To monitor sea journies to feed, penguins will be fitted with a GPS device or time-depth recorders that will provide data for a research project Ms Agnew is undertaking.
The research is part of the expanded programme at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, and will result in her completing a PhD in marine science. It has been nearly 18 months in the making.
Consultation with local iwi, Department of Conservation and Otago University's animal welfare ethics committee have all taken time.
It took a few months just to sources the data recorders and GPS units suitable for the study, along with planned upgrades and developments at the colony to ensure accurate data collection.
Ms Agnew has a Masters degree in marine science from the University of Otago, for which she researched blue penguins at Pilots Beach, at Taiaroa Head. During her studies she also worked at the Royal Albatross Centre.
She came to the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony in 2006.
"This new project will look at the foraging behaviour of the blue penguins in relation to their breeding and population biology. The data gathered, along with other information such as sea surface temperatures, will provide an insight into how blue penguins' feeding habits relate to breeding, which can then be applied to gauge the possible success of future breeding seasons," Ms Agnew said.
The study will use 10 small GPS recorders which are smaller than a matchbox and weigh about 14 grams. Because blue penguins are small, the units had to be correspondingly small and light, so as not to affect their normal behaviour.
They will record data on where penguins go from the Oamaru colony to feed at sea. Time-depth recorders will also be fitted. They record data on the frequency, depth, and times of dives. They are 32mm long and 8mm in diameter.
When the penguins, a mixture of male and female, return to the colony, the GPS and time-depth recorders will be retrieved, the data downloaded, and the devices refitted to the same penguins.
The data gathered will then be correlated to what is happening on the land in terms of breeding. Population data gathered at the Oamaru colony over 17 breeding seasons since 1993 would also be used to provide a holistic view of how the Oamaru population functions in its ecosystem, both in terms of feeding at sea and breeding on land.
Some similar research has been done on penguins overseas, but Ms Agnew's project will look at the bigger picture generally, and what is going on with blue penguins specifically in Oamaru.
