0
0
35.2% Complete
 

Regenerative Project

Regenerative 2030

  • To support the effort to create a Marine Protected Area (MPA) for the Risso Dolphin
  • To support the change of the UICN status of Risso Dolphins from 'data unknown' to endangered
  • To extend general ecological knowledge on poor studied species like the threatened Risso dolphin
  • To gain more knowledge on the effect of climate change for the distribution of marine top predators

The Azores are a hotspot for 25 cetacean species and form a critical habitat for resident Risso’s dolphins.

For many years Dutch Marine biologist Karin Hartman has been researching the population of Risso Dolphins in the seas around the island of Pico of the Azorean archipelago. Climate change seems to affect the behavior of this rare species of dolphin. To understand these effects better, there is a need for satellite tags to be able to track the animals. More knowledge will lead to proposals for better protection.

17 years of sighting data, suggests that global warming is adding pressure by increasing food competition with transient pilot whales. To better understand the interactions between these two species, analysis of their movement patterns, using satellite tags, is needed. This will provide ecological insights that will help adjust conservation measures, including the IUCN species status. The funds raised will be directed towards co-funding the purchase of five tags for the tagging of Pilot Whales and the Risso dolphins. This will help fund the associated transmissions costs for 6 months.

Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Life Below Water:  Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.

Climate Action:  Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere.

Make a Donation

Impacts

  • Already this research has achieved the status of Important Marine Mammal Area of the Azores in 2024, an important milestone towards our ultimate goal of a Marine Protected Area.
  • Already this research has influenced whale warching companies on Pico Island to take a more sustainable mode of operations. Three companies of Lajes do Pico have stopped offering swimming with dolphin tours.
  • To create a Marine Protected Area (MPA) for the Risso Dolphin population

Background

Only 8% of the oceans are protected areas. The Azores form a hotspot for marine wildlife. More than 20 species of cetaceans are regularly sighted around the Azores. Besides migratory species like the endangered blue and fin whales, several cetacean species are resident. Risso’s dolphins are the best documented among these. The research on Risso’s dolphins in the Azores has played a crucial role in the recognition of the Azores as an Important Marine Mammal Area in 2024, a first important step towards the creation of a MPA (Marine Protected Area).

Since 2018 we have witnessed a marked increase in the presence of pilot whales in the Azores whereas the Risso’s dolphins show a downward trend. Both species target the same prey: deep-sea squid, so there may be a competition for resources. One of the hypotheses is that this is related to climate change: the warming up of sea level temperatures. To investigate this, we started a satellite tagging project, in cooperation with fellow scientists from MARE, Madeira, who have experience in deploying tags on cetaceans, including 16 pilot whales.

The project was originally targeted at pilot whales and Risso’s dolphins, with the purpose of gaining insights into the distribution and movement patterns of both species. During fieldwork, we established that deploying tags on Risso’s dolphins was more difficult than expected, with too much risk of either losing the (expensive) satellite tags or suboptimal deployments leading to deployment periods too short to draw meaningful conclusions. We therefore switched the focus to pilot whales only, with the added benefit that we will be able to use the data in combination with those collected by the MARE scientists. As such we will be able to expand insights to another part of the Macaronesian archipelago. This cooperation will lead to a jointly developed model of the movements of pilot whales in relation to ecological factors such as bathymetry and sea surface temperature. We expect that this will help us understand whether climate change can contribute to a possible displacement of Risso’s dolphins in the Azores by pilot whales.

Multi Award Winning Adventures

Responsible Travel

Adventure Experts Since 1975