26 January 2011

When the winter comes, let’s go South! The Red Sea Dolphin Project


Some Tethys members are very similar to some baleen whales: when the winter comes they migrate South. However, to avoid any misunderstanding, it is NOT a matter of travelling to warm-water breeding ground.
In collaboration with the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA), a non-governmental organization working in the field of marine and land conservation in Egypt, and with the Italian Cooperation, three Italian biologists are engaged in the first research plan completely dedicated to the study of dolphins and whales in the Southern Egyptian Red Sea, under the supervision of Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara: the Red Sea Dolphin Project.
This boat-based research project intends to investigate some of the most pristine areas of the Egyptian waters with the main aims to contribute to the existing knowledge of Red Sea cetaceans and advance our understanding of their ecology, abundance and distribution.
The project represents also a rare and extraordinary opportunity for enthusiastic people willing to contribute to conservation while bringing awareness to the Red Sea by promoting sustainable tourism development for the region. The participants will be part of a unique, interactive, and science-based experience, assisting the researchers, observing and studying dolphins in their natural environment.
If you wish to find out more about the program visit the Red Sea Dolphin Project blog: http://redseadolphinproject.wordpress.com. Or contact booking@hepca.com for your enquires.

Amina Cesario, Marina Costa, Maddalena Fumagalli

http://vimeo.com/18951997

18 January 2011

New Findings on the Effects of Noise on the Behavior of Whales and Dolphins

Video conference by Brandon Southall (Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History) on the "SOCAL-10" project aimed at evaluating the behavioral responses of cetaceans to underwater human-produced sounds, particularly military sonar.

Videoconferenza sulle risposte comportamentali dei cetacei a suoni prodotti dall'uomo in mare, in particolare da sonar militari (in inglese).

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11956611