Contact Details
Office 310 Castle Street, room 143
Tel +64 3 479 7468
Mob +64 21 276 4110
Email steve.dawson@otago.ac.nz
Academic Qualifications
MSc University of Auckland
PhD University of Canterbury
Research Interests
- Conservation biology of marine mammals, especially Hector's dolphin
- Incidental catch of marine mammals in fisheries
- Acoustic behaviour and communication in cetaceans
- Line-transect surveys for inshore cetaceans
- Photogrammetry
Courses
- MARI 302: Biology and Behaviour of Marine Vertebrates (Coordinator)
- MARI 301: Marine Ecology
- Mari 429: Coastal Marine Environment
Research Projects
- Conservation biology and Ecology of Hector's dolphin
- Conservation biology of Fiordland Bottlenose dolphins
- Ecology and acoustic behaviour of sperm whales
- UAV photogrammetry as a tool for understanding cetacean ecology
Visit here for more information on the New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust
Postgraduate Students
David Johnston – Thesis Title (MSc): Social aspects of demographic stochasticity in an endangered population of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
María Valdés Hernández – Thesis Title (PhD): Effect of mussel farms on Hector’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori, at Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: an ecosystem perspective
Lindsay Wickman – Thesis Title (MSc):The effects of a decreasing mark rate on precision of estimates of survival rate of Hector’s dolphins
Steph Bennington – Thesis Title (MSc): Habitat use of the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of Fiordland: Where, why and the implications for management.
Rob Lewis – Thesis Title (MSc): Population demographics of sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) in Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island.
Will Carome – Thesis Title (MSc): Effect of tourism on Hector’s dolphins in Akaroa Harbour
Toby Dickson – Thesis Title (MSc): Morphometrics of sperm whales and the relationship with click interpulse interval
Max Harvey – Thesis Title (MSc): Hector’s dolphins in Porpoise Bay: Abundance and tourism impacts
Recent graduates
- Dr Tom Brough PhD (2019)
- Dr Marta Guerra PhD (2019)
- Tamlyn Somerville MSc (Distinction: 2019)
- Lindsay Wickman MSc (Distinction: 2017)
- Eva Leunissen MSc (Distinction: 2017)
- David Johnston MSc (Distinction: 2017)
Awards
- John Morton Medal (New Zealand Marine Sciences Society). Awarded for outstanding contribution to the advancement of marine conservation and sustainability in New Zealand. 2016 (Awarded jointly with Prof Elisabeth Slooten).
- University of Otago Award for Excellence in Teaching – 2012.
- Sir Charles Fleming Award (Royal Society of NZ) for outstanding contribution to conservation science. 2004. (Awarded jointly with Dr Elisabeth Slooten).
Publications
Bennington, S., Rayment, W., Currey, R., Oldridge, L., Henderson, S., Guerra, M., … Johnston, D., … Slooten, L., & Dawson, S. (2020). Long-term stability in core habitat of an endangered population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Implications for spatial management. Aquatic Conservation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3460
Guerra, M., Wing, L., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2020). Stable isotope analyses reveal seasonal and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of sperm whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 638, 207-219. doi: 10.3354/meps13255
Guerra, M., Dawson, S., Sabadel, A., Slooten, E., Somerford, T., Williams, R., Wing, L., & Rayment, W. (2020). Changes in habitat use by a deep-diving predator in response to a coastal earthquake. Deep Sea Research Part I, 158, 103226. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103226
Lewis, R., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2020). Estimating population parameters of broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) using photo-ID capture-recapture. Journal of Fish Biology, 97, 987-995. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14453
Christiansen, F., Dawson, S. M., Durban, J. W., Fearnbach, H., Miller, C. A., Bejder, L., … Rayment, W., Leunissen, E., … Moore, M. J. (2020). Population comparison of right whale body condition reveals poor state of the North Atlantic right whale. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 640, 1-16. doi: 10.3354/meps13299
Authored Book - Research
Slooten, L., & Dawson, S. (2013). Dolphins down under: Understanding the New Zealand dolphin. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press, 96p.
Dawson, S., & Slooten, E. (1996). Down-under Dolphins: The story of Hector's Dolphin. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury University Press, 60p.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, S. M. (2018). Cephalorhynchus dolphins: C. heavisidii, C. eutropia, C. hectori, and C. commersonii. In B. Würsig, J. G. M. Thewissen & K. M. Kovacs (Eds.), Encyclopedia of marine mammals. (3rd ed.) (pp. 166-172). London, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-804327-1.00086-8
Tregenza, N., Dawson, S., Rayment, W., & Verfuss, U. (2016). Listening to echolocation clicks with PODs. In W. W. L. Au & M. O. Lammers (Eds.), Listening in the ocean: New discoveries and insights on marine life from autonomous passive acoustic recorders. (pp. 163-206). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3176-7_7
Dawson, S. M. (2009). Cephalorhynchus dolphins: C. heavisidii, C. eutropia, C. hectori, and C. commersonii. In W. F. Perrin, B. Würsig & J. G. M. Thewissen (Eds.), Encyclopedia of marine mammals. (2nd ed.) (pp. 191-195). Burlington, MA: Academic Press.
Dawson, S. M. (2008). Marine mammals. In M. Winterbourn, G. Knox, C. Burrows & I. Marsden (Eds.), The natural history of Canterbury. (3rd ed.) (pp. 685-702). Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury University Press.
Brett, T., Carter, L., Carter, R. M., Darby, J., Davis, L., Dawson, S., Jillett, J., Probert, K., & Spencer, H. (2003). The open sea. In J. T. Darby, R. E. Fordyce, A. F. Mark, P. K. Probert & C. R. Townsend (Eds.), The natural history of Southern New Zealand. (pp. 313-338). Dunedin: University of Otago Press.
Pichler, F. B., Slooten, E., & Dawson, S. M. (2003). Hector's dolphins and fisheries in New Zealand: A species at risk. In N. J. Gales, M. A. Hindell & R. Kirkwood (Eds.), Marine mammals: Fisheries, tourism and management issues. (pp. 153-173). Collingwood, VIC: CSIRO.
Dawson, S. M. (2002). Cephalorhynchus dolphins. In W. F. Perrin, B. Wurisg & J. G. M. Thewissen (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. (pp. 200-203). San Diego: Academic Press.
Journal - Research Article
Bennington, S., Rayment, W., Currey, R., Oldridge, L., Henderson, S., Guerra, M., … Johnston, D., … Slooten, L., & Dawson, S. (2020). Long-term stability in core habitat of an endangered population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Implications for spatial management. Aquatic Conservation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3460
Christiansen, F., Dawson, S. M., Durban, J. W., Fearnbach, H., Miller, C. A., Bejder, L., … Rayment, W., Leunissen, E., … Moore, M. J. (2020). Population comparison of right whale body condition reveals poor state of the North Atlantic right whale. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 640, 1-16. doi: 10.3354/meps13299
Lewis, R., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2020). Estimating population parameters of broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) using photo-ID capture-recapture. Journal of Fish Biology, 97, 987-995. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14453
Guerra, M., Dawson, S., Sabadel, A., Slooten, E., Somerford, T., Williams, R., Wing, L., & Rayment, W. (2020). Changes in habitat use by a deep-diving predator in response to a coastal earthquake. Deep Sea Research Part I, 158, 103226. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103226
Guerra, M., Wing, L., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2020). Stable isotope analyses reveal seasonal and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of sperm whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 638, 207-219. doi: 10.3354/meps13255
Brough, T., Rayment, W., Slooten, E., & Dawson, S. (2020). Spatiotemporal distribution of foraging in a marine predator: Behavioural drivers of hotspot formation. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 635, 187-202. doi: 10.3354/meps13198
Bennington, S., Rayment, W., & Dawson, S. (2020). Putting prey into the picture: Improvements to species distribution models for bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 653, 191-204. doi: 10.3354/meps13492
Brough, T., Rayment, W., Slooten, E., & Dawson, S. (2019). Fine scale distribution for a population of New Zealand's only endemic dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) shows long-term stability of coastal hotspots. Marine Mammal Science, 35(1), 140-163. doi: 10.1111/mms.12528
Brough, T., Rayment, W., & Dawson, S. (2019). Using a recreational grade echosounder to quantify the potential prey field of coastal predators. PLoS ONE, 14(5), e0217013. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217013
Webster, T. A., Van Parijs, S. M., Rayment, W. J., & Dawson, S. M. (2019). Temporal variation in the vocal behaviour of southern right whales in the Auckland Islands, New Zealand. Royal Society Open Science, 6, 181487. doi: 10.1098/rsos.181487
Leunissen, E. M., Rayment, W. J., & Dawson, S. M. (2019). Impact of pile-driving on Hector's dolphin in Lyttelton Harbour, New Zealand. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 142, 31-42. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.017
Leunissen, E. M., & Dawson, S. M. (2018). Underwater noise levels of pile-driving in a New Zealand harbour, and the potential impacts on endangered Hector's dolphins. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 135, 195-204. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.024
Davidson, A. R., Rayment, W., Dawson, S. M., Webster, T., & Slooten, E. (2018). Estimated calving interval for the New Zealand southern right whale (Eubalaena australis). New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 52(3), 372-383. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2017.1397034
Rayment, W., Webster, T., Brough, T., Jowett, T., & Dawson, S. (2018). Seen or heard? A comparison of visual and acoustic autonomous monitoring methods for investigating temporal variation in occurrence of southern right whales. Marine Biology, 165, 12. doi: 10.1007/s00227-017-3264-0
Steel, D., Anderson, M., Garrigue, C., Olavarría, C., Childerhouse, S., Clapham, P., … Dawson, S., … Slooten, L., … Baker, C. S. (2018). Migratory interchange of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) among breeding grounds of Oceania and connections to Antarctic feeding areas based on genotype matching. Polar Biology, 41(4), 653-662. doi: 10.1007/s00300-017-2226-9
Forney, K. A., Southall, B. L., Slooten, E., Dawson, S., Read, A. J., Baird, R. W., & Brownell, Jr, R. L. (2017). Nowhere to go: Noise impact assessments for marine mammal populations with high site fidelity. Endangered Species Research, 32, 391-413. doi: 10.3354/esr00820
Johnston, D. R., Rayment, W., Slooten, E., & Dawson, S. M. (2017). A time-based method for defining associations using photo-identification. Behaviour, 154(9-10), 1029-1050. doi: 10.1163/1568539X-00003455
Dawson, S. M., Fordyce, R. E., Ridgway, S. H., Brough, T. E., & Slooten, E. (2017). Observations of a New Zealand dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) breathing via its mouth. Marine Mammal Science, 33(1), 350-355. doi: 10.1111/mms.12349
Dawson, S. M., Bowman, M. H., Leunissen, E., & Sirguey, P. (2017). Inexpensive aerial photogrammetry for studies of whales and large marine animals. Frontiers in Marine Science, 4, 366. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00366
Agnew, P., Lalas, C., Wright, J., & Dawson, S. (2016). Annual variation in recruitment and age-specific survival of Little Penguins, Eudyptula minor. Emu, 116, 62-70. doi: 10.1071/MU15072
Webster, T. A., Dawson, S. M., Rayment, W. J., Parks, S. E., & Van Parijs, S. M. (2016). Quantitative analysis of the acoustic repertoire of southern right whales in New Zealand. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 140(1), 322-333. doi: 10.1121/1.4955066
Brough, T. E., Henderson, S., Guerra, M., & Dawson, S. M. (2016). Factors influencing heterogeneity in female reproductive success in a critically endangered population of bottlenose dolphins. Endangered Species Research, 29(3), 255-270. doi: 10.3354/esr00715
Guerra, M., & Dawson, S. M. (2016). Boat-based tourism and bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand: The role of management in decreasing dolphin-boat interactions. Tourism Management, 57, 3-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2016.05.010
Dittmann, S., Dawson, S., Rayment, W., Webster, T., & Slooten, E. (2016). Hector's dolphin movement patterns in response to height and direction of ocean swell. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 50(2), 228-239. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2015.1119165
Brough, T. E., Guerra, M., & Dawson, S. M. (2015). Photo-identification of bottlenose dolphins in the far south of New Zealand indicates a 'new', previously unstudied population. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 49(1), 150-158. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2014.984728
Agnew, P., Lalas, C., Wright, J., & Dawson, S. (2015). Variation in breeding success and survival of little penguins Eudyptula minor in response to environmental variation. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 541, 219-229. doi: 10.3354/meps11538
Rayment, W., Dawson, S., & Webster, T. (2015). Breeding status affects fine-scale habitat selection of southern right whales on their wintering grounds. Journal of Biogeography, 42(3), 463-474. doi: 10.1111/jbi.12443
Peel, D., Miller, B. S., Kelly, N., Dawson, S., Slooten, E., & Double, M. C. (2014). A simulation study of acoustic-assisted tracking of whales for mark-recapture surveys. PLoS ONE, 9(5), e95602. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095602
Guerra, M., Dawson, S. M., Brough, T. E., & Rayment, W. J. (2014). Effects of boats on the surface and acoustic behaviour of an endangered population of bottlenose dolphin. Endangered Species Research, 24(3), 221-236. doi: 10.3354/esr00598
Henderson, S. D., Dawson, S. M., Currey, R. J. C., Lusseau, D., & Schneider, K. (2014). Reproduction, birth seasonality, and calf survival of bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science, 30(3), 1067-1080. doi: 10.1111/mms.12109
Henderson, S. D., Dawson, S. M., Rayment, W., & Currey, R. J. C. (2013). Are the 'resident' dolphins of Doubtful Sound becoming less resident? Endangered Species Research, 20(2), 99-107. doi: 10.3354/esr00484
Agnew, P., Lalas, C., Wright, J., & Dawson, S. (2013). Effects of attached data-logging devices on little penguins (Eudyptula minor). Marine Biology, 160(9), 2375-2382. doi: 10.1007/s00227-013-2231-7
Dawson, S. M., Northridge, S., Waples, D., & Read, A. J. (2013). To ping or not to ping: The use of active acoustic devices in mitigating interactions between small cetaceans and gillnet fisheries. Endangered Species Research, 19(3), 201-221. doi: 10.3354/esr00464
Miller, B., Dawson, S., & Vennell, R. (2013). Underwater behavior of sperm whales off Kaikoura, New Zealand, as revealed by a three-dimensional hydrophone array. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(4), 2690-2700. doi: 10.1121/1.4818896
Turek, J., Slooten, E., Dawson, S., Rayment, W., & Turek, D. (2013). Distribution and abundance of Hector's dolphins off Otago, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 47(2), 181-191. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2013.771687
Miller, E., Lalas, C., Dawson, S., Ratz, H., & Slooten, E. (2013). Hector's dolphin diet: The species, sizes and relative importance of prey eaten by Cephalorhynchus hectori, investigated using stomach content analysis. Marine Mammal Science, 29(4), 606-628. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2012.00594.x
Miller, B. S., Growcott, A., Slooten, E., & Dawson, S. M. (2013). Acoustically derived growth rates of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(3), 2438-2445. doi: 10.1121/1.4816564
Dawson, S., Fletcher, D., & Slooten, E. (2013). Habitat use and conservation of an endangered dolphin. Endangered Species Research, 21, 45-54. doi: 10.3354/esr00508
Rayment, W., Davidson, A., Dawson, S., Slooten, E., & Webster, T. (2012). Distribution of southern right whales on the Auckland Islands calving grounds. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 46(3), 431-436. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2012.697072
Growcott, A., Sirguey, P., & Dawson, S. M. (2012). Development and assessment of a digital stereo photogrammetric system to measure cetaceans at sea. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 78(3), 237-246.
Gormley, A. M., Slooten, E., Dawson, S., Barker, R. J., Rayment, W., du Fresne, S., & Bräger, S. (2012). First evidence that marine protected areas can work for marine mammals. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49(2), 474-480. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02121.x