The Australian Marine Mammals Centre, at the Australian Antarctic Division, has announced the recipients of more than $1.2 million dollars of grants for 2010.
12 research projects focusing on whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals and dugongs from nine different research institutes have received funding.
The AMMC grants program, which started in 2008, aims to use non-lethal techniques to improve the conservation or marine mammals through improved management of human and marine mammal interactions.
The research addresses key knowledge gaps including better understanding the population structure, distribution and abundance of marine mammal populations, and the nature and extent of the threats they face.
The successful 2010 grant recipients include:
- $387,000 Flinders University project looking at the population size, structure and habitat of common dolphins in South Australia.
- $111,000 South Australian Research and Development Institute project monitoring Australian sea lion pups at colonies in South Australia.
- $105,000 University of Queensland project investigating the feeding behaviour and ecology of Humpback Whales in southern New South Wales.