Abigail Robinson
It’s New Zealand Sea Week – Kaupapa Moana, celebrating the sea, and highlighting the diverse connections and interactions we have with the sea which makes our lives so intertwined with the health of our ocean environment.
Unitec graduate studying whale behaviour
Bachelor of Applied Science graduate, Abigail Robinson, has continued her work studying whales since leaving Unitec. Abigail features in the short film, “For the Love of Whales” as a member of the Whale Wise team. The team is working towards a sustainable whale watching industry in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland. By studying the response of humpback and blue whales to whale watching encounters (through behavioural observation, blow-sampling, and aerial imagery), they aim to design a suitable conservation plan for both whales and people.
For the Love of Whales from Whale Wise on Vimeo.
Abigail was also profiled in the NZ Herald in 2016, when she was studying here.
Associate Professor Nigel Adams remembers Abigail’s initiative and passion when studying the bite marks that sharks inflicted on whales in the Cook Islands.
“A whale researcher based at the Cook Islands had a database of photos of whales showing these cookie cutter shark bite marks. Abigail’s project involved characterising and describing the bite marks so that they could be used to individually identify the whales based on a unique pattern of scarring on the whale skins. The ability to do this allows researchers to follow the fate of individual whales over time.”
Our lecturers involved in marine research
Senior Lecturers Mel Galbraith and Graham Jones, along with other colleagues in our School of Environmental and Animal Sciences, are working on a fascinating project looking at historical changes in the diet of Southern Black Backed gulls using a combination of analysis of recently collected feathers and bones, and gulls held in museum collections.
Dr Nigel Adams
Nigel Adams’ work has focused on the food chain upon which Australasian gannets in the Hauraki Gulf depend.
“I analyse fresh regurgitations collected from gannets and remnant genetic material in the gannets’ faeces and stomachs of the fish and squid they’ve eaten. More recently, in collaboration with the Northern New Zealand Trust, I have been tracking gannets using GPS tags. We have focused on determining where birds are likely feeding and/or if gannets at two neighbouring colonies (one off Great Barrier Island and the other off Waiheke) forage different areas of the gulf.”
Hear more from Nigel on his interview on his 2017 Radio NZ interview.
There are heaps of NZ Sea Week activities happening around Auckland; check out their website for information.