Marine biologist gets conservation award

Press, 12 May 1984, Page 13

Marine biologist gets conservation award

A Wellington marine biologist, Mr Martin Cawthorn, has been awarded the 1984 Antarctic Society Conservation Trophy for his research work on the Hooker’s sealion and Antarctic and Arctic whaling stocks. Mr Cawthorn’s research has monitored the effects of the accidental deaths of Hooker’s sea-lions in nets used by squid trawlers around the Auckland Islands. The sea-lions, one of only five species in the world, breed mainly on Enderby Island, in the north of the Aucklands group. The research had drawn attention to the need to protect the colony. Mr Cawthorn works for the fisheries research division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Since 1977, he has been New Zealand’s permanent representative on the scientific panel of the International Whaling Commission. He has done research in New Zealand and Canada on the biology of whales. In 1979-80, he took part in a Whaling Commission-spon-sored survey of humpback whales in Tongan waters. From 1966 to 1971, Mr Cawthorn worked for the Canadian Fisheries Research Board’s Arctic biology unit on whales and seals. He has a Master of Science degree from Victoria University, of Wellington, and is writing a thesis on the Hooker’s sea-lion for his doctorate. Last summer, Mr Cawthorn and two assist-

ants spent two months on Enderby Island. They carried out extensive tagging of sea-lion pups and adults, studied their biology and behaviour, growth rate, and age of maturity. Announcing the trophy award, the Antarctic Society president, Squadron Leader W. Hooper, said Mr Cawthorn’s research was a valuable contribution to the preservation and conservation of Antarctic and subAntarctic fauna. Since 1972, 11 previous awards of the trophy have been made for significant contributions to Antarctic or sub-Antarctic conservation. The trophy for 1984 is an emperor penguin carved in walnut.