University of Otago marine biologists Profs Steve Dawson and Liz Slooten have received a national award marking their "outstanding contributions'' to marine conservation and sustainability.
Prof Dawson (marine science) and Prof Slooten (zoology) were jointly awarded the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society's inaugural John Morton Medal.
The award was made in Wellington earlier this week.
The medal is named after leading marine biologist Prof John Morton, who helped establish the country's first marine reserve, north of Auckland.
Profs Dawson and Slooten were both taught by the late Prof Morton at Auckland University, and the two Otago researchers said they were encouraged by gaining the award.
Prof Dawson was "chuffed'' with it, and both said it also highlighted the need for further progress in dolphin conservation.
The Otago researchers started their studies of the endangered Hector's dolphin in 1984.
The medal citation notes that this study is one of the longest-running ecological studies of any marine mammal species.
The study was ongoing because gillnets and trawling continued in more than 80% of the range of Maui and Hector's dolphin, causing dolphin deaths, they said.
The citation also said they were effective communicators and had become "virtually synonymous with science-led conservation of dolphins'' in New Zealand.
In 2004, the two researchers also won the New Zealand Royal Society's Sir Charles Fleming Award for "very significant contributions'' to conserving marine mammals in New Zealand.
