VOLUNTEERS
REQUIRED FOR A BEHVIOURAL RESPONSE STUDY ON HUMPBACK WHALES IN AUSTRALIA
The Cetacean
Ecology and Acoustics Lab at the University of Queensland is seeking
applications from volunteers for a 5 week Behavioural Response Study (BRS) on humpback
whales from September 18 to October 24 this year. The study will examine how
humpback whale behaviour is affected by noise from seismic airguns and is the first
in a series of studies that will examine this issue over the next 4 years in
collaboration with the University of Sydney, Curtin University, and the
Australian Marine Mammal Centre.
The study
will be conducted at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast just north of
Brisbane and follows several successful studies of humpback whale vocalisations
and behaviour at the same site during the Humpback whale Acoustic Research
Collaboration (HARC).
Volunteers
are required mainly to conduct land-based observations of the whales as they
pass our study site. Approximately 3,000 whales should migrate southwards
within 10km of Peregian Beach during the field period making the site ideal for
land-based tracking and observations of behaviour. We will also have a fixed
hydrophone array moored offshore allowing us to record ambient noise and whale
vocalisations and acoustically track singing whales in real time. Some whales
will be tagged with Dtags. Although volunteers will be used to help out on the
boats, opportunities for volunteers to participate in boat work are limited and
most time will be spent doing the land-based observations. Volunteers will also
have opportunities to participate in the acoustic recording and tracking of
whales.
Individual
volunteers will spend approximately five hours daily (in two shifts) counting
and observing passing whales from the headland. Volunteers will get at least
one day off per week, usually during bad weather.
Volunteers
must be sociable as they will be expected to work and live as part of a team of
up to 60 people with shared cooking and cleaning duties. Volunteers must
organise and pay for their own transport to the study site (close to
Brisbane international airport) but food and accommodation are provided once
there. As meals are communal, fussy eaters are discouraged from applying
(vegetarians are fine).
This project
will suit people with a background in science (including recent graduates and
graduate students as well as higher level undergraduate students) keen to gain
experience in cetacean survey techniques, acoustics and behavioural response
studies. Applicants should also be highly motivated and able to concentrate for
several hours at a time. Those with previous survey experience, particularly of
marine mammals, or a strong mathematical or modelling background, will be
preferred.
Applicants
should reply with an email to Michael Noad (mnoad@uq.edu.au)
and Rebecca Dunlop (r.dunlop@uq.edu.au)
outlining why they would be suitable for this survey, why they would like to
participate, an outline of previous relevant experience, and any other relevant
details. The email should include an attached CV and the names and contact
details of two professional referees. The closing date for applications is
31 May and successful applicants will be notified during June.
The
research project is being funded by the Joint Industry Programme on E&P
Sound and Marine Life (JIP) (www.soundandmarinelife.org
) and the US Minerals Management Service (www.mms.gov
) as part of a broad investigation into the potential interaction between the sounds
that are generated by the offshore petroleum industry and the marine environment.
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Michael Noad BVSc PhD
Senior Lecturer, Veterinary Anatomy
Leader, Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory
School of Veterinary Science
The University of Queensland - Gatton Campus,
Qld 4343, Australia.
P. +61 (0)7 54601876
M. 0416270567 W. http://www.uq.edu.au/vetschool/ceal
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