Investigators
The Whisker Patrol project is conducted by the Centre for Marine Science and Technology (CMST) at Curtin University (Perth, WA). Key investigators are PhD student Sylvia Osterrieder, Dr Chandra Salgado Kent, and Dr Iain Parnum. Dr Randall Robinson of Victoria University assists with co-ordination and supervision.
Co-Investigators and Collaborators
This project would not be possible without the collaboration with Victoria University (Melbourne, VIC) and the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW), as well as Bernd Würsig (Texas A&M; USA) . The development and testing of pattern recognition algorithms are being undertaken in collaboration with Carlos Anderson (Michigan State University; USA) and Mihai Lazarescu (Curtin University).
Supporters
This project is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program and the Australian Marine Mammal Centre (2012/19). Significant in-kind support is also provided by Rockingham Wild Encounters, with special thanks to Francis Marchant.
Contributors
Several zoos and aquaria are investing a lot of their time to contribute photos of their sea lions and fur seals from various different angles, distances and positions for sophisticated testing of this methodology. Photographs of known individual pinnipeds have gratefully been provided by UnderWater World (Mooloolaba, QLD), Pet Porpoise Pool (Coffs Harbour, NSW), Adelaide Zoo (Adelaide, SA), Melbourne Zoo (Melbourne, VIC), Taronga Zoo (Sydney, NSW), Aquarium of the Pacific (California, USA), Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (Indiana, USA), Seneca Park Zoo (New York, USA), Mystic Aquarium (Connecticut, USA).
Acknowledgements
We would also like to thank Alexander Camacho (Curtin University) for providing his project management expertise during the course of this project, and Sarah Marley (Curtin University) for her assistance in the development and maintenance of this website. And of course our deepest gratitude is extended to all the volunteers – both research and community – who devote their time, effort and photos to this project. Thank you!
Whisker Patrol 