Humpback whales w/ University of Auckland Associate Professor Emma Carroll: 10 March 2026

Whaling has had a continued impact on whale populations in the South Pacific, with over two million whales lost to historical industrial whaling. Whale populations are seeing some population recovery since Soviet whaling ended in the 1970s. New techniques are allowing scientists to study the age structures, behaviours and songs of whales, and observe how these are changing as whale populations are recovering. 

Wire Producer Liam spoke to Associate Professor Emma Carroll of the University of Auckland’s School of Biological Sciences about the large study they conducted on a population of New Caledonian humpback whales looking at their changing behaviours and population dynamics across nearly twenty years.