Regional initiatives

The Australian Marine Mammal Centre is involved in research and management of marine mammals around Australia and internationally. Part of this international work is the development of regional initiatives, mainly in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. Three initiatives presently under way through the Marine Mammal Centre are:

1. The Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP). The SORP is an Australian Government led initiative through the International Whaling Commission that will develop regional non-lethal cetacean research partnerships. Such partnerships would address key scientific needs in priority areas and employ the best available techniques to gather essential information that will lead to increased conservation and protection of cetaceans.

2. The Indo-Pacific Cetacean Research and Conservation Fund (IPF). The Fund aims to attract high quality, innovative and relevant research projects that address research and conservation challenges of interest to the Australian Government, developing countries in the Indo-Pacific Region and the cetacean research and conservation community more generally

3. Mitigation of catch depredation by toothed whales on longlines in the Australian and Indo-Pacific regions. The aim of this project is to develop techniques that minimise the interaction between whales and pelagic long-line fisheries.

Other regional initiatives include working closely with the Marine Initiative Group of the Marine Division to provide support for conservation, research and management programs in the South Pacific.

Last updated: 12 January 2010