Contact
Office 310 Castle Street, room 211a
Tel +64 3 479 8304
Email will.rayment@otago.ac.nz
Academic qualifications
BA Oxford
MSc University College London
PhD University of Otago
Research interests
- Ecology and conservation biology of cetaceans
- Capture-recapture methods and analyses
- Species-habitat relationships
- Efficacy of Marine Protected Areas and MPA networks
Will is also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies
He Kitenga: Auckland Islands: Baleen barometers outlines recent work combining aerial photography and computer software to measure the condition of southern right whales.
Teaching
- ECOL 111 Ecology and Conservation of Diversity
- MARI 112 Marine Biology: The Living Ocean
- MARI 302 Biology and Behaviour of Marine Vertebrates (course co-ordinator)
- MARI 401 Advanced Methods in Marine Science
- MARI 429 Coastal Marine Environment (course co-ordinator)
- MARI 431 Antarctic and Southern Ocean Science
- ZOOL 418 Conservation Biology of Marine Mammals
Postgraduate students
Current students
- Steph Bennington PhD: Transferring statistical models between populations and species
- Namrata Chand, PhD: Ecosystem Functioning and Role of Soft Sediment Macroalgal Communities
- Leah Crowe, PhD: Variability and vulnerability of the critically endangered Fiordland bottlenose dolphin
- Nicholas Daudt, PhD: Spatiotemporal patterns and environmental drivers of seabird assemblages in Australasia, a world hotspot of seabird diversity
- David Johnston PhD: Sentinels of the Southern Ocean: southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) as indicators of oceanic productivity
- Stella Simpson, MSc: Investigating the effects of oceanic conditions on sperm whales and their prey at Kaikōura
- José Emilio Trujillo Moyano, PhD: Insights into neonate reef sharks' vulnerability to predation: a behavioural, physiological and ecological approach
- Lindsay Wickman, PhD: Population modelling of Hector’s dolphins at Banks Peninsula, NZ.
Completed students
- Gaby Keeler-May, PhD: Undaria pinnatifida management and control in Southern New Zealand
- Moss Thompson, MSc: Pup survival of the New Zealand sea lion on the Otago Coast
- Hannah Williams, MSc: Abundance and distribution of Hector's dolphins in Otago and effectiveness of current protection measures
Publications
Ryder, F. J., Gnanalingam, G., Pritchard, D. W., Rayment, W. J., Scott, N. J., & Hepburn, C. D. (2023). Drivers of fishery status for the cultural keystone pāua (Haliotis iris) in Customary fishery Protection Areas in Aotearoa New Zealand. Fisheries Research, 261, 106613. doi: 10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106613
Heldsinger, M., Hepburn, C., Jowett, T., & Rayment, W. (2023). Small marine reserves provide conservation benefits for coastal sharks in southern New Zealand. Aquatic Conservation, 33, 144-159. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3911
Lewis, R., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2023). Size structure of broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) in Sawdust Bay, Rakiura/Stewart Island, estimated using underwater stereo-photogrammetry. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 57(1), 104-118. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2021.1968010
Dickson, T., Guerra, M., Rayment, W., & Dawson, S. (2023). Multi-decadal observations of the size structure of sperm whales at Kaikōura, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 57(1), 63-74. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2021.1960570
Carome, W., Rayment, W., Slooten, E., Bowman, M. H., & Dawson, S. M. (2022). Vessel traffic influences distribution of Aotearoa New Zealand's endemic dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Marine Mammal Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/mms.12995
Thomson, P. G., Cannell, B. L., Ghadouani, A., Fraser, M. W., & Rayment, W. J. (2019). Monitoring ocean and estuary health. In E. J. Techera & G. Winter (Eds.), Marine extremes: Ocean safety, marine health and the blue economy. (pp. 87-105). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
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
Chapter in Book - Research
Dickson, T., Guerra, M., Rayment, W., & Dawson, S. (2023). Multi-decadal observations of the size structure of sperm whales at Kaikōura, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 57(1), 63-74. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2021.1960570
Journal - Research Article
Heldsinger, M., Hepburn, C., Jowett, T., & Rayment, W. (2023). Small marine reserves provide conservation benefits for coastal sharks in southern New Zealand. Aquatic Conservation, 33, 144-159. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3911
Journal - Research Article
Lewis, R., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2023). Size structure of broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) in Sawdust Bay, Rakiura/Stewart Island, estimated using underwater stereo-photogrammetry. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 57(1), 104-118. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2021.1968010
Journal - Research Article
Ryder, F. J., Gnanalingam, G., Pritchard, D. W., Rayment, W. J., Scott, N. J., & Hepburn, C. D. (2023). Drivers of fishery status for the cultural keystone pāua (Haliotis iris) in Customary fishery Protection Areas in Aotearoa New Zealand. Fisheries Research, 261, 106613. doi: 10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106613
Journal - Research Article
Bennington, S., Guerra, M., Johnston, D., Currey, R., Brough, T., Corne, C., … Slooten, E., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2022). Decadal stability in the distribution of bottlenose dolphins in Dusky Sound/Tamatea, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2022.2038214
Journal - Research Article
Carome, W., Rayment, W., Slooten, E., Bowman, M. H., & Dawson, S. M. (2022). Vessel traffic influences distribution of Aotearoa New Zealand's endemic dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Marine Mammal Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/mms.12995
Journal - Research Article
Carome, W., Slooten, E., Rayment, W., Webster, T., Wickman, L., Brough, T., & Dawson, S. M. (2022). A long-term shift in the summer distribution of Hector’s dolphins is correlated with an increase in cruise ship tourism. Aquatic Conservation, 32, 1660-1674. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3881
Journal - Research Article
Guerra, M., Dawson, S. M., Somerford, T. R., Slooten, E., & Rayment, W. J. (2022). Fine-scale habitat use of foraging sperm whales is driven by seafloor topography and water column structure. Marine Mammal Science, 38, 626-652. doi: 10.1111/mms.12881
Journal - Research Article
Harvey, M., Dawson, S., & Rayment, W. (2022). Estimating the abundance of the Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) that use Porpoise Bay, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2022.2112060
Journal - Research Article
Mouton, T. L., Stephenson, F., Torres, L. G., Rayment, W., Brough, T., McLean, M., … Leprieur, F. (2022). Spatial mismatch in diversity facets reveals contrasting protection for New Zealand's cetacean biodiversity. Biological Conservation, 267, 109484. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109484
Journal - Research Article
Somerford, T. R., Dawson, S. M., Slooten, E., Guerra, M., Childerhouse, S. J., Richter, C. F., van der Linde, M. L., & Rayment, W. J. (2022). Long-term decline in abundance of male sperm whales visiting Kaikōura, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science, 38, 606-625. doi: 10.1111/mms.12886
Journal - Research Article
Trujillo, J. E., Bouyoucos, I., Rayment, W. J., Domenici, P., Planes, S., Rummer, J. L., & Allan, B. J. M. (2022). Escape response kinematics in two species of tropical sharks: Short escape latencies and high turning performance. Journal of Experimental Biology, 243973. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1242/jeb.243973
Journal - Research Article
Bennington, S., Rayment, W., Currey, R., Oldridge, L., Henderson, S., Guerra, M., … Johnston, D., … Slooten, L., & Dawson, S. (2021). Long-term stability in core habitat of an endangered population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Implications for spatial management. Aquatic Conservation, 31, 665-676. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3460
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Housiaux, J. A., Hepburn, C. D., & Rayment, W. J. (2019). Seasonal variation in occurrence of the sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianus, in two inshore habitats of southern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 46(1), 48-60. doi: 10.1080/03014223.2018.1482930
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Donnelly, D. M., Ensor, P., Gill, P., Clarke, R. H., Evans, K., Double, M. C., Webster, T., Rayment, W., & Schmitt, N. T. (2018). New diagnostic descriptions and distribution information for Shepherd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) off Southern Australia and New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science, 34(3), 829-840. doi: 10.1111/mms.12478
Journal - Research Article
Leunissen, E. M., Webster, T., & Rayment, W. (2018). Characteristics of vocalisations recorded from free-ranging Shepherd's beaked whales, Tasmacetus shepherdi. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 144(5), 2701-2708. doi: 10.1121/1.5067380
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Guerra, M., Hickmott, L., van der Hoop, J., Rayment, W., Leunissen, E., Slooten, E., & Moore, M. (2017). Diverse foraging strategies by a marine top predator: Sperm whales exploit pelagic and demersal habitats in the Kaikōura submarine canyon. Deep Sea Research Part I, 128, 98-108. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2017.08.012
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Torres, L. G., Rayment, W., Olavarría, C., Thompson, D. R., Graham, B., Baker, C. S., … Carroll, E. L. (2017). Demography and ecology of southern right whales Eubalaena australis wintering at sub-Antarctic Campbell Island, New Zealand. Polar Biology, 40(1), 95-106. doi: 10.1007/s00300-016-1926-x
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
O'Connell-Milne, S. A., Poulin, R., Savage, C., & Rayment, W. (2016). Reduced growth, body condition and foot length of the bivalve Austrovenus stutchburyi in response to parasite infection. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology, 474, 23-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2015.09.012
Journal - Research Article
O'Connell-Milne, S., Savage, C., & Rayment, W. (2016). The influence of commercial harvesting on parasite infection in the bivalve Austrovenus stutchburyi. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, 73, 982-989. doi: 10.1139/cjfas-2015-0401
Journal - Research Article
Twist, B. A., Hepburn, C. D., & Rayment, W. J. (2016). Distribution of the New Zealand scallop (Pecten novaezealandiae) within and surrounding a customary fisheries area. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 73(2), 384-393. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsv228
Journal - Research Article
Twist, B. A., Rayment, W. J., & Hepburn, C. D. (2016). Movement patterns of adult scallops (Pecten novaezealandiae) within a customary fisheries reserve: Implications for fine scale spatial management. Fisheries Research, 174, 160-166. doi: 10.1016/j.fishres.2015.09.020
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Urian, K., Gorgone, A., Read, A., Balmer, B., Wells, R. S., Berggren, P., … Rayment, W., & Hammond, P. S. (2015). Recommendations for photo-identification methods used in capture-recapture models with cetaceans. Marine Mammal Science, 31(1), 298-321. doi: 10.1111/mms.12141
Journal - Research Article
Carroll, E. L., Rayment, W. J., Alexander, A. M., Baker, C. S., Patenaude, N. J., Steel, D., … Childerhouse, S. (2014). Reestablishment of former wintering grounds by New Zealand southern right whales. Marine Mammal Science, 30(1), 206-220. doi: 10.1111/mms.12031
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Elliott, R. G., Dawson, S. M., & Rayment, W. J. (2012). Optimizing T-pod settings and testing range of detection for bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 92(8), 1901-1907. doi: 10.1017/s002531541100035x
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
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
Journal - Research Article
Rayment, W., Clement, D., Dawson, S., Slooten, E., & Secchi, E. (2011). Distribution of Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) off the West Coast, South Island, New Zealand, with implications for the management of bycatch. Marine Mammal Science, 27(2), 398-420. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00407.x
Journal - Research Article
Rayment, W., Dawson, S., Scali, S., & Slooten, L. (2011). Listening for a needle in a haystack: Passive acoustic detection of dolphins at very low densities. Endangered Species Research, 14, 149-156. doi: 10.3354/esr00356
Journal - Research Article