Month: November 2012

UAE dolphin project is on air!

Let’s launch it! This is the official website of the UAE dolphin project, a non-profit initiative that aims to gather information on the local dolphin population and the raise public awareness on these species.  It took a long way to get here and the input and patience of many people that truly made this possible. So thank you to everyone that has supported me in the past year and a half sharing ideas, discussing research plans and funding opportunities.

Before adventuring into this “building a webpage business”, last spring I tested the public interest in dolphins and the will to help collecting more information on the local dolphin population. I have been in contact with some diving clubs, some Marinas, I interviewed some of the usual users of the Dubai coastline  (see Occasional Sighting Survey) and the response has always been enthusiastic.

Now we have to make it work, fill it up with your sightings and spread the information and I hope it will continue to grow.

As first step of the public awareness strategy of the project, my target is to reach as many people as possible, through the numerous Dubai’s diving clubs, the marinas, the public and private sector. And then is up to YOU to feed information… and to us to conduct a dedicated boat survey to obtain scientific baseline information on the status of the local population.

Why is your information essential? Because dolphin research cannot be done alone. It needs the concerted effort of everyone. Dolphins spend most of their time underwater, they are not easy to see and the sea is BIG! Even the most skilled cetacean researchers can survey an area for hours, not seeing anything, and at the same time a casual boater makes the most amazing sighting!  As there is no information on the local population, your occasional sighting reports are essential to gain an idea of where these species are most frequently seen and better target a dedicated survey. And you are already doing it! I  searched UTube and I was surprised at how many videos of occasional sightings have been posted! You can view a collection of them from the homepage of the project website and if you have more, please let me know, I am sure I have missed some.

Through the website at the “Sighting map” page, everybody can directly see his sighting and all the information that has provided. You can also find information on how approach dolphins safely and make the most of your sighting, and a species identification booklet will be soon available. So stay tuned!

The Project is also linked to the main social networks to reach everybody in the easiest way and gives different options to report a sighting. If you have suggestion how to improve this, let us know. For now, let’s give it a go and make it work! Report your sighting!!

 

 

Dolphins in Dubai

Are there wild dolphins in Dubai waters? From a survey questionnaire conducted in Dubai in the past three months by Dr. Natoli, aimed to investigate the frequency of occasional dolphin sightings along the Dubai coastline, it appears that dolphins can be seen in Dubai not only among the dolphinariums walls. Dr. Natoli, adjunct assistant Professor at UAE University, reports: “Eighty-four per cent of the people I interviewed, have seen dolphin in Dubai waters and although the majority affirmed that they see dolphins only “sometimes or rarely”, 74% have seen dolphins in the past four months, suggesting that dolphins inhabit these waters more frequently than expected. Most of the sightings were reported within 5 miles from shore and in very frequented coastal locations like in front of Palm Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab”.

The survey questionnaire is part of a preliminary assessment analysis of a non-profit research project, UAE Dolphins that aims to investigate the status of small cetaceans along the Dubai coastlines and to raise public awareness about these magnificent animals and their environment. Dr. Natoli, says: “As proved by the results of the survey questionnaire and by recent stranding, dolphins occur along the Dubai coast, but we do not have any consistent scientific data regarding the status of the dolphin population that may inhabit Dubai waters, nor about which species actually occur, their numbers, whether they are resident, transitory or declining populations”

“The recent stranding of three dead dolphins in Dubai promptly reported by EMEG, a sperm whale in Fujairah and a killer whale in Kuwait raise concerns among the ecologist, but more than everything highlight the paucity of information available on these animals in this area and in general in the Gulf area”, Dr. Natoli affirms.

Dr. Natoli interviewed sixty-one users of Dubai waters in collaboration with several governmental and non-governmental bodies, among those Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai International Marine Club, Dubai Surf Ski and Kayak Club, the Marine Transport Department in Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) and the operators of their marine fleet, and the “Marine Environment and Wildlife Section” of Environment Department, Dubai Municipality.

Dolphins are of crucial importance in the marine environment and they are considered “ecological indicators”, as they occupy the top of the marine food chain, at the same level as sharks, and big commercial fish, like tuna. Therefore, assessing their status gives directly an indication of the status of the whole marine environment.

Dr. Natoli says: “Occasional records suggest that at least three species may be found in coastal waters, the IndoPacific Bottlenose dolphin, the Indo Pacific Humpback dolphin and the elusive small finless porpoise”.

The project is aiming to provide scientific baseline information that will help the conservation of these species and the local marine environment, through the conduction of a boat-based survey and to raise public awareness through educational campaign and the development of an Occasional Sighting Network. The project is still seeking the necessary funding to cover the fieldwork cost, but everybody can easily contribute to the Occasional Sighting Network every time he sight a dolphin y going onto our webpage and follow REPORT A SIGHTING or by sending an SMS to 0566717164 including date, time, location of the sighting, approximate number of individuals and if any photo or video was taken.