In the news

2024

Proposed South Coast Marine Park sanctuary zones to protect Australian sea lions.

Oceans Blueprint director Chandra Salgado Kent recently travelled to the south coast of Western Australia, along with Pew Charitable Trust, to share her knowledge on sea lion ecology and the importance of the proposed South Coast Marine Park with the community. With community events across Esperance, Hopetoun and Bremer Bay, she was able to reach a wide audience and share the importance of the proposed Marine Park as an opportunity to improve the protection of endangered Australian sea lions, and in particular, the protection of breeding and haul-out sites. As an endangered species that has experienced a population decline of 60% over 40 years, conservation and management decisions must work towards shifting the downward trend of the Australia sea lion population. Chandra was interviewed by several media outlets including the Kalgoorlie Minor, the Esperance Weekender, and ABC news. 

Australia and New Zealand IMMA Factsheets now available online!

Did you know that there is a resource that includes the latest information on breeding, foraging, resting and migration areas for marine mammals in Australia and New Zealand? IMMA (Important Marine Mammal Areas) factsheets for Australia, New Zealand and the southeastern Indian Ocean are already being utilised as a tool to inform planning by government, industry and consultants at the regional and national level in Australia. The Australia-New Zealand and South East Indian Ocean Regional Co-Coordinator Chandra Salgado Kent (and Oceans Blueprint Director) and Alexandra D’Cruz (Research Scientist and Media Officer at Oceans Blueprint) recently prepared a news article for the IMMA website with insights from Principal Research Scientist Dr. Kelly Waples from the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attraction and Daniella Hanf, a Principal Scientist & Marine Fauna Lead at O2 Marine, indicating how these factsheets are supporting evidence-based decision making at regional and national levels.

2023

Sea lion surveillance for the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program

The Western Australia Marine Science Institute (WAMSI) recently highlighted a study on Australian sea lions which is using a variety of methods including cameras, hair dye to mark individuals, and satellite tracking devices to help identify, monitor and continue to manage this endangered species. A camera mounted above a beach at Carnac Island in the Perth region is giving researchers real time footage of Australian sea lions and allowing managers such as DBCA to detect if people are illegally going ashore and disturbing birds and sea lions.

This study is part of the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program, which involves researchers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Edith Cowan University, and The Australian National University. Associate Professor Chandra Salgado Kent from ECU and Oceans Blueprint Director is one of the many project team members carrying out this work. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development have also been providing assistance to the project by setting up, maintaining and managing the camera on Carnac Island.

See here for the article on the WAMSI website: https://wamsi.org.au/news/wildlife-watch-keeping-a-protective-eye-on-carnac-islands-sea-lions/

From hunted to protected, how whales became a tourism drawcard for WA's Cheynes Beach

Oceans Blueprint Director and Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University, Chandra Salgado Kent, was interviewed for an article in the ABC News which describes Albany, where the Menang Noongar people are the Traditional Custodians of the surrounding Country. This coastal town in Western Australia that over recent centuries thrived off the whaling industry and has transitioned to a tourism town with a whale watching industry. Chandra highlights the efforts and contributions by researchers, managers, and community groups including Dept. of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Edith Cowan University, University of Western Australia, Macquarie University, University of Auckland, South Coast Cetaceans and the Little White Whale Project that work towards understanding baseline information on the populations of whales in the area, their movement, habitats, and conservation. See here to learn more about the southern right whales including their live migration paths from tracking conducted by Macquarie University and the University of Western Australia, in collaboration with researchers from the Australian Antarctic Division and US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Saving Sea Lions - Creative Conservation

Oceans Blueprint’s collaboration with Eco Gecko Environment and Design was featured in LANDSCOPE: a magazine devoted purely to Western Australia's parks, wildlife and conservation. Saving Sea Lions, a creative conservation project, was aimed at raising awareness to support the conservation of the endangered Australian sea lion. A group of year 10 students participated in a series of workshops run by scientists, artists and fashion designers. The students learnt about conservation and how to ‘be seal wise’, and learnt how to cartoon and draw, with their creations turning into activewear made by ‘Giroud’ with the proceeds going towards protecting the species. Subscribe to the magazine to read the article here or read about the project on the WA Parks Foundation Page here.

Who would win in a fight between a great white shark and a blue whale?

Have you ever wondered who would win a fight between a great white shark and a blue whale? Oceans Blueprint Director Chandra Salgado Kent has written an article in The Conversation about a hypothetical battler between the two predators. See here to read the article.

Snubfin dolphins in the Kimberley region: Calls for more protection at the state and federal level.

Research scientist Dr. Holly Raudino and Edith Cowan University Honours student Alex D’Cruz spoke to ABC Kimberley about the vulnerability of snubfin dolphins on Yawuru Nagulagun (Yawuru Sea Country) and in the wider Kimberley region. Holly has been apart of many studies on snubfin dolphins in the Kimberley region over the past decade and was also a supervisor for Alex’s recent Honours project along with Associate Professor Chandra Salgado Kent (Director of Oceans Blueprint) and Dr. Kelly Waples. See here to read the article from ABC Kimberley and here to listen to the radio package put together by Jacquie Lynch.

Marine scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) test the impact of seismic air guns on fish behaviour and abundance.

Marine scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science test the impact of seismic air guns. Director of Oceans Blueprint, Chandra Salgado Kent, not involved in the study, was contacted by the ABC to comment on the implications of the work. See here to read the article from ABC news.

The research was a collaboration between AIMS, University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University, University of Tasmania and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. See here for the journal article.

Surprise spectacle: Juvenile humpback spotted in the south-west

Perth Festival Review: Whale Fall is a powerful story about a trans boy, and the life of a whale.

“Whale Fall brilliantly brings important social issues, and an intriguing and important ecological phenomenon, to a mainstream audience.”

2020

Orcas in the Bremer Sub Basin, Western Australia

Western Australian universities, Curtin and ECU wrote about the recent work on the Orcas found in the Bremer Sub Basin area and the species’ occupancy patterns. The paper titled Seasonal productivity drives aggregations of killer whales and other cetaceans over submarine canyons of the Bremer Sub-Basin, south-western Australia was a collaborative effort between a number of universities and organisations and was published in Australian Mammalogy.

The Australian Academy of Science also put together a video, featuring our Director, Chandra Salgado Kent, to explain how wildlife tourism can help to study Orcas.

Tuning into dolphin chatter could boost conservation efforts

Building a catalogue to identify individual Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the south-west region.

Southwestern Whale Ecology Study’s (SouWEST) research moving into full swing with the arrival of southern right whales!

See Oceans Blueprint’s feature in the Winter 2020 Ngari Capes Marine Park Newsletter.

IUCN candidate Important Marine Mammal Areas for conservation.

Keeping an eye on the local long-nosed fur seal off Cape Naturaliste

The local long-nosed fur seal (previously known as the New Zealand fur seal) colony near Bunker Bay is estimated to have around 200 individuals based on observations from the last few years. See Oceans Blueprint’s feature in the Spring 2019 Ngari Capes Marine Park Newsletter.

Dolphin Watch

Whales and dolphins found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the first time

“This was one of the most remote regions of the Pacific Ocean, and the amount of floating plastic nets, ropes, containers and who-knows-what below was mind-boggling.”

“However, it wasn’t just debris down there. For the first time, we found proof of whales and dolphins in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which means it’s highly likely they are eating or getting tangled in the huge amount of plastic in the area.”

See this article The conversation. See here for a video by The Ocean Cleanup, which features Oceans Blueprint director, Chandra Salgado Kent, who assisted with the aerial expedition over the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The Geographe Bay blue whale season has well and truly commenced!

“Just over a month ago SouWEST spotted its first blue whale of the season, migrating through Geographe Bay on its long journey south towards Antarctic waters. The whale was successfully captured on camera by whale researcher Chris Burton and citizen scientist Blair Ranford. This year, Oceans Blueprint finished comparing photos that are used to identify individual blue whale with other researchers’ from around Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Blue whales photographed in Australian waters were resighted within Australian waters but not elsewhere, providing support for a distinct population within Australia. This finding made a splash at this year’s International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee Meeting in Niarobi, Kenya!”