The final stage of any research is to publish a paper about it in a scientific journal.

After the field data have been gathered, the analysis has been done, scientists write papers describing the research methods, results and conclusions of their particular study. This gets submitted to a scientific journal, but before publication, it is reviewed by 2-4 experts on that subject, to make sure that the work is of very good quality. Only if their reviews are favourable does the (usually modified) version of the paper get published. This peer-review system is the cornerstone of maintaining high scientific standards and published papers are the main forum for science communication. Our work has been published in a range of national and international scientific journals. Below is a selection of recent articles.

The Trust is particularly interested in research that focuses on conservation problems and presents solutions to these problems. Solving conservation problems always involves discussion with the public and decision makers. Therefore, while for many researchers publication of their results is the final step, in our case this is where solving conservation problems begins. Therefore, we publish not only papers in scientific journals but also articles in magazines and books for public education. In addition, we release new research results on the web including on our Facebook page.

Here’s a selection of publications from research funded by the Trust:

Books

Slooten, E. The nature of whales and dolphins. in Whales and dolphins: cognition, culture, conservation and human perceptions. Brakes, P. and Simmonds, M.P. (eds) Earthscan Publications Ltd, London. (2011)

Dawson, S.M. Cephalorhynchus dolphins. Pp. 191-196 in: “Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals” (Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. & Thewissen, J.G.M, eds.). Academic Press. San Diego. 2nd Edition. 2009.

Dawson, S.M. Marine Mammals. In The Natural History of Canterbury (G. Knox, R. Scott eds), Canterbury University Press. Christchurch. (2008)

Slooten, E. Entanglement of marine wildlife. Pp. 153-154 in Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. Lück, M. (ed.). CABI, Oxford (2008)

Slooten, E. Gillnetting. Pp. 188-189 in Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. Lück, M. (ed.). CABI, Oxford (2008)

Slooten, E. International Whaling Commission. Pp. 244-43 in Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. Lück, M. (ed.). CABI, Oxford (2008)

Slooten, E. Photographic identification of marine wildlife. p. 361 in Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. Lück, M. (ed.). CABI, Oxford (2008)

Slooten, E. Scientific whaling. p. 413 in Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. Lück, M. (ed.). CABI, Oxford (2008)

Pichler, F.B. Slooten, E. and Dawson, S.M. Hector’s dolphins and fisheries in NZ: a species at risk. Pp. 153-173 in Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management issues. N.Gales, M. Hindell & R. Kirkwood, (eds), Melbourne University Press. (2003)

Dawson, S.M. Dolphins and whales. Pp.336-338 in The Natural History of Southland (Darby, J.T, Fordyce, R.E, Mark, A., Probert, K., and Townsend, C.R. eds), Otago University Press. Dunedin. (2003)

Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Down-under Dolphins: The Story of Hector’s Dolphin. Christchurch, Canterbury University Press. (1996)

Referred Journal Articles

Growcott, A., Sirguey, P. and Dawson, S.M. Development and assessment of a digital stereo photogrammetric system to measure cetaceans at sea. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. (In press)

Slooten, E. and Davies, N. Hector’s dolphin risk assessments: Old and new analyses show consistent results. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, available online at www.tandfonline.com (2012)

Elliott, R.G. Dawson, S.M. and Henderson, S.D. Acoustic monitoring of habitat use by bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal Marine and Freshwater Research 45(4): 637-639. (2011)

Elliott, R.G., Dawson, S.M. and Rayment, W. J. Optimising T-POD settings and testing range of detection for bottlenose dolphins of Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Journal of the Marine Biological Association, UK. doi:10.1017/S002531541100035X (2011)

Rayment, W.R., Dawson, S.M., Scali, S. and Slooten E. Listening for a needle in a haystack: passive acoustic detection of dolphins at very low densities. Endangered Species Research 14:149-156. 2011.

Growcott, A., Miller, B., Sirguey, B., Slooten, E. and Dawson, S.M. Measuring sperm whale body length from their clicks: the relationship between inter-pulse-intervals and photogrammetrically measured lengths. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 130: 568-573 (2011)

Currey, R.J.C., Dawson, S.M., Schneider, K., Lusseau, D., Boisseau, O.J., Haase, P.A. and Slooten, E.Inferring causal factors for a declining population of bottlenose dolphins via temporal symmetry capture-recapture modelling. Marine Mammal Science 27: 554-566 (2011)

Rayment, W., Clement, D., Dawson, S., Slooten, E., and Secchi, E. Distribution of Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) off the west coast, South Island, New Zealand, with implications for the management of bycatch. Marine Mammal Science 27: 398-420 (2011)

Rayment, W., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Seasonal changes in distribution of Hector’s dolphin at Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: implications for protected area design. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: 106-116 (2010)

Rayment, W., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Use of T-PODs for acoustic monitoring of Cephalorhynchus dolphins: A case study with Hector’s dolphins in a marine protected area. Endangered Species Research 10: 333-339 (2010)

Slooten, E. and Dawson, S.M. Assessing the effectiveness of conservation management decisions: Likely effects of new protection measures for Hector’s dolphin. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: 334-347 (2010)

Webster, T.A., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. A simple laser photogrammetry technique for measuring Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in the field. Marine Mammal Science 26: 296-308, (2010)

Rowe, L.E., Currey, J.C., Dawson, S.M. and Johnson, D. Comparative assessment of epidermal condition and calf size of Fiordland bottlenose dolphin populations using dorsal fin photographs and photogrammetry. Endangered Species Research. 11: 83-89. (2010)

Currey, R.J.C., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. An approach for regional threat assessment under IUCN Red List criteria robust to uncertainty: the Fiordland bottlenose dolphins are Critically Endangered. Biological Conservation 142: 1570-1579 (2009)

Currey, R.J.C., Dawson, S.M., Slooten, E., Schneider, K., Lusseau, D.L., Boisseau, O.J., Haase, P. and Williams, J.A. Survival rates for a declining population of bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand: an information theoretic approach to assessing the role of human impacts. Aquatic Conservation 19(6): 658-670 (2009)

Rayment, W. Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Trialling an automated passive acoustic detector (T-POD) with Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Journal of the Marine Biological Association (2009)

Rayment, W., Dawson, S.M., Slooten, E., Bräger, S., DuFresne, S. and Webster, T. Kernel density estimates of alongshore home range of Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) at Banks Peninsula. Marine Mammal Science 25: 537-556 (2009)

Miller, B. and Dawson, S.M. A Large aperture, low-cost hydrophone array for tracking whales from small boats. Journal of the acoustical Society of America 126 (5): 2248-2256. (2009)

Rowe, L.E. and Dawson, S.M. Determining the gender of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) using dorsal fin photographs. Marine Mammal Science 25(1): 19-34. (2009)

Webster, T.A., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Evidence of sex segregation in Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Aquatic Mammals 35(2): 212-219 (2009)

Currey, R.J.C., Rowe, L.E., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Abundance and demography of bottlenose dolphins in Dusky Sound, New Zealand, inferred from dorsal fin photographs. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 42: 439-449 (2008)

Dawson, S.M., Wade, P., Slooten, E. and Barlow, J. Design and field methods for sighting surveys of cetaceans in coastal and riverine habitats. Mammal Review 38: 19-49 (2008)

Slooten, E. and Dawson, S.M. Sustainable levels of human impact for Hector’s dolphin. The Open Conservation Biology Journal 2: 37-43 (2008)

Rowe, L. E. and Dawson, S.M. Sexual dimorphism in dorsal fin size in a population of bottlenose dolphins from Fiordland, New Zealand. Australian Journal of Zoology 56: 239-248. (2008)

Currey, R.J.C., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. New abundance estimates suggest Doubtful Sound bottlenose dolphins are declining. Pacific Conservation Biology 13: 265-273 (2007)

Slooten, E. Conservation management in the face of uncertainty: Effectiveness of four options for managing Hector’s dolphin bycatch. Endangered Species Research 3: 169-179 (2007)

Slooten, E. Criticism is unfounded: Reply to Middleton et al. (2007). Endangered Species Research 3: 335-339 (2007)

Lusseau, D., Slooten, E. and Currey, R.J.C. Unsustainable dolphin-watching tourism in Fiordland, New Zealand. Tourism in Marine Environments 3: 173-178 (2006)

Richter, C., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Impacts of commercial whale-watching on male sperm whales at Kaikoura, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science 22: 46-63 (2006)

Slooten, E., Dawson, S.M., Rayment, W.J. and Childerhouse, S.J. A new abundance estimate for Maui’s dolphin: What does it mean for managing this critically endangered species? Biological Conservation 128: 576-581 (2006)

Slooten, E., Rayment, W.J. and Dawson, S.M. Offshore distribution of Hector’s dolphins at Banks Peninsula: Is the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary large enough? New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40(2): 333-343 (2006)

Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Management of gillnet bycatch of cetaceans in New Zealand. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 7: 59-64 (2005)

Slooten, E., Dawson, S.M., Rayment, W.J. and Childerhouse, S.J. Distribution of Maui’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori maui. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2005/28, 21p. Published by Ministry of Fisheries, Wellington (2005)

Gormley, A.M., Dawson, S.M., Slooten, E. and Bräger, S. Capture-recapture estimates of Hector’s dolphin abundance at Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science 21: 204-216 (2005)

Slooten, E., Dawson, S.M. and Rayment, W.J. Aerial surveys for coastal dolphins: Abundance of Hector’s dolphins off the South Island west coast, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science 20: 447-490 (2004)

Dawson, S.M., Slooten, E., DuFresne, S., Wade, P. and Clement, D. Small-boat surveys for coastal dolphins: Line-transect surveys for Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Fishery Bulletin 201: 441-451 (2004)

Rhinelander, M.Q. and Dawson, S.M. Measuring sperm whales from their clicks: stability of inter-pulse intervals and validation that they indicate whale length. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 115(4): 1826-1831. (2004)

Richter, C.F., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Sperm whale watching off Kaikoura, New Zealand: Effects of current activities on surfacing and vocalisation patterns. Science for Conservation 219: 5-78 (2003)

Burkhart, S.M. and Slooten, E. Population viability analysis for Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori): A stochastic population model for local populations. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 37: 553-566 (2003)

Fletcher, D., Dawson, S. and Slooten, E. Designing a mark-recapture study to allow for local emigration. Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics 7(4): 1-8 (2002)

Dawson, S., Pichler, F., Slooten, E., Russell, K. and Baker, C.S. The North Island Hector’s dolphin is vulnerable to extinction. Marine Mammal Science 17 (2): 366-371 (2001)

Bejder, L. and Dawson, S.M. Abundance, residency and habitat utilisation of Hector’s dolphins in Porpoise Bay, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 35: 277-287. (2001)

Jacquet, N., Dawson, S.M., and Douglas, L. Vocal behaviour of male sperm whales: why do they click? Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 109 (5): 2254-2259. (2001)

Jaquet, N., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Seasonal distribution and diving behaviour of male sperm whales off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78: 407-419. (2000)

Slooten, E., Fletcher, D. and Taylor, B.L. Accounting for uncertainty in risk assessment: Case study of Hector’s dolphin mortality due to gillnet entanglement. Conservation Biology 14: 1264-1270 (2000)

Bräger, S., Chong, A., Dawson, S.M., Slooten, E. and Würsig, B. A combined stereo-photogrammetry and underwater-video system to study group composition of dolphins. Helgol. Mar. Res. 53 (2): 122-128. (1999)

Bejder, L., Dawson, S.M. & Harraway, J. Responses of Hector’s dolphins to boats and swimmers in Porpoise Bay, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science 15 (3): 738-750. (1999)

Jones, P.D., Hannah, D.J., Buckland, S.J., van Maanen, T., Leathem, S.V., Dawson, S., Slooten, E., van Helden, A. and Donoghue, M. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated in New Zealand cetaceans. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management (Special Issue 1): 157-167 (1999)

Barr, K. and Slooten, E. Effects of tourism on dusky dolphins at Kaikoura. Conservation Advisory Science Notes: 229, Department of Conservation (1999)

Dawson, S.M., Read, A. and Slooten, E. Pingers, porpoises and power: Uncertainties with using pingers to reduce bycatch of small cetaceans. Biological Conservation 84(2): 141-146 (1998)

Pichler, F., Baker, C.S., Dawson, S.M. and Slooten, E. Geographic isolation of Hector’s dolphin populations described by mitochondrial DNA sequences. Conservation Biology 12(3): 676-682 (1998)