31 July 2019

Sandwich tern



A Sandwich tern Thalasseus sandvicensis flying above our boat as we search for dolphins off the region of Veneto, Italy.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

Dolphin and seagulls



Bottlenose dolphin and seagulls in the wake of a trawler.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

27 July 2019

Adriatic breakfast



Bottlenose dolphins foraging around midwater pair trawlers at dawn.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

Leaving at dawn



Leaving the port before dawn, we were lucky to spot dolphins at sunrise, foraging around trawlers.

(Photos by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

26 July 2019

Sun shade



Our bimini top provides some glorious shade as we follow dolphins in these days of unbearable heat.

(Photos by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

24 July 2019

Juvenile loggerhead sea turtle



(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

Cute threat



One more short-lived plastic item that ended up floating adrift. Some child's cute toy for an hour, a threat to marine life for decades.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

23 July 2019

Drifting balloon



The plastic balloon reads "von Louis für Mami" (from Louis for mum)... but it ended up floating adrift in the Adriatic. As many of these short-lived air-filled balloons unfortunately do.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

Trashed



Some of the stuff we find floating adrift during our dolphin surveys. Not meant to be trashed into the sea.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

22 July 2019

Juvenile curiosity



Juveniles are typically more active than the accompanying adults, and more likely to peek at our boat.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

21 July 2019

Best time of the day



Early morning, flat sea.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

20 July 2019

Opportunistic foraging



Bottlenose dolphin foraging near a midwater pair trawler while the net is being hauled.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

19 July 2019

Dolphins near Adriatic LNG terminal



Bottlenose dolphins surface near the 'Adriatic LNG' terminal, a massive offshore structure for regasification of liquid natural gas.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea) 

17 July 2019

From one trawler to the next



After having foraged in the wake of midwater pair trawlers, these bottlenose dolphins (part of a much larger group) rush to position themselves in the wake of an approaching otter trawler, that is already being followed by another group of dolphins.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

12 July 2019

Dolphin habitat in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece



A new paper published today:

Bonizzoni S., Furey N.B., Santostasi N.L., Eddy L., Valavanis V.D., Bearzi G. 2019.
Modelling dolphin distribution within an Important Marine Mammal Area in Greece to support spatial management planning.
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aqc.3148

This work is relevant for the conservation of common, striped and bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece — a recently-created Natura 2000 site.

05 July 2019

Bike cargo trailer



Our solution to avoid using the car when shopping for food, or anything else: a bike cargo trailer.

(Photos by G. Bearzi, Cordenons, Italy)

Sustainable fishing



If all fishing in the Adriatic was like this, there would be still plenty of life. Soft corals, seagrass beds, large predators, healthy ecosystems. Unlike today.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)

04 July 2019

Brainstorming



Our marine biology intern Marco Bregoli presents and discusses his analyses on the impact of fish farming on bottlenose dolphin social organisation.

Bowriding



Friendly dolphins come to bowride our boat while we follow them on a super-hot day (a bimini top prevents us from melting).

(Photos by G. Bearzi, Northern Adriatic Sea)

03 July 2019

Service day



Today's engine service and boat upkeep. Good fun, as we could stay in the shade and chat with our fine mechanics, Claudio and Marco.

Near the cod-end buoy



Bottlenose dolphins surfacing near the cod-end buoy of an otter trawler, 18 km offshore. These individuals were part of a group composed of 26 adults, 4 juveniles, 2 calves and 2 newborns—all of them following the trawler.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)