Uncovering foraging grounds for conservation
How can we protect southern right whales – tohorā if we don’t know where they are 9 months of the year? Researchers from the University of Auckland and Cawthron Institute are using satellite tracking technology and micro chemical markers to understand where and on what southern right whales – tohorā feed. Knowing where the whales are going, and how they get there, will allow us to understand how their movements interact with shipping lanes, coastal development and oil and gas exploration. Climate change will also impact different areas of the Southern Ocean differently: if we know where the whales are feeding, we can understand how their future recovery might be influenced by the changing seas.
