Picture category.
This year is particularly special for marine scientists studying southern right whales as it signals the start of an international collaboration, with the world’s first circumpolar simultaneous satellite tagging program of any whale species.
This year is particularly special for marine scientists studying southern right whales as it signals the start of an international collaboration, with the world’s first circumpolar simultaneous satellite tagging program of any whale species.
Nearly 100 years after southern right whales were first protected from hunting, they face a new challenge: how to find food in a changing ocean.
Scientists have successfully attached satellite tracking tags to six New Zealand southern right whales, or tohorā, and are inviting the public to follow the whales’ travels online.
This pilot study is a first glimpse of where today’s Tohorā go to feed in summer – and it shows a startling change from the whaling era. With only 2 of probably 2,000 Tohorā tracked, we need more information to understand how often the new and old feeding grounds are used. Live Ocean is helping to fund this important research being done by the University of Auckland.
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