Help support our ongoing seabird sightings project

The Petrel Station is a long term, at-sea, seabird sighting research project aiming to identify the year-round occurrence & diversity of seabird species approx 40km offshore from Tutukaka (Northland, NZ), and will look for any variations occurring over the next 15+ years (due to climate change, fisheries, plastic etc). So far we've recorded 66 species highlighting this as one of the most diverse seabird areas on earth - the perfect place for the research! Seabirds are an important indicator of a marine ecosystems health & currently many sea bird populations are in decline, faced with many issues, which is why this research is important.

The research is run in conjunction with our seabird tours, where people pay to come along for a great day out with the seabirds - the tours currently help to fund the research. These tours aren’t cheap to operate and need a minimum number of people booked per tour to cover operational costs or that tour won’t go ahead & then that days research is missed. The ultimate goal is to have all tours go ahead so research is gathered year-round (regardless of people booked), so along with people coming out with us, we’re also seeking additional funding to help ensure the research project can achieve its long-term goals.

Another goal is establishing a youth initiative to allow students studying relevant fields to come out at reduced or no cost, enabling them to get first-hand experience with seabirds.

Find out about the project at www.thepetrelstation.nz