the dolphin ecology & acoustics project newsletter march ... · the open ocean. photo: deap...

Dolphin Ecology & Acoustics Project

www.dolphinresearchaustralia.com Issue # 1 March/April 2010 1

Welcome from Dr. Liz Hawkins,

DEAP Principal Research

Welcome to the first Dolphin Ecology &

Acoustics Project newsletter!

We have had an exciting start to 2010,

with the completion of our summer field

season and successfully rescues. Our

summer field season was one of the best

we’ve had thanks to our new research

kayak and a fantastic team of volunteers.

This season, we had the biggest team of

volunteers on record. We recorded some

great data and met up with some resident

dolphins, including the dolphins in our

Adopt-A-Dolphin program; Nancy,

Scooter, Scallop, Feather and Cousin.

Nancy and Scallop both had new calves

and Feather’s is growing very fast.

We are now preparing for our next season

scheduled for the end of April and start of

May 2010.

You can now keep in touch with the

activities of DEAP on our website!! In

March and April we are officially

launching our brand new DEAP website.

After years of planning and a lot of hard

work from our sponsors, Tropixel Designs,

it is finally ready! Along with the website,

we will also be launching our Adopt-A-

Dolphin and Dolphin Sighting Network

Programs. These will be launched at a

special event to be held at Cape Byron

Lighthouse in April.

You can adopt a resident dolphin of Byron

Bay and keep track of them while

supporting our research and conservation

efforts. There are six dolphins to choose

from, each having unique characteristics.

Dolphin adoption makes a great gift for

friends and family or a special gift for

yourself. There are more details outlined

on page 5 and on our website. We thank

you for you valuable support!!

You can also join our Dolphin Sighting

Network and help learn about the

dolphins in your area, monitor the health

of dolphin populations and identify

conservation issues. We are seeking

network members from the Gold Coast to

Coffs Harbour. Through this program, you

can actively be involved in the monitoring

and protection of dolphins in Australia

and help research to uncover some of the

many mysteries of these animals. We

look forward to your sighting reports!

Learn more on page5 and on our website.

We now also have some fantastic new

DEAP merchandise. You can now order

your DEAP T-shirts, mugs, stationary and

various other pieces. Check out page 7

for the full catalogue or our website.

Myself and the DEAP team are looking

forward to many more adventures in 2010

and successes for the project.

Cheers

Liz DEAP Principal Researcher

In this Issue… • Latest news

• Team profile

• Feature article: Indo-Pacific Humpback

Dolphin

• Dolphin Sighting Network and workshops

• Adopt-a-Dolphin

• Merchandise

The Dolphin Ecology & Acoustics Project Newsletter

www.dolphinresearchaustralia.com

Issue#1 March/April 2010



Latest news

New Research Vessel Thanks to our sponsors, the Cape Byron

Marine Park Authority, GoSea Kayaks and

Bunyips Outdoor camping store we now

have our very own research vessel… A

Hobie Odyssey kayak! After a little

getting used too, and a few man

overboard incidents, we now have the

capacity to paddle out into the bay

anytime and collect valuable data on the

bottlenose dolphins around Cape Byron in

their natural environment.

Summer Season 2010 Our summer field work has recently come

to an end. With the help of our fantastic

volunteer team, it has been a month of

fun, sun and good data. Our team

collected GPS tracking data from atop of

the Cape Byron Lighthouse as well as

photographs, video and acoustic

recordings from the boat and kayak.

There was a lot of action in the water

most days, and some great footage and

data were collected over the four weeks

of the season.

Photo: Scooter, a resident dolphin who is part

of our Adopt-A-Dolphin program, socialising

with some of his close associates.

We had some amazing days out in the

bay, which were made even more

amazing by the fact that summer is peak

calving season, and there were baby

dolphins everywhere! We also saw many

of the resident bottlenose dolphins and

met many more. One day we saw close to

200 dolphins. Our photo-id catalogue is

now up to 502 individual dolphins!

Towards the end of the season we were

confronted by some big swells and storms

on the tail end of a cyclone up north. The

dolphins didn’t seem to mind though, as

they were surfing the big 3m swell. We

were happy to be sitting up at the

Lighthouse watching…

Photo: Dolphins surfing below Cape Byron

Thanks to everyone who helped out and

to the dolphins for making it such a great

season!

Cudgen Creek Dolphin Rescue Two bottlenose dolphins were rescued

from Cudgen Creek in Kingscliff, NSW on

February 2nd

2010. We had received news

a few days earlier that there were three

dolphins that seemed to be trapped in a

very small area in the Creek. We headed

up to monitor these dolphins to see if we

could solve the mystery of why they were

there.

Photo: Rescue crews assess the situation at

Cudgen Creek, Kingscliff.

After 14 days of being in the same area in

the Creek, the three dolphins began to

show signs of stress and deteriorating

health. On the 16th day, two remained

(one had disappeared overnight) and it

was decided that the authorities needed



to intervene to relocate the dolphins back

into the open ocean for their own safety.

We assisted the authorities and other

volunteer organisations in the rescue, and

after a long and eventful day, they were

released at Fingal Head. The two dolphins

that were rescued were adult males and

both headed straight for the serenity of

the open ocean.

Photo: DEAP Volunteers help rescue dolphins

in Cudgen Creek, Kingscliff.

Beaked Whale Stranding On the 2

nd of February this year a rare and

very strange looking animal was found on

a beach just south of the Tweed River

mouth at Fingal Head. The animal was

found to be belonging to the Toothed

Whale family, specifically a Blainville’s

Beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris).

These whales can grow up to 6 metres

and inhabit deep ocean trenches where

they dive down deep, sometimes for as

long as 45 minutes in search of squid.

Adult males have a tusk like tooth

projecting from this bulge which extends

above their head and is used for fighting

other males over females. Little is known

about these animals as they live far out to

sea in ocean trenches and seldom breach

or disturb the surface when they come up

to breathe.

The animal beached on the 2nd was an

adult female and apart from a small mark

on the lower jaw the cause of stranding

was unknown, though usually single

animal standings can be attributed to

illness.

Photo: Stranded Blainvilles Beaked whale at

Fingal Head, New South Wales.

Our website Our new website is now up and running!

Thanks to our sponsors from Tropixel

Designs. We can now share all our latest

news, findings, photos and more. Check it

out at

www.dolphinresearchaustralia.com.

Team profile

Summer Intern: Lewin Goodwin-

Brickhill

Finishing high school in 2000 Lewin

worked as a migratory apiarist,

transporting bees around the Central

West and Coast of NSW before finishing

up in 2009 to acquire new skills and

further his education. Lewin is currently

studying a degree in Environmental

Science through Southern Cross University

which led him to an internship

opportunity here at the Dolphin Ecology

and Acoustics Project. Working with this

project has given Lewin great experience

and insight into the study of the marine



environment and dolphin acoustics and

behaviour, as well as providing a great

head start to a future career in this area

of research.

Feature Article

Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin

(Sousa chinensis) Under Threat

in South-East Queensland

Due to their close proximity to land and

exposure to human activities, coastal

dolphins are among the most threatened

cetacean species. The Indo-Pacific

humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), are a

species which inhabit shallow coastal

marine and estuarine environments in

small localised populations. These

dolphins occur mainly northwards from

the NSW-Queensland boarder in the East

and from the Exmouth Gulf on the

Western Australian coastline.

Photo: Dorsal fin of a Indo-Pacific Humpback

Dolphin, Queensland

Recent studies have indicated that the

Australian populations of this species are

genetically distinct from other Sousa

populations around the world and may be

a different species altogether. In addition,

the Australian populations of humpback

dolphins are very small, often only

consisting of 100 individuals, and highly

isolated. This makes populations in

Australian waters even more vulnerable

to their current threats, such as bycatch,

overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation

and vessel traffic. Due to the increasing

number of threats, Indo-Pacific humpback

dolphin populations along the coastline in

southeast Queensland are currently

posing a major challenge to the

protection and conservation of these

animals and their habitats.

The conservation of this species will rely

upon mitigation of these current threats

along with research into their habitat

preferences, population dynamics and

ecology. Only then can effective

management strategies be developed to

ensure their health and survival of into

the future.

Photo: Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin,

Tin Can Bay, Queensland

Fact File:

Scientific name: Sousa chinensis

Common name: Indo-Pacific Humpback

Dolphin

Length: Birth - 1m, Adult - 2-2.8m

Weight: Birth - 25 kg, Adult – 150-200kg

Distinguishing features: Elongated hump

on middle of back, slightly rounded

dorsal fin, Long slender rostrum (beak).

Colouration: Uniformly grey, with flanks

shading to off-white. Age related changes

include shading to white or pink and

increased ventral spotting

Diet: Mainly estuarine-associated fishes,

also reef, demersal fishes, teleosts and

some cephalopods and crustaceans.

Group (pod) size: Mainly 3-7 (groups of

up to 27 animals have been observed)

Life span: Females mature at 10 years,

males at 13 years. May live to over 40

years of age.



Dolphin Sighting Network The Dolphin Sighting Network gives

everybody the opportunity to directly

contribute to research and conservation,

whilst learning about dolphins and their

environment. The DEAP Dolphin Sighting

Network is an important initiative that will

provide education and awareness

throughout the community in addition to

improving the understanding of the status

and ecology of cetaceans along the

Australian coastline.

It is an opportunity for you to help

monitor the populations of dolphins in

your local area or in areas where you are

visiting. As we, the researchers, can not

always be out observing the dolphins all

along the coastline, we are appealing to

the community for assistance. In doing

so, you can help provide important

information on the status and health of

dolphins in your area.

Anyone can become a certified dolphin

observer by attending one of our regular

training workshops held between the

Gold Coast, Queensland and Coffs

Harbour, New South Wales. By becoming

a certified dolphin observer, your reports

will be contributing to the knowledge

base of the dolphin populations from

south east Queensland to central New

South Wales.

Workshop info:

By attending workshops you will you learn

how to identify different kinds of dolphin

species in your area, all about their

biology and ecology, their environment

and threats to their survival. You will also

learn how to identify individual dolphins

and techniques used to take good

photographs that can be used for

identification purposes. Each workshop

will be presented by DEAP researchers

and qualified staff and you will receive a

handbook and other information only

available to workshop attendees.

Dates and venues for future workshops

will be posted every 2-3 months. You can

access the timetable for workshops at our

website

www.dolphinresearchaustralia.com. We

also offer special workshops for different

community groups. If you are interested

in attending a workshop, would like to

book a workshop for your group, or would

like any further information, please

contact us at [email protected].

Adopt-A-Dolphin

We are proud to announce the launch of

our Adopt-A-Dolphin Program. This

program will not only help DEAP to

continue their work, but also gives you

the opportunity to get to know some of

the Byron Bay resident dolphins and track

them through time.

By becoming a guardian by adopting your

very own dolphin you can help to

conserve and protect dolphins in

Australia. There are six dolphins to

choose from, each of which is resident to

the Byron Bay area. Simply choose one of

the Byron Bay dolphins from the profiles

page on the website, send us the details

and you can become a guardian. As an

official dolphin guardian, you will receive

an exclusive adoption package and

benefits!



Dolphin Profiles

By adopting a dolphin, you will be helping

the Dolphin Ecology & Acoustics Project

to continue their research in the Byron

Bay and Gold Coast regions. Your funds

will go directly towards:

• Increasing the understanding of

dolphin ecology and their needs for

survival by continuing passive and

non-invasive research on wild

dolphins.

• Assessing the impacts of human

activities and developing ways to

minimise the negative impacts from

these activities to protect and

conserve dolphins and their

environment.

• Increasing public awareness and

knowledge about dolphins, their

habitat and how to protect them from

harm.

• Assisting National Parks to rescue and

rehabilitate stranded or distressed

dolphins

Scooter – Juvenile

Cheeky by nature,

Scooter is often seen

socialising with friends.

Nancy – Female

A resident of the Cape

Byron community, Nancy

is a nurturing adult

female.

Scallop – Female

Often seen resting in the

Bay, Scallop is a patient

and nurturing adult

female.

Feather – Female

An adult female who is

often seen teaching the

calves and juveniles in the

Bay.

Cousin – Female

A resident of the Cape

Byron Community, Cousin

is a very friendly dolphin.

Batgirl – Female

Batgirl is a resident adult

female of Ballina. She is

regularly seen feeding in

the River.

Adoption Application Form Yes, I would like to adopt a dolphin I would like to adopt: ________________ Applicants Details

Individual Business Is this a gift? Y/N Name to appear on the certificate: __________________________________ Postage address:

Street:____________________________

City:______________ State:___________ Postcode:______Country:_____________

Ph: ____________________

E-mail:__________________

Payment Details Adoption Fee: $55 Individual $250 Business I would like to make an additional donation of $________ Total to be charged: $__________ Please charge my credit card

Visa Mastercard Amex

Card Number

________ ________ ________ ________

Expiry Date: ____/____

Name on Card: ____________________

Signature: _________________________

All personal information provided on this form is protected by the Privacy & Personal Information Protection Act 1988(NSW) and the Privacy Amendment Act (2000). Your donation will be processed by Southern Cross University. Please return form to: Dolphin Ecology & Acoustics Project Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre PO Box 157 Lismore NSW 2480 Australia OR

[email protected]

Thank You For Your Support!



Merchandise

Our Sponsors DEAP would like to thank our generous

sponsors; Troxpixel Designs, GeminiTiger

Designs, GoSea Kayaks, Bunyips outdoor

& camping store, Project Aware & Cape

Byron Marine Park Authority

Stickers

Small 10 x 9cm $4

Large 20 x 18cm $8

+ $1.95 postage outside of Australia

Postage free within Australia

T-shirts

$25 each (+plus postage)

Available in white

Sizes, XS, S, M, L, XXL

Woman’s cut also available

+ $4.95 postage within Australia

+ 9.95 postage international

A variety of other merchandise, including pens, magnets and mugs are also available from our online store. E-mail us at [email protected] with your order or download order forms from our website: www.dolphinresearchaustralia.com

the dolphin ecology & acoustics project newsletter march ... · the open ocean. photo: deap...

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