Overfishing and the disappearance of short-beaked common dolphins from western Greece

The following article by Tethys researchers has just been published on Endangered Species Research:

Bearzi G., Agazzi S., Gonzalvo J., Costa M., Bonizzoni S., Politi E., Piroddi C., Reeves R.R. 2008. Overfishing and the disappearance of short-beaked common dolphins from western Greece. Endangered Species Research 5:1-12.

ABSTRACT: Once one of the most common cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, the short-beaked common dolphin has declined throughout the region since the 1960s and in 2003 this population was classified as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Here, we document the species' precipitous decline in eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters across 13 yr. While 150 animals were present in the study area (1050 km2) in 1996, only 15 were observed in 2007. A 12 mo assessment of fishing effort and catch, together with circumstantial evidence, suggests that the decline was caused largely by prey depletion resulting from overfishing. We analyzed the impacts of various fishing gear and estimated the degree of resource overlap between common dolphins and local fisheries. The total biomass removed annually by 308 fishing boats in the study area averaged 3571 t, while that consumed by common dolphins was 17 t. Resource overlap between common dolphins and fisheries—expressed as an average Pianka index of 0.5—differed according to fishing gear, being higher for purse seiners (0.7) and beach seiners (0.4) and lower for bottom trawlers (0.1), trammel boats (0.2) and longliners (0.0). Only about 10 active purse seiners (4% of the total active fishing fleet) were responsible for 33% of the biomass removal, and likely had the greatest impact on prey of common dolphins. This study indicates a high risk of local disappearance of common dolphins in the very near future, unless fishery management measures are implemented immediately. Purse seining should be the main management target.

The pdf version of this article can be downloaded from the link below:
http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v5/n1/p1-12/ì

Why we did not try to "save" the newborn dolphin

I wasn't on board when Joan and Elisa found the dying newborn, but I support their choice of documenting the event without trying to intervene.

I'm quite sure that they would have done their best to help the baby, should there be any space for meaningful action. But I agree with them that there wasn't any.

Below, I try to explain why.

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The fate of the baby dolphin was rather unpredictable. While he obviously had problems, these were of unknown origin and they could have been of temporary nature. We did not know whether the newborn could recover and what was going to happen next. Only towards the end of the observation it became apparent that he was going to die.

Capturing a dolphin in deep open waters cannot be expected to be easy, also considering that adult dolphins were consistently preventing the baby from approaching the resarchers' boat too closely. The likely reaction by the newborn to approaching human swimmers under those circumstances could be avoidance and increased distress.

The researchers on boat had no veterinary experience and carried no medical equipment. The best they could do (provided that they managed to capture the bay dolphin) was keeping him at the surface. This, however, was expected to result in additional stress and overheating, thus increasing rather than decreasing the risk of mortality. Wild dolphins have been reported to die of stress when handled and the risk may be particularly high if the handled animal is already distressed or ill.

Attempts to capture the newborn may have elicited aggressive behaviours by its presumed mother and/or by other adult dolphins, exposing humans to unknown but potentially significant risks, particularly in deep and murky waters. The presence of swimmers was also likely to disrupt the behaviour of the whole group, possibly jeopardizing the repeated and obvious attempts by other dolphins to assist the newborn. This, again, was thought to increase rather than decrease the risk of a potentially fatal outcome.

Giovanni Bearzi
President, Tethys Research Institute

Agony and death of a newborn bottlenose dolphin calf in the Amvrakikos Gulf (2)

On the 3rd of July, 2008, Tethys researchers Joan Gonzalvo and Elisa Malevolti observed and filmed the agony of a newborn bottlenose dolphin in the semi-closed waters of the Amvrakikos Gulf, western Greece.

The observation lasted about 45 min. The newborn eventually died and sunk in the green murky waters of the Gulf, disappearing from view. The adult dolphins who had been surrounding and assisting the baby left the area. They were followed for about 20 min as they moved away from the place where the newborn had died.

The observations were documented by a video and 104 digital photos.

Watch the video and a selection of 33 photos

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For additional information on bottlenose dolphins in the Amvrakikos Gulf see:
Bearzi G., Agazzi S., Bonizzoni S., Costa M., Azzellino A. 2008. Dolphins in a bottle: abundance, residency patterns and conservation of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the semi-closed eutrophic Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18(2):130-146. (502 Kb)

Agony and death of a newborn bottlenose dolphin in the Amvrakikos Gulf (1)

It’s the 3rd of July and we have been scanning the sea surface on the eastern Amvrakikos Gulf for over an hour. Towards the end the second navigation transect, at 10:10 AM, the familiar spark of the sun reflected on a dolphin’s dorsal fin, far away, tells us where the animals are. Up to now everything seems routine.

But as soon as we approach the dolphins we notice a newborn calf accompanied by two adults surfacing close to him. What initially feels me up with joy and optimism for the welfare of the dolphins inhabiting this wonderful place – a newborn is always good news – is soon replaced by a sad feeling as I realize that this tiny and cute creature is showing clear signs of distress.

His swimming is awkward and his panicking little eyes are wide open, seemingly calling for help. Two adult dolphins are frantically trying to help him on his struggle to stay afloat. Some other dolphins occasionally approach and seem to share a sense of anguish.

The agony of the baby goes on for 45 minutes and at 10.58 he freezes and sinks, disappearing in the green murky waters of the Gulf. We stay with the rest of the group for half an hour, but the newborn has disappeared. At 11:21 we decide to stop the sighting and head back to the field station.

I feel privileged for having witnessed a unique and touching event, but it hurts. It really hurts.

Joan Gonzalvo

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Note: The event described here took place exactly one year after a similar one occurred in the Amvrakikos Gulf on the 3rd and 4th of July, 2007. On those days a bottlenose dolphin mother was observed mourning her dead newborn for several hours.

Publish or Perish

"There are many reasons why this failure to publish is a scientific crime. The most obvious is that the information is lost to the world. When the scientist who has studied species X for two decades - and published not one jot of data - gets hit by a truck, most of that knowledge will be buried with him or her. The person lying under the truck’s wheels may well have stimulated many colleagues, probably by presenting some findings at conferences (a common dodge to avoid actually writing something up). But without publications, that scientist’s work will have been largely wasted.

Part of the problem, if I may be permitted a dubious food-related metaphor, is that some scientists live for the hunt, not for the cooking and serving. These are individuals who love to solve problems. For them, results always lead to more questions, which lead to more studies, which lead to more questions, and on and on. Instead of taking time to write up the work they’ve finished, they keep returning to the field. The field is fun."

Read on...
Clapham P. 2005. Publish or perish. BioScience 55(5):390-391.

Kalamos, July 1st, 2008

The new month brings a new resident crew: new volunteers, new experiences and more sightings!

Marking the first day of the second month of the 2008 season was exhilarating, to say the least. With a successful completion of transect C the day before, we began our route towards transect B. Within only 5 minutes of leaving Episkopi, Silvia spotted dolphins between Kalamos Island and Mytikas.

Approaching the dolphin location, we soon realized that there were 8 bottlenose dolphins. Among them, we observed LARA and her current calf. Another individual of the pod was LARASON2, the older son of LARA, born in August 1998. The photoidentification done today was important because we discovered LARASON2 to actually be a female, based on a photo of her genital area.

Approximately an hour of behavioural data included lots of social activity and a variety of aerial and percussive behaviour. At times, the pod would surface all together giving us a beautiful image with Kalamos in the background.

With no clear directionality, the pod soon separated with the juveniles heading towards the Mytikas fish farm and leaving the other individuals. Young and energetic, the juveniles showcased some supposed feeding activity although never passing the orange buoys to the centre of the fish farm. The youngsters did not fail to impress: racing, jumping and showing off as they know best.

Having such an exciting first day of July, we are all pumped for what the magical Ionian Seas has in store for us in the coming days of July. Stay tuned for all the action!

Shiva Javdan

Kalamos, 16-28 June 2008

I came here to Episkopi without any expectations of whom I will meet. Now after this week I can only say: it was a great week, with wonderful people and unforgettable impressions. I had the opportunity to be part of a team with a lot of passion for dolphin research and conservation. I saw a group of 13 common dolphins, I saw the crazy bottlenose dolphins jumping right next to the boat and I was introduced how to take the data. I woke up with the sunrise over the sea and I had dinner while learning my first words in Greek. Marina, Marcel and Shiva: THANKS A LOT FOR THIS GREAT TIME!!! For the future I wish you a lot of success for your work. I will never forget these great days with you! A big hug

Viola, Germany

Out of the blue

It’s 7:15 in the morning and we are crossing the channel between the island of Kalamos and the mainland. With the colorful sunrise never failing to amaze us with its beauty, we take the volunteers to the bus station at Mytikas. It has been an incredible week of sightings and after the volunteers leave for Athens, we meet with our friend Adonis for a Greek coffee near the sea.

We are all sitting in the cafeteria drinking and chatting a mix of English, Italian, Greek and Spanish when suddenly Marina spots a dorsal fin, right in front of us. Bottlenose dolphins in the Mytikas channel! Wow! Go or not go? It is our rest time before a hard day working on boat reparations. But we see a calf in the group and we decide to take the boat and try to identify the mother.

The sea is perfect and in five minutes we approach the group. We don’t have any research equipment on board but we immediately realize that LARA has come back. The calf in the group is her new baby!

LARA is one of the most resident bottlenose dolphins and she has been seen in the waters of Kalamos since 1994. She gave birth to three babies during this time. We are happy to see that her fourth calf was born, after the bad experience with her latest offspring, ZOI.

ZOI was born in the summer of 2004 but its rostrum got entangled in fishing gear and this caused major lesions as the calf grew up. ZOI did not survive to adult age.

Today’s encounter with LARA and her new baby is good news. Life has managed to surface again out of the blue waters of Kalamos.

Marina Costa, Shiva Javdan, Marcel Clusa

Still 13 common dolphins around Kalamos - let's not see them disappear!

Yesterday, June 24th, a group of 12 common dolphins was sighted by the Tethys team (Marina, Marcel, Shiva and one volunteer) south of the island of Lefkada, within the 'Kalamos' study area.

The group included 9 adults, 1 juvenile and 2 calves. All these animals had been previously catalogued and are known to the research team. The group included both females (Nigel, Lins and Simon) and males (Elisa, Aetos and 93023), plus three other adults of unknown gender.

The juvenile was the third son of Lins, and the two calves were the fourth and the second sons of Nigel and Simon, respectively.

The group was followed for about two hours and all the animals could be photo-identified based on 213 digital photographs.

This is the third sighting of common dolphins in June 2008. The first sighting was of a lone individual (Fiocco). The second was of Nigel with her son.

Observations conducted so far in the context of ongoing monitoring show that there are still at least 13 common dolphins around Kalamos. This is very good news considering the dramatic decline observed over the past decade.

Last year, only 15 common dolphins were estimated to have survived around Kalamos (ten years ago there were 150 animals). Being able of documenting the persistence of at least a small common dolphin unit is important as this shows that recovery would still be possible if timely action is taken. Management measures to facilitate recovery have been defined into detail and proposed to the relevant authorities. We hope that such measures will be taken soon and that this relict community - one of the last living in the central Mediterranean - can be rescued.

Should managers and Governments fail to do so, they will cast a shadow over their commitments to protect endangered cetacean populations.

Giovanni Bearzi

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For more information:
Common dolphins around Kalamos, Greece

Pingers and dolphins

A new study about pinger efficiency has been recently published.

“Pingers as deterrents of bottlenose dolphins interacting with trammel nets” was written by three experts from GRUMM, the group for the study and conservation of marine mammals at the University of Barcelona (Spain): Manel Gazo, Joan Gonzalvo and Alex Aguilar.

The study focuses on the effectiveness of pingers in discouraging common bottlenose dolphins from approaching trammel nets in Majorca, Balearic Islands, an area where dolphin depredation is significant. The authors evaluate dolphin damage to the nets and economic loss by fishermen.

The interesting conclusion is that though pingers did not stop dolphins from approaching the fishing nets, the nets equipped with functional pingers received less damage than nets with non-functional devices or without pingers. Authors also discovered that pingers did not appear to have any effect on fishery target species but may cause unwanted environmental impacts, which are also reviewed in the article.

Since 2006 Joan Gonzalvo works with Tethys as Principal investigator in the research project conducted in the Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece.

Silvia Bonizzoni

Photo from Gazo et al. 2008

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For more information:
Gazo M., Gonzalvo J., Aguilar A. 2008. Pingers as deterrents of bottlenose dolphins interacting with trammel nets. Fisheries Research 92:70-75.

Only in June

At Kalamos, it can only happen in June.

Only then can you wake up in the morning of a beautiful sunny day, with a magnificent view of the islands. But there is a little wind, all it takes to make spotting dolphins difficult at sea.

It can only happen in June that the sea conditions change within minutes, leaving us to abandon our transect and escape to an ad libitum route, which means that we continue navigating outside the survey tracks. We direct our path towards the sheltered south of Lefkada and finally we find some flat sea surface. For an hour we navigate on a perfect sea, concentrating on dolphin search. Unfortunately we can find no dolphins and after patrolling the entire area, we decide to head back.

It only happens in June that we cross paths with an English yacht; a large and beautiful sailing boat with uniformed crew and captain. And there is something strange. The visitors on the boat are all standing up, dressed in their funny coloured hats. The crew all situated at the stern and the captain hands not on the rudder. They sighted something!

We stop our boat immediately and begin scanning the sea surface, our hearts racing faster with each passing second. Within two minutes there is the shout we were all waiting to hear: OUT! One fin. No... two fins!

It can only happen in June that the strange behaviour of a beautiful yacht allows us to find one of the rarest dolphin species in the central Mediterranean - two magnificent common dolphins. And not just any two common dolphins, but NIGEL and her son! We all shout and give each other a big hug! What a wonderful encounter!

We had met NIGEL last year in September. She was with three other adults, as well as her own newborn. Mortality is really high in the first year of life (even 50%). The former resident and previously abundant common dolphin community living around Kalamos has shown a continuous decline in the recent years, most likely due to the intensive exploitation of local fish stocks. So this encounter is really important because NIGEL-SON4, the fourth son of NIGEL, is still alive and apparently in good conditions (see the video) after one year.

This gives us new hope that it’s not too late for changing our destructive behaviour and making the Mediterranean a better place to live, for all species.

Marina Costa, Shiva Javdan and Marcel Clusa

Kalamos, 8-14 June

First of all, many thanks to my friend who showed me the article in a weekly newspaper called “Sonntagsblitz” because that was the begin of this wonderful week. Second, thanks to the team here in Episkopi in this week we where five Marina Shiva, Una, Marcel and me and the time I could spend in this team was definitely great!!! We have done and seen many things in this week so I can not tell which of the unbelievable moments was the best. All I can say that I am full of impressions and I am absolutely sure that I will come back again to Kalamos and the Tethys project. The last week was one of the best experiences of my life thanks to all an in future I will stay “positive” as well ;-)

Carola, Germany

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This is going to be short and sweet, like my stay here in Kalamos. Quite simply I had a fantastic time, without exaggeration one of the best weeks of my life! I loved every minute, learned a lot and had a good laugh. I love the atmosphere here and of course going out every day looking for dolphins. I love the passion these people have for their work (not something I have found in food technology). Marina is a wonderful teacher & I think Marcel and Shiva are following in her footsteps. Many thanks to Marina, Shiva & Marcel for making my (much too short ) time here so enjoyable and being such good company. My only regret is that I cannot stay longer. But I will definitely be back!

Una, Ireland

Turtles in trouble

The Marine Conservation Society together with the Travel Foundation and design company Juniperblue have recently produced an entertaining and educational cartoon called Turtles in Trouble.

The 8 minutes long animation is for everybody planning holidays in the Mediterranean, but it includes valuable advice relevant to all destinations where marine turtles may lay eggs.

The video effectively shows how simple changes in our behaviour while on holidays can make a big difference. As the video points out: “Turtles are in danger of extinction, and extinction is forever. But doing your bit, you can give this spectacular animals the chance to survive for generations to come”.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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To watch the video: Turtles in Trouble

Kalamos, June 8th, 2008

Today marks the completion of the first week of the 2008 season.

Although it started off with an incredible sighting of Fiocco, the rest of the week was less yielding. On Tuesday evening, while watching the beautiful sunset, we observed a group of dolphins midway between Kalamos and Lefkada. The sunset sighting got us pumped for the next few days of navigation, but sadly we were left with no results to feed our hunger until an exciting Thursday night.

On our way back from sightseeing in the village of Kalamos, we received a phone call from the manager of Episkopi that dolphins had been spotted on the channel between Mytikas and Episkopi. With our new found adrenaline, we raced back to the base in hopes of catching a glimpse of the dolphins before they left. Climbing out of the car and into the neighbour’s lawn, we battled wild plants (with a varying spike magnitude) and numerous spider webs (some of which we were unable to avoid :S). On top of the roof, we all intently looked at the channel for any sign of surface activity. To our luck, Marcel spotted two dolphins! And with that confirmation we were running back through the lawn and driving to the boat. Once out on the water, with the deceiving waves, we found the dolphin pair close to the Mytikas coast and we were thrilled that our jungle trek had been awarded.

The following day, Friday, also brought some exciting events to our plate. After four hours of navigation, we spotted three bottlenose dolphins at the Mytikas fish farm. The dolphins alternated between the fish farms and then coming to our boat to investigate. The relatively calm water allowed us to exchange looks with the curious animals as they passed under our boat. With approximately two hours of data collection, we had completely forgotten the week difficult weather and seemingly endless navigation. But that is the life of a researcher!

On Saturday, we sadly said goodbye to our first volunteers of the season and spent the rest of the day dealing with various errands, including a quick stop to Amvrakikos. In the evening, we made our way across the channel to Episokopi with our loads of groceries and admiring the beautiful sunset. Mesmerized by the picturesque sky, Marcel went to take a picture but accidentally hit his head on the boat and like a signal to cetaceans, Marina immediately spotted Spiti! We did not believe her at first, but soon it was clear that Spiti was passing by with two other dolphins. Quite a day!

With the house reaching perfection, and the dolphins welcoming us to their remarkable world, this season is looking to be an exciting and eventful one!

Shiva Javdan

Loss of large predatory sharks from the Mediterranean Sea

Several species of sharks in the Med have almost disappeared, their numbers 97% below what they were 200 years ago.

This is the scary figure that emerges from a new research (Loss of large predatory sharks in the Mediterranean), founded in part by the Lenfest Ocean Program, just published on Conservation Biology.

Fishing (both direct and by catch), coastal degradation and lack of management, coupled with the life history of sharks (who grow slowly, mature late and produce few young) caused this massive loss.

Blue, thresher, mako, porbeagle and hammerhead sharks have almost totally vanished in catch records from all sorts of different sources (tuna traps records, coast guard, fishing market, recreational fishing tournaments data) over the years, the authors found.

The consequences on the ecosystem of losing these key players is still poorly understood, as populations of other fish and invertebrates shift in unpredictable ways. But the extent of this collapse "may hold serious implications for the entire marine ecosystem, greatly affecting food webs throughout this region,” said the lead author of the study, Francesco Ferretti, a doctoral student in marine biology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Better management of shark fisheries is clearly needed to invert this trend.

Eleonora De Sabata

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For more information:
- The press release
- The Lenfest Report "Shark Declines in the Mediterranean sea: a summary of a new scientific analysis"
- Ferretti et al. 2008. Loss of large predatory sharks from the Mediterranean Sea. Conservation Biology.

Kalamos, 1-7 June 2008

If I were a good writer I would type some original, unique and fabulous lines that would impress whoever open this guestbook but, anyway, they would express exactly the same: thanks a lot for a magic week!

I should also write something a bit more “serious”, so here I go: I have participated as a volunteer in the IDP at Kalamos in the 1st week of June 2008. This field trip has been funded by the University of Ulster at Coleraine where I am doing a MRes project about cetacean habitat modelling. In this way, to be here during this week has been very instructive and helpful to better understand how cetacean data must be collected and stored.

Furthermore, this experience would not be the same without Marina, Marcel and Shiva who have kept Olivier and me alive on the boat. Honestly, congratulations guys because you are great and you are doing a fantastic job! (Although, I do not completely agree with your pasta diet :-P). All the best.

Minia, Spain

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This is my second time here in the Kalamos base, and I am still fascinated by the amazing atmosphere of this place. There is always a surprise around the corner: on the sea we saw Fiocco, the first common dolphin of the season (see post) and a couple of days later 3 young bottlenose dolphins swimming under the boat. It was fun to meet Marina again.

I thank Marcel and Adonis for teaching me a couple of useful Greek words to survive in a tavern. I thank Minia and Shiva for sharing their enthusiasm. If only I had tons of vacation days this summer, I would have spent some in Kalamos for sure.

I wish a long life to the IDP.

Olivier, France

Kalamos: third day of the season

June 4th, 2008: the third day of the 2008 season brought us the hot sun, the beautiful Ionian Islands and the ever changing wind.

Starting off east past Mytikas and Kalamos village, everyone kept their eyes peeled on the seemingly endless water for something to make its entrance into our world. We all hoped to see 'Fiocco' again, the common dolphin that gave a timid hello to us back on the first day (see post).

We followed along the waypoints of transect B until we saw something breach the water to our north. Leaving the transect we jetted to the potential area. Searching all around for another jump, we sadly did not spot an action again. Returning to the original transect we continued towards several fish farms along the Echinades coast.

Fish farms attract other fish around their premises when they are fed and increments of food sink outside the nets. Dolphins have learned that fish are often found around the farms and thus will often visit them. Unfortunately during this instant no dolphins were found around the fish farms, and thus we moved towards the neighbouring islands for protection from the deteriorating state of the sea. Taking a short break off a rocky coast, which included a chilly swim and some boat maintenance, we soon found the wind to change direction again.

Deciding that the sea state was not convenient for finishing the B-transect, we made our way through the Kalamos and Kastos channel. Passing Kalamos village, there was another jumping event to the west of the boat; but, once again it turned out to be a single instance. Before returning to Episkopi, we took a look at the Mytikas fish farms but they did not provide us with any dolphin sightings either.

We are looking forward to better weather and hopefully more common dolphin visits!

Shiva Javdan

Lone common dolphin near Kalamos

First day out at sea, first day of field research in Kalamos and first sighting of the season...

At 8 AM we are ready on the boat. "Transect A clockwise" is the survey we pick up randomly. The sea conditions just ideal. After 50 minutes of navigation: OUT!

A solitary fin appears 500 m from our boat and we (Marina, Marcel, Shiva and two volunteers: Olivier and Minia) are thrilled. As we approach the dolphin we have a strange feeling. It is small and dark, fast and swimming elegantly.

Everybody is thinking about what dolphin species it may be, but nobody wants to say a word before being sure... But yes - it is a small fin with a white patch! It is a short-beaked common dolphin!

This individual is a well known male nicknamed ‘Fiocco’, who has been visiting the Kalamos area since 1994, but has been absent over the last two years.

Wow! The first sighting of the season and we meet a common dolphin, now quite rare in this area (and elsewhere). We are literally frozen by the unexpected sighting, and it takes a while before we get fully organized for the data collection.

We look at him in silence, enjoying every seconds of this lucky and emotional event. Then we get back to the research: photo-identification and behavioural data collection.

It may sound ingenuous, but Fiocco gave us the innocent hope of seeing again all the 150 common dolphins that used to thrive in these waters, not too long ago.

Marina Costa, Marcel Clusa and Shiva Javdan

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More information about the common dolphins situation around Kalamos

Cetacean strandings in the District of Brindisi

Paola Pino D’Astore, an independent biologist, in collaboration with Tethys researchers Giovanni Bearzi and Silvia Bonizzoni, have recently made available an important dataset of cetacean strandings along the District of Brindisi, in the southern Adriatic Sea on the eastern coast of Apulia (Italy).

While Paola conducted the whole field investigation and data collection, Silvia and Giovanni revised and analyzed stranding data and photographic documentation.

Between January 2002 and May 2008, a total of 46 cetacean strandings events were recorded. Strandings were always of single individuals, and included 2 Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), 16 common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), 9 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), 4 small Delphinidae (most likely S. coeruleoalba), 11 unidentified small Delphinidae, and 4 unknown cetacean species. Detailed analyses are underway.

This and other information has been posted online on a dedicated section of the Tethys web site.

SB

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For more information:
Apulia Dolphin Project (see Cetacean strandings section)

Dolphin event in Vonitsa, Greece

On May 20th, 2008, about 300 children of Vonitsa’s Primary School attended the presentation "Our Friends the Dolphins" inspired by the booklet by Tethys’ president Giovanni Bearzi.

This event was carried out in the context of public awareness and education activities developed by Tethys’ Ionian Dolphin Project, with support from WDCS, OceanCare, the RAC/SPA and the Earthwatch Institute.

The presentation was led by staff member Sofia Vekerithou, a teacher from Vonitsa, Greece, who started collaborating with Tethys in 2007 and is now contributing substantially to education programmes. Sofia was helped by her teen-age students at the Vonitsa Secondary School.

In April Sofia and her students visited the Tethys field station in Vonitsa and dolphin researcher Joan Gonzalvo introduced them to the work done by Tethys since 1991 on dolphins in the Ionian Sea. This visit motivated the older students to share what they learned with younger kids.

Sofia and Joan helped the students to do independent research on the conservation of the Amvrakikos Gulf, with emphasis on dolphins living there. The students were then provided with information and visual materials to organize a dolphin conservation event, presenting their own work to the young audience.

An important role was played by the booklet “All About Dolphins” produced by WDCS, CMS and TUI. One hundred copies of this multilingual educational manual were given to local school teachers and used as preparatory material for their students prior to the dolphin event.

Seeing the young audience lighting up with curiosity and interest by the message delivered by Sofia and her students was a great satisfaction for the Tethys team, that strives to raise awareness on the need to protect marine biodiversity. The success of this event is a reason to believe that marine conservation in Greece is still within reach!

Joan Gonzalvo, Sofia Vekerithou and Giovanni Bearzi

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Photos of the dolphin event

"Cindy" is back

This morning, May 21st, 2008, I had the pleasant surprise of finding an old friend.

Cindy has been paying a visit to the Vonitsa seaside over the past couple of years, at least according to my own experience (I live in this Greek city on the shore of the Amvrakikos Gulf since March 2006, doing year-round research on local bottlenose dolphins).

Usually, Cindy arrives sometime around spring and disappears in early autumn. She is a gorgeous loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta who moves gracefully feeding on mussels and on fish discarded by local fishermen moored along the Vonitsa seafront.

Although it may be premature to assume that this sea turtle is always the same individual, local fishermen claim so because of its size and the way it behaves.

While we compare the several hundreds of photos of “Cindy” taken during the past few years to deny or confirm that claim, I savor the idea that she has always been good-old Cindy and I fantasize about the different places that she might have visited while she was away.

Joan Gonzalvo

The most dangerous species in the Mediterranean

Campaign for the Government of Catalunya by Klas Ernflo to keep the Mediterranean sea clean (2005).

Made with copywriter Fran Segarra, Creative directors Xavi Hidalgo & Fernando Planelles for the agency Small in Barcelona.

Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin review

The first comprehensive review on the ecology and conservation of Mediterranean bottlenose dolphins will be soon published on the renowned scientific journal ‘Mammal Review’.

The authors, Giovanni Bearzi (Tethys President), Caterina M. Fortuna and Randal R. Reeves merged their collective expertise to summarize and critically review information about the Mediterranean population.

Topics considered in this paper include distribution, population structure and trends, ecology and behaviour, impact on fisheries, past culling campaigns, present threats, and conservation framework. The manuscript is based on an extensive analysis of peer-reviewed scientific literature.

This is going to be the third major review of Mediterranean cetaceans published by Tethys in this same journal. Previous reviews featured the short-beaked common dolphin (Bearzi et al. 2003) and the fin whale (Notarbartolo et al. 2003).

Silvia Bonizzoni

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Bearzi G., Fortuna C.M., Reeves R.R. (In press). Ecology and conservation of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the Mediterranean Sea. Mammal Review.

EU funding for tuna overexploitation

Oceana – the international ocean conservation organisation – reports that millions of Euros have been allocated for the overexploitation of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, calls for the immediate closure of the Balearic fishing grounds, and criticises the contradictory measures adopted by implicated states.

According to Oceana, overcapacity in Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery denounced by a WWF report (see 12 March post), has been financed by the EU with more than 16 million Euros. The EU purse seine fleets involved in this fishery are from Spain, France and Italy.

Oceana also stressed that management measures and actions by the governments participating in this kind of fishery do not correspond to the reality of the fleet and the state of bluefin tuna stocks.

Once again, scientific recommendations are being ignored. Excessive quotas are established, the fleets continue to fish in spawning grounds, undersized tunas are being caught, illegal vessels catch and land bluefin tuna in unauthorised ports, the fleets continue to ignore the assigned quotas and do not declare the catches.

Silvia Bonizzoni

(Photo by Oceana)

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For more information:
Oceana press release
Oceana website
WWF report
Mediterranean Conservation News - 12 March post

Beautiful Minds

Apes and dolphins: primates and cetaceans. Could any creatures appear to be more different?

Maddalena Bearzi (dolphin biologist) and Craigh Stanford (primatologist), who have spent their careers studying these animals in the wild, combine their insights into a delightful and intriguing book: “Beautiful minds: the parallel lives of great apes and dolphins".

Beautiful Minds explains how and why great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos gorillas and orangutans) and cetaceans (dolphins and whales) are so distantly related yet so cognitively alike and what this teaches us about another large-brained mammal: Homo sapiens. Noting that apes and cetaceans have had no common ancestor in nearly 100 million years, Bearzi and Stanford describe the parallel evolution that gave rise to their intelligence.

Both large-brained mammals are second only to humans in intelligence. They form complex social networks, are capable of deception and manipulation, have sophisticated means of communication and cooperation, solve problems innovatively, transmit cultural traditions to the next generation and are able to imitate others, etc. To explain all of these extraordinary capabilities, authors cite many examples.

In conclusion, Bearzi and Stanford survey the factors making dolphins and apes endangered species. They make a plea for conserving the ecosystems in which they live, because the beautiful minds of these creatures are "a terrible thing to waste."

SB


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Bearzi, Maddalena & Craig Stanford (2008). Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins. Harvard University Press. 300 pp.

For more information:
http://www.hup.harvard.edu

Heavy metal in the marine environment

Click on the image to enlarge.

Cartoon by Nick Kim

Trawling near the coasts of Greece

Bottom trawling, a fishing method that drags a large net across the sea floor, is a known threat to the marine environment.

Due to the disruptive nature of this method, the European Regulation currently in force across the Mediterranean forbids trawling closer than 1.5 nautical miles from the seashore.

The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research has also demonstrated that trawling is the least selective of all fishing gears, with an annual bycatch rate up to 44%. The Greek Ministry for Rural Development and Food, in its National Operational Plan for Fisheries 2007-2013, acknowledges that “most benthopelagic species are in a state of relative overfishing or overfishing”.

Despite the European regulation and scientific evidence the Greek Ministry for Rural Development and Food, itself, has recently decided to allow the use of trawling nets at a distance of only 1 nautical mile from the coast.

A coalition of Greek conservation organizations, including Archelon, Mediterranean SOS Network, MOM, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, Greenpeace and WWF Greece, is calling for the immediate reversal of this decision, to prevent the destruction of coastal ecosystems and ensure sustainability of fishing in the long term.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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For more information:
www.panda.org

Grey whales and climate change

Gray whales that visit Laguna San Ignacio (Mexico) are changing their habits, probably due to the effects of climate change.

Researchers and locals observed that the whales' fall migration south past San Diego, is peaking five days later than it once did, and once they get to Baja California, they're staying two weeks less than they did in the late 1970s. Furthermore, population census show that the number of whales visiting the area is half of what it was decades ago.

The connection with climate change hasn't been definitively proven, but experts believe that climate change is responsible for causing a subtle shift at the base of the Arctic food chain, forcing the whales to modify their feeding and migration patterns.

Silvia Bonizzoni

(The map by NCEAS shows the climate change impact on the world oceans)

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For more information:
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org

Dolphins in a bottle

Giovanni Bearzi and other four researchers from the Tethys Research Institute recently published a paper reporting the work done in the Gulf of Amvrakikos during 2002-2005, resulting in the individual identification of 148 bottlenose dolphins.

This work shows that dolphin density and levels of site fidelity are high, and this was related primarily to prey availability, particularly of epipelagic schooling fish.

The importance of this semi-closed basin for bottlenose dolphins and other threatened species such as marine turtles and endangered birds supports the adoption of measures aimed to conserve its valuable ecosystems and raise the naturalistic profile of the area, while promoting environment-conscious development.

Paraphrasing the famous song by The Police, Dolphins in a Bottle sends a S.O.S. to the world to protect these unique animals and their environment, and we hope that someone gets it :-)

Silvia Bonizzoni

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Bearzi G, Agazzi S., Bonizzoni S., Costa M., Azzellino A. 2008. Dolphins in a bottle: abundance, residency patterns and conservation of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the semi-closed eutrophic Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18(2):130-146. (502 Kb)

Hector dolphins and bycatch

Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins are found only in New Zealand waters and their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years. Hector dolphins have dropped from an estimated population of 26,000 in the 1970s to under 7,000 today.

The situation for the Maui's dolphin, a subspecies of the Hector’s dolphin classified as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, is even worse: 
90% of these animals have died in fishing nets and the latest survey indicated a population of only 111.

Most of the bycatch occurs in gill and trawl nets. These fishing methods have pushed the two dolphin populations to the brink of extinction. Chris Howe, executive director of WWF's New Zealand branch, said that current fishing controls are failing to protect endangered dolphins. "All fishing with set nets and trawl nets should be banned throughout the range of Hector's and Maui's dolphins," Howe said. "That's the only way to ensure a slow-breeding, rare species can recover."

New Zealand is now being urged by conservationists to do more to protect these animals. They claim that only complete protection against fishing-related mortality will save these dolphins from extinction. A decision on the level of protection for Hector's and Maui's dolphins is currently under review by the New Zealand government.

Silvia Bonizzoni

Image: WWF New Zealand

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For more information:
www.wwf.org.nz/dolphin/
www.telegraph.co.uk (but please note that dolphins in the photo are common dolphins, not Mauis' dolphins)