Behavioural Surveys Begin!
Category: Cetacean research, Dolphins, Kisite Mpunguti MPA, bottlenose dolphins | Date: Nov 04 2009 | By: gvikenya
Numerous studies have been carried out throughout the world to access the impact that boat activity has on the behavior of bottlenose dolphins. These include locations such as Clearwater (Florida), Hilton Head Island (South Carolina), Shark Bay (Australia) and off the south coast of Zanzibar. The studies have come to show that various boating activities do have an impact on dolphin behavior such as causing changes in activity, movement and dive patterns. They have also proven that the abundance of dolphins present in a pre-selected site has been negatively affected with such activity.
Boats in Kisite 2009-08-27 ds01-028
GVI have recently introduced a new survey to the marine programme in which we will investigate the effect of boat interactions with Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins within the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park, Kenya. The methodology adopted by GVI is the same as that used in Zanzibar, in which they investigated the behavioural changes of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in response to boat-based tourism. In order to do this GVI devised a data sheet to capture two sets of information. The first relating to the number of tourist dhows present, the distance they are from the group of dolphins and whether they violate the guidelines and secondly to record the behavior of the dolphin group; activity, spread within party, movement, dive type, party speed and direction.
Feeding 2008-10-16 394
The behavior and associated data of the dolphins is sampled every fifteen minutes using focal-group scan sampling. To do this all individuals within the group are continuously scanned for the first five minutes (ensuring at least three scans), and the dominant behavior is determined and recorded. The dominant behavior is that which more than half of the group are engaged in at the sample time. The remaining ten minutes of a sample period, referred to as the lag-phase, is used only to record the number of tourist dhows within a distance of less than 50m from the dolphin group and to indicate whether they are violating the guidelines. This process is repeated every fifteen minutes for as long as possible.
The behavioural studies are part of the Socio-economic impact of the dolphin-watching industry in Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area project. The objectives of this project are to collect information about the socio-economic impact of tourism operation on the area and to analyze the sustainability of increased levels of human-dolphin interaction.
Tags: abundance, associated data, Australia, behaviour, boat activity, bottlenose dolphins, changes in activity, Clearwater, continuously scanned, diminant behaviour, dive patterns, Florida, focal-group scan sampling, guidelines, Hilton Head Island (South Carolina), indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin, Kisite, Kisite-Mpungiti Marine Protected Area, lag-phase, movement, negatively affected, pre-selected site, sample time, Shark Bay, socio-economic impact, South Carolina, tourist dhows, Zanzibar
Bottlenose Dolphin ‘Besty’ And Her Calf At Kisite
Category: Cetacean research, Dolphins, Kisite Mpunguti MPA, Turtles, bottlenose dolphins | Date: May 26 2009 | By: gvikenya
As I mentioned before, the Kusi winds and rain make life difficult for dolphin research on the open seas. Yesterday our efforts on the water went unrewarded again… although I stick with my little mantra that “no data is still valuable data”!
Today however the team aboard ‘Lampard’ started with a promising early sighting, a group of four bottlenose dolphins sighted around the eastern end of Wasini Island. But the rough seas made for tough conditions under which to follow the small travelling group, let alone try to take the photos from which we would be able to try and identify the individuals.
So the search continued, rounding the end of Wasini Island in to Mpunguti marine reserve, cruising between the two Mpunguti islands and on in to Kisite marine park. The destination was Kisite Island where we hoping that the sheltered side would allow us at least to look for turtles in the water along one of our snorkel transects. However before we ready to jump overboard, another group of four bottlenose dolphins approached the boat as the wind and waves subsided… leaving us with good conditions and a perfect opportunity to get back to what we had been trying earlier, photo-identification.
Besty with her distinctive dorsal fin notches
Both Andy and Jamie were armed with cameras in a photo-ID duel. It was the two adult dolphins that were our key target, as they would hopefully be individuals catalogued over the past 3 and a half years that we could recognise. And in fact they both were, Nene (or individual 083) and Besty (individual 017 - the 17th individual we formally identified, from 2006). Besty was accompanied by her calf and the fourth individual was a sub-adult. With the local dolphins having been elusive for much of the last few months, it was pleasing to enjoy these four showing off in the calm waters around Kisite Island. The calf in particular seemed to be in playful mood, posing for the camera with ’spyhops’ - holding the head vertically out of the water.
Nene with Besty’s calf spyhopping
No turtles on the transect, but the day was far from disappointing and seeing Besty again is like meeting up with an old friend.
Tags: bottlenose dolphins, Cetacean research, kisite island, Kisite Mpunguti MPA, marine mammals, turtle research, wasini island
Dolphins: You Wait For Days Then They All Come Along At Once
Category: Cetacean research, Dolphins | Date: May 22 2009 | By: gvikenya
Hi there,
We’ve been a little quiet on the dolphin front lately, but we can blame it all on the weather… and power cuts! Our research boat ‘Lampard’ has been going out, but with rains keeping us anchored for hours on end, and the Kusi winds stirring up the seas, we’ve not had much luck finding dolphins lately. After all, they have a lot of ocean to swim around and when you rely on fleeting glimpses of dorsal fins breaking the surface, choppy waters can easily hide them.
Yesterday, after 5 hours at sea in a fruitless search for both humpback dolphins and bottlenose dolphins it was looking to be another frustraing day when conditions were against us. But technology has a role to play, even in out at sea and friendly phone call alerted us to dolphins that had been sighted so we headed over to look for them before heading home for lunch.
And, finally, we were not disappointed… not just a large group of bottlenose dolphins, up to 30 individuals, but in playful mood too. Males getting a little excitable at times, females with calves, and sub-adults enjoying themselves - or to be less anthropomorphic, leaping and turning over! Out of the spectacle we were able to identify some of our best known individuals, inlcuding ‘Besty’, ‘Freshy’, ‘Sawa’ and ‘Stima’ with her calf.
Besty and Stima, both identifiable by distinct notches in their dorsal fins
Very satisfying to know they are all out there still a definite incentive to keep braving the rain and wind day after day!
Hopefully they’ll give us some more news to pass on to you soon!
Corti
Tags: , bottlenose dolphins, Cetacean research
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