Australia New Zealand Explorers Club

Mr. Curt Jenner (International Fellow - 2010, Australian)

Areas of Interest: Whale Biologist specialising in migratory patterns of humpback whales and blue whales in Western Australian waters and the Southern Ocean

Brief Bio: Curt was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan in the middle of the Canadian prairies and despite not seeing the ocean until age sixteen, he has developed a surprising affinity with the sea. He began his love affair with the marine world while recreational and scientific diving in the chilly waters of British Columbia, Canada while completing his B.Sc.
Curt now focuses his marine interests on whale research in Western Australia (WA) where he and wife, Micheline (IF’10), have conducted research on humpback whales since 1990, mapping their migration patterns for management of human activities. For example, in the last 10 years, the Jenner’s and their colleagues have discovered a feeding ground for a pocket population of pygmy blue whales in a deep ocean trench 30 nautical miles west of Perth, and have been able to influence the Australian Defense Department on usage periods of this area as a result.
Beyond his scientific interests Curt is also an experienced seaman with commercial Master and Engineer qualifications. Operating their own research projects draws on many interests and skills including photography, sailing and boat-building. Being self-reliant in terms of both scientific and vessel logistics has been one of the key factors in the Jenner’s success in conducting whale research in some of the remotest waters of the world.
Curt and Micheline built with their own hands, a 40 foot (12m) sailing catamaran "WhaleSong" between 1993 and 1995 as the floating research base for their group, the Centre for Whale Research. They sailed 30,000 nautical miles in this vessel, tracking WA humpback whale migration paths and patterns and discovered the whales’ breeding/calving ground at Camden Sound.
Four years ago, Curt and Micheline undertook another boat-building exercise, a five month refit project to convert an 80 foot (24m) tuna fishing vessel into a whale research expedition vessel. To date, this vessel, "WhaleSong II", enabled extended offshore exploration of WA waters for documentation of extensive biodiversity habitats.
Their new vessel, also called "Whale Song", is the culmination of all their research experience and boat needs and is capable of global expeditions, including voyages to the Antarctic where their study animals spend the summer months.

5 news pieces from Mr. Curt Jenner:

Australian Whale Expedition (2010/02/01-2010/03/15) (2010-03-28)
Curt collaborated with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) in the Antarctic on board the New Zealand research vessel “Tangaroa” on the Australian Whale Expedition. The purpose of the expedition is to collect non-lethal scientific data from cetaceans, such as photo-identification, skin biopsy sa....View Details >>

Exmouth Gulf Humpback Whale Behavioural and Photo-id Study (2009/09/16-2009/10/20) (2010-03-28)
Curt and Micheline spent a month in Exmouth Gulf observing the behaviour of humpback whales in relation to the presence of heavy lift vessels anchored inside Exmouth Gulf. Exmouth Gulf is a resting area for southbound humpback whale cow/calf pods and increases in anthropogenic sound may have long ....View Details >>

Satellite-tagging Humpback Whales in the Kimberley (2009/08/24-2009/09/06) (2010-03-28)
Curt and Micheline have been collaborating with the Australian Antarctic Division for the past 10 years to refine the process of deploying satellite-tags on humpback whales and pygmy blue whales. During the breeding season of 2009, 23 satellite-tags were deployed on humpback whales in the warm, tro....View Details >>

ABC Australian Story “Eye to Eye” Filmed in Camden Sound (2009/08/16-2009/08/21) (2010-03-28)
In August, the ABC film crew for Australian Story joined Curt and Mich on board WhaleSong II to film a half hour production piece called “Eye to Eye”. This documentary was introduced by Australian/New Zealand Chair Chris Bray from the Explorers Club, Curt and Mich being the latest explorers invited....View Details >>

First breaths of a baby humpback whale! (2009/07/19) (2010-03-28)
Conducting surveys for humpback whales from the west side of Cape Range Peninsular, near the small remote town of Exmouth, Western Australia, Curt and Mich and their research team were fortunate enough to observe the first breaths of a newborn humpback calf. This is the first time that a humpback ....View Details >>

8 photos from Mr. Curt Jenner:

Checking me out!
© Mr. Curt Jenner

Inverted fluke slap
© Mr. Curt Jenner

Places Visited: Research expeditions in Antarctica, NW Australia, Eastern Australia, San Juan Islands and Hawaii.

Webpage: www.cwr.org.au