Morphometry underpins the basic knowledge of any organism's population demographics and dynamics. Such understanding enables the investigation of trends with important conservation implications including monitoring the health of individuals and changes in population dynamics over time. By detecting declines in health prior to the onset of significant mortality, monitoring of body condition can potentially allow time for a management response to avert population decline. We trialed the use of a diver‐operated stereo‐video (SDOV) system for making morphometric measurements of dwarf minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.), a small oceanic rorqual, in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The SDOV system produced 68% more precise replicate total body length measurements than a single‐camera system, while both systems achieved a mean error below 0.5%. The increased precision offered by a SDOV system is desirable for longitudinal monitoring of growth rates and body condition. Optimal application of this method relied on adherence to protocols for both data collection and analysis beyond those dictated by the equipment user manuals. We provide recommendations for these field and analytical protocols, which may be suitable for use with other cetaceans when in‐water access is available.

中文翻译：

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开发使用立体视频摄影术对鲸类进行水中形态测量的协议

形态计量学是任何生物种群统计和动态的基础知识。有了这种了解，就可以对具有重要保护意义的趋势进行调查，包括监测个人的健康状况以及随着时间推移人口动态的变化。通过在重大死亡率发作之前检测出健康状况的下降，对身体状况的监测可以潜在地为管理人员避免厌恶人群下降提供时间。我们试用了使用多样化的立体声视频（SDOV）系统进行矮小小须鲸（Balaenoptera acutorostrata）形态测量的方法（subsp..subsp。），这是澳大利亚大堡礁的一小片海洋奇观。与单相机系统相比，SDOV系统产生的精确的重复人体全长测量结果高68％，而两个系统的平均误差均低于0.5％。SDOV系统提供的提高的精度对于纵向监测生长速率和身体状况是理想的。该方法的最佳应用依赖于对数据收集和分析的协议的遵守，而不是设备用户手册所规定的。我们为这些现场和分析规程提供了建议，当有水通道可用时，它们可能适合与其他鲸类一起使用。