Marine Mammal Observer & Passive Acoustic Monitoring Handbook
Second edition now available. This post refers to the first edition, published in 2015. The second edition of the Marine Mammal Observer and Passive Acoustic Monitoring Handbook was published by OSC Publishing House® in September 2026: find out more and order a copy. Today, OSC are celebrating the publication of their new book, the Marine […]
New Zealand marine mammals & the code of conduct
The waters around New Zealand are home to a diverse range of marine mammals. Some of the most common cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) include Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) Maui’s dolphins (C. h. maui), killer whales (Orcinus orca), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus), common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), […]
Life onboard a gas production platform
The weather is deteriorating. Gale force winds – we can barely stand up outside, let alone work. Too severe to undertake CTD profiling today, but we have a weather window at 06:00 that may permit measurements. We are busy configuring the PODs. The moorings are pretty much ready to go, but technically, it’s always a […]
Passive Acoustic Monitoring
Passive Acoustic Monitoring is an important part of the work carried out by OSC Ltd. Currently we have a number of operators working in the field to put mitigation measures in to practice on board seismic vessels. Hydrophones towed behind the vessel are used to detect the sounds of marine mammals; this week our observers […]
OSC Marine Mammal Observers are still working hard in the field
As the busy summer field season comes to an end, OSC Marine Mammal Observers are still working hard in the field. For more information on our highly qualified Marine Mammal Observers have a look at our website: http://www.marinemammalobserver.com.
Ongoing beta-testing of PAMguard
Last year Ocean Science Consulting agreed to help the PAMguard team (www.pamguard.org) with their ongoing development project to improve the functionality of PAMguard for undertaking small cetacean survey work. The PAMguard team have just built a new installer and have asked us all to try it out in field conditions. Our Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) […]
Season kicks off
Ocean Science Consulting’s field season kicked-off unusually early, with unprecedented demand for services and personnel. Staff were also busy during Christmas and New Year, with projects on sound level and frequency measurement of conductor hammering from exploration drilling rigs, Marine Mammal Observation and Passive Acoustic Monitoring from seismic vessels.
Advisors to the New Zealand Government
Ocean Science Consulting staff have been advising the New Zealand Government on guidelines for Passive Acoustic Monitoring of cetaceans (www.doc.govt.nz). “The New Zealand government is currently reviewing guidance for minimising acoustic disturbance to marine mammals from seismic survey operations, and is soon to publish a new Code of Conduct. This process has relied heavily on […]
High Demand
OSC’s busiest field-season is well under way, and our Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs), Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operators and hydrophone equipment is currently deployed on several international projects…which corner of the globe next is anyone’s guess.
New Year Preparations
A new year begins and the team is busy analysing data for publications, responding to tender proposals, buying new field equipment, and preparing in general for the spring season, when the majority of our MMOs, PAM Operators and other specialist personnel will disperse into the field. For more regular updates, find us on Facebook, Twitter, […]