Student and Staff Research

Overseas

2009

Students are busy preparing for their 2009 marine reporting projects.

This year we have students working with the Vanuatu Fisheries Department conducting stock assessment surveys.  Three students are looking at Rarotonga where they hope to conduct crown of thorn starfish surveys.  Two students are going up to Tonga to assist with research on Humpback Whales in Vava'u.  One student has a project in Fiji studying sharks!!!

One student was very well prepared and organised his project well in advance.  He travelled to the Phillipines in January/February to study fish cleaning stations which are frequented by a variety of species including Manta Rays and Thresher Sharks.

Within New Zealand we have students studying a variety of topics including crayfish, seals, freshwater invertebrates, paddlecrabs, faecal coliform, mussels, and shipwreck surveys.

2008

In 2008 we had students travelling far and wide on their projects.

Laura Hansen has been studying Manta Rays in Yap, Micronesia.  She has been investigating their behaviour (in particular cleaning and feeding) and adding to the photo identification database.  To this right is one of Lauras photos showing Jared and Krusty passing over a cleaning station.

Four students have been assisting the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with a variety of invertebrate and fish monitoring surveys in Niue.  Niue is also famous for its sea snakes which were encountered on every dive.

Uga (Coconut crab) surveys have gone particularly well around the island.  Coconuts were laid out every 20m along a transect line with the tops sliced off.  Two days later the survey line is checked at night between 10-12pm and any coconut crabs present are recorded.

Fortunately the students visit  coincided with the humpback whale season and 50m visibility. The students immersed themselves in the culture of the island as can be seen above.  We are planning to make this an ongoing opportunity for students who perform well throughout the Diploma.

Three students have been conducting stock assessment surveys in conjunction with the Vanuatu Fisheries Department around Efate.  They have been investigating the effect of the aquarium trade on invertebrate and fish populations.

Tonga and Rarotonga have each had two students working on humpback whale identification and behaviour research.

Click here to explore Caroline Schweder-Goads student projects.

2007

In 2007 we had a number of students head throughout the Pacific to complete their marine reporting projects.  

Johan Brits went to South Africa where he studied the Great White Sharks.  Johan captured some great images and assisted with the ongoing research into these fantastic but endangered species.  The Great Whites are attracted in by baits to allow data to be gathered on size, markings, sex, etc.  The seal in the photo below had a lucky escape.

Daniel Sharp led four students into the eastern Fiji region where they  assisted the local community by conducting a baseline survey of a proposed marine reserve.  The community was concerned about the apparent poor condition of the reef which historically was in a healthy state.  Fish and invertebrate species were surveyed as well as various physical properties.  The photo on the right shows one of our students testing a sediment trap (for use in Fiji) before their departure.

Tonga had three students conducting humpback whale research in Vava'u.  Mark Fitzpatrick (one of last years marine studies students) was invited back up to work for the industry. 

Vanuatu had four students conducting stock assessment surveys on a variety of fish and invertebrate species.  They were working with the Vanuatu Fisheries Department.

Two other students were based in Port Vila, Vanuatu, where they  assessed the effect of the aquarium trade on fish and invertebrate species.  They surveyed coral reefs that have been harvested for the trade and compared these populations against protected coral reefs. We would like to thank Big Blue SCUBA for hosting them.

Click here to get more ideas of 2006 research projects and supervisors

Tonga Humpback Whale Research

Marine Studies staff spent a week in August 2006 on a research trip to Vava'u, Tonga identifying humpback whales to add to the South Pacific database.  Four students have been up in September/October studying the whales.

Mother and calf come in for a look at Keith on a dive

Paul Warren has a mother and calf come in close to try and escape from the entourage of males chasing her.

Fluke shots are used to identify the individual whales.  Each fluke is like a fingerprint in humans.  Over twenty individual whales were identified on the August trip.  This database will be added to with ongoing student project images from Tonga and further staff research.

In 2006 Kathy Broadhead complete her Year Two project  in South Africa studying the Great White Sharks. 

She was assessing the educational value of Great White viewing as well as identifying individual sharks both above and below the water.

Kathy concluded that the viewing had a strong educational and conservation value and played an important role in the ongoing protection of these fantastic creatures.

Also in 2006 Natalie Riddler completed her Year Two Marine Reporting project studying the Pink River Dolphins (Boto) in the Amazon, Brazil.  She was researching the behaviour and population density of the Boto on the Solimoes River in the Mamiaura Reserve.

This reserve has an ongoing research programme which includes an extremely accurate method of estimating the dolphins population.  The above mother and calf are unbranded and will over time be branded and numbered like the dolphin shown below.  By calculating the percentage of unbranded versus branded dolphins sighted you are able to extrapolate an extremely accurate population estimate.

Besides the mosquitos, ticks, leeches, pirahna and snakes Natalie also had to watch out for the tarantulas and crocodiles present throughout the reserve!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matt McArthur in Antarctica