Absalom Kairu is a postgraduate science student at the University of Papua New Guinea, specialising in marine mammal conservation. His research centres on inshore dolphin populations in the Purari Delta, Gulf Province, and draws on boat-based survey methods, ecological data analysis, and community-based research approaches, including the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and citizen science.

His research is driven by the urgent conservation challenge posed by dolphin by-catch in gillnet fisheries — one of the most significant threats to inshore cetacean populations in the region. With limited locally tested mitigation measures currently available, Absalom’s work evaluates the effectiveness of acoustic deterrents and modified gillnet designs as practical and culturally appropriate interventions. His goal is to identify solutions that reduce dolphin by-catch while preserving the livelihoods of local fishing communities, contributing meaningful conservation outcomes in one of Papua New Guinea’s most ecologically significant coastal systems.