Hope for Antarctic Whales: New Zealand and Australian Scientist Head South

The two countries of Australia and New Zealand are jointly going to do research on whales in the Antarctic Region. Their plan is to challenge the annual whale hunting/research carried out by Japan. Minke, blue and humpback whale will be studied by the team of 18 scientists that have embarked on the study.


Climate change and its impact on whale populations and behavior will also be investigated by the team of scientists. They will utilizing a range of non-lethal techniques - special darting guns will gather samples of skin and blubber for DNA testing. It stands to reason that they will also tag the whales so that data regarding their movement through the seas can be monitored.


There is strong opposition to Japan's resumption of humpback whale hunting ostensibly for research purposes. The new research project will hopefully challenge this type of deadly research.

Japan Resumes Whale Hunting

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• NZ, Australia to research whales (news.bbc.co.uk)