The Hon. Peter Garrett MP
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
Murray McCully
New Zealand Minister for Foreign Affairs
Stephen Smith
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
Australia and New Zealand launch the world's largest non-lethal whale research partnership
Joint Media Release
18 June 2009
Download the PDF
Australia and New Zealand today announced the first Antarctic whale research expedition as part of the Southern Ocean Research Partnership.
Australian Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, and New Zealand Minister for Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, said the announcement strengthens their close relationship and commitment to non-lethal scientific research, ahead of the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Madeira next week.
The Antarctic Whale Expedition will involve six weeks of research in early 2010 aboard the New Zealand vessel R/V Tangaroa in the Antarctic waters to the south of Australia and New Zealand.
"This expedition supports our joint position that non-lethal whale research can provide all the information needed to understand and conserve whales and so called 'scientific whaling' is unnecessary," Australian Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett said
"New Zealand strongly supports rigorous science to underpin whale management, and the RV Tangaroa's voyage will provide an idea opportunity to obtain high-quality data in the Southern Ocean," New Zealand Minister for Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully said.
The research jointly undertaken by Australia and New Zealand scientists will improve the understanding of the population structure, abundance, trends, distribution, and ecological role of whales in the Southern Ocean.
The expedition will use state of the art non-lethal research techniques such as biopsy sampling, satellite tracking and acoustic and hydrographic surveys.
"The Southern Ocean Research Partnership is the largest international, multidisciplinary research collaboration with a focus on improving the conservation of whales," Mr Garrett said.
"This expedition and the ongoing research program will demonstrate to the world that we do not need to kill whales to study and understand them."
The Ministers said that Australia and New Zealand will be attending the IWC with the aim of reforming the management of science within the Commission, including an end to so-called 'scientific whaling' and the development of internationally agreed, cooperative conservation management plans for whales.
"By working together, both our nations can strengthen the international commitment to whale conservation," Mr Smith said.
Stay up to date
RSS feeds
Subscribe to receive all releases from Environment portfolio ministers:
Or choose your topic of interest:
About the Minister
Media contacts
Minister's Office
02 6277 7640
Before you download
Most publications are available as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window