They live together and fight togther - for the plight of Hector's dolphins. Eileen Goodwin speaks to Liz Slooten and Steve Dawson about their partnership at home and at work.
Not many couples can say dolphins dragged them into politics.
Marine biologists Associate Prof Steve Dawson, of the University of Otago marine science department, and Associate Prof Liz Slooten, of the zoology department, say they dropped a "pointy-headed" approach when they realised the dolphins they were studying were dying.
Since the 1980s, the couple have taken on industry groups, bureaucrats, and politicians to protect endangered Hector's dolphins and the North Island sub-species, Maui's dolphin.
"Dolphins dragged us into politics," Prof Slooten (53) said.
"It was a case of needs must," Prof Dawson (54) adds.
They say their greatest achievement is the establishment of protected zones to stop dolphins being caught in gill and trawl nets.
"That's the best thing we've done with our lives," Prof Dawson said.
It is a never-ending fight to prevent exemptions being granted to loosen marine zones, which they say must be expanded, not reduced.
Although the science is "unequivocal" and, they say, the fishing sector stands to lose comparatively little financially, interested groups still resist additional protection.
Numbering about 8000, Hector's dolphins were at risk of extinction, the couple said. The species' rate of decline had slowed since the introduction of protection zones, but the risk of extinction remained unless more was done.
Numbering just 111 animals, the Maui's dolphin sub-species is classified as "nationally critical" by the Department of Conservation.
The couple did not imagine their work would become politically charged when they started PhDs at Canterbury University in 1984. By then, they had been together several years, having met at Auckland University in 1979. They teamed up for fieldwork, with Prof Dawson researching dolphin communication and Prof Slooten dolphin behaviour.
Basing themselves in a Volkswagen Kombi van, the pair made the coastline home and, to their dismay, started finding dead dolphins. They asked fishermen to bring the dead ashore so they could investigate what was happening.
As evidence mounted that dolphin numbers were falling rapidly, their work assumed a different focus.
"We didn't want to be studying this species into extinction," Prof Slooten said.
They completed their doctorates in 1990 in the wake of the first protection zones introduced by the then Labour Government in 1989. These were extended in 2008, again under Labour.
Gains for the dolphins are made under left-leaning governments, they say.
"If you are expecting progress under National, then you are kidding yourself," Prof Dawson said.
Deeply impassioned by the cause, the pair emphasise they are non-partisan politically, but that experience has taught them who will help.
They also criticise a lack of scientific training among politicians.
Questions such as: 'What do you mean [the dolphins] only breed at 2% a year?' were a "constant frustration". (Hector's dolphins' breeding rate of just 2% a year is one reason they are so vulnerable).
Dealing with opposition, apathy and, sometimes, hostility, mutual support kept them going.
"One of you will do the rational thing of pointing out these slow steps of progress along the way," Prof Slooten said.
"The fact that sometimes one of us gets a bit despondent because either the fieldwork is really difficult, or you're having some problem with managers, like people from the Ministry of Fisheries or Conservation not responding to the research, and if there was one of you then there would be a very good chance you would give up at one of those times.
"But the fact that there's two of you, it's very rare that we're both feeling that we're not getting anywhere."
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Prof Slooten credits "Dutch pragmatism" with a positive, constructive attitude to life.
Their dolphin work involved interacting with many groups, and, inevitably, one or the other would get on better with some people.
"Sometimes there'll be one person that we have to work with who doesn't like Steve, and they'll like me.
"It's pretty rare for someone to dislike both of us," Prof Slooten said.
Each has different strengths.
Prof Dawson is mechanically minded, which is useful for fixing field equipment.
Prof Slooten's strength is planning, costing research trips, logistics, and problem-solving.
They come from very different backgrounds. Prof Dawson is the son of a vicar and Prof Slooten the daughter of businesspeople.
Her parents owned a ship-wrecking company, which was a common business in the Netherlands, she explained.
Her mother was an excellent problem-solver, while her father was better at buying than selling ships.
"[My mother used to say] 'there's all these ships sitting in front of our house and I haven't got enough money to buy shoes for the children'. So she became very good at the selling part."
Prof Dawson and Prof Slooten have strategies to avoid constantly "talking shop" - the obvious downside of being in a relationship with a close colleague.
They said they used discretion about what they shared. For instance, if one discovered a setback late in the working day, they tried not to pass it on until the next morning to avoid ruining the other's night.
The couple share a great love of sailing and this helps them unwind. Their recreation tends to be based around water; they are keen windsurfers and divers, too.
Many of their friendships have been formed through sailing. Unlike many university academics, their friends are mostly outside of work. They also value individual time with friends.
The couple work with many young researchers and are bemused at how many former students have formed relationships.
"We've been scratching our heads and saying: 'Wait a minute, does this have something to do with the fact we're a couple?"'
While the intense nature of fieldwork made such couplings understandable, it was gratifying to think they had provided a role model of how to do so effectively, Prof Slooten said.
Hector's dolphins - the facts
• Hector's dolphins are among the world's smallest marine dolphins.
• They are found only in the inshore waters of New Zealand.
• There are two sub-species - the South Island Hector's dolphin, which is found around the South Island, and Maui's dolphin, which is found off the • west coast of the North Island.
What do they look like?
• They are the only dolphins in New Zealand with a well-rounded black dorsal fin.
• They are a distinctive grey, with white and black markings and a short snout.
• Adult South Island Hector's dolphins don't often exceed 1.5 metres in length and weigh between 40kg and 60kg.
• Males are slightly smaller and lighter than females.
Where are they found?
• Hector's dolphins are found around the coast of the South Island but distribution is patchy.
• Populations are concentrated between Haast and Farewell Spit in the west, around Banks Peninsula in the east, and Te Waewae Bay and Porpoise Bay/Te whanaga aihe in the South.
Fascinating facts
• Like other dolphins, Hector's dolphins use echolocation to find their food. They send out high-frequency clicks that bounce off surrounding objects and fish, giving the dolphins a detailed picture of their surroundings. This sonar is not used all the time, which might be one of the reasons the dolphins become caught in nets.
• Females reach sexual maturity between seven to nine years of age. They produce one calf every two to three years, making population increase a very slow process.
• Most females only have four or five calves in a lifetime. Calving usually occurs between November and mid-February, and calves stay with their mothers for up to two years.
• Hector's dolphins are known to live to about 20 years.
• Traditionally, Maori watched dolphin movements to predict the weather.
Threats
• Set-net fishing. The dolphins need to come to the surface regularly to breathe and die if they become tangled in set nets.
• Boats. As these dolphins swim close to shore, they are at risk of being injured by boats.
• Potential threats include trawling, marine pollution, disease and impacts of tourism and aquaculture.
Source: Department of Conservation
