The Dolphins of Corinth on YouTube

Watch the video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6BjqwJftzE

Whaling monument

A monument in Capelas, isla São Miguel, Azores, celebrates a past when whaling was an important component of the local economy (today, it has been replaced by whale watching).

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

One more atypical mass stranding of Cuvier's beaked whales in Greece (SE Crete, Hellenic Trench) during military exercise

Message sent from Alexandros Frantzis to ECS-TALK@JISCMAIL.AC.UK

Tuesday 1 April 2014 20:43

Dear all,

Once more we have bad news regarding Cuvier's beaked whales in the Greek Seas. The local population unit, which has repeatedly been affected by naval sonar activity of NATO or of national navies in the past may be steadily heading towards its extinction.

Today 1st April 2014 between 12:00 and 13:30 pm at least five Cuvier's beaked whales stranded atypically so far in the area of Ierapetra, SE Crete. Three animals stranded together in the same location and two other individuals stranded together some 17 km further west. Two more individuals stranded as single individuals 2.7 km and 500 m further west along the coast, but there is no way to know if these were additional individuals or some of those already stranded earlier. All animals were alive when stranded. One of them died and all other were led offshore by local people and not seen again until now.

After a quick search in the internet we found that the Israeli, Greek and US Navy are conducting a trilateral two-week military exercises in the area of Crete (named Noble Dina 2014). The naval activity includes anti-submarine warfare (ASW), which indicates the use of military sonar, well known as the cause of many mass strandings of Ziphiids around the world.

During their 5th Meeting of the Parties (Morocco, November 2013) the Agreement for the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Mediterranean and Black Sea (ACCOBAMS) have for first time identified on a map the areas where sonar should be avoided in the Mediterranean Sea, and made this information publicly available. One of these areas on the map is SE Crete where the new mass stranding occurred.

A bit earlier we contacted competent Greek authorities including the Greek focal point of ACCOBAMS to inform them about the new mass stranding and to request their intervention, so that no use of military sonar is made during the exercise today and following days. The port-police authorities and local volunteers have been alerted and we just hope that tomorrow we won't find more animals along the coasts.

How many more whale deaths to spark real mitigation at the regional and international level?

Best wishes,
Alexandros

Dr. Alexandros Frantzis
Scientific director, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute
http://www.pelagosinstitute.gr

Sperm whale police

The logo of maritime police divers in Vila Franca do Campo, isla São Miguel, Azores: a muscolar sperm whale.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Dolphin on Azorean boat

A funny (bottlenose?) dolphin on a boat in Vila Franca do Campo, isla São Miguel, Azores.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

On the beach

Two bottlenose dolphins patrolling the coast in the Northern Evoikos Gulf, Greece.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Japan's research whaling illegal, says International Court of Justice

These sound like stunning news!

The Court reportedly said that Japan's whaling programme in the Southern Ocean was not for scientific purposes, and the amount of whales being killed was not justifiable in the name of science.

Read more in these EcoWatch and Greenpeace web sites (and many more)...

Whale on a wall

Silvia with a whale mural painting in Ponta Delgada, island São Miguel, Azores, Portugal.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Seraphic dolphin "smile"

This bottlenose dolphin may look "happy"... but of course dolphins do not have facial mimic and their emotions aren't appropriately conveyed by their expression.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Evoikos Gulf, Greece)

One of the few

One of the very few short-beaked common dolphins surviving in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

In 2009, about 30 animals were estimated to live in the whole Gulf.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Ignoring Nature No More

The new book edited by Marc Bekoff:
Ignoring Nature No More: The Case for Compassionate Conservation
456 pages

"For far too long humans have been ignoring nature. As the most dominant, overproducing, overconsuming, big-brained, big-footed, arrogant, and invasive species ever known, we are wrecking the planet at an unprecedented rate. And while science is important to our understanding of the impact we have on our environment, it alone does not hold the answers to the current crisis, nor does it get people to act. In Ignoring Nature No More, Marc Bekoff and a host of renowned contributors argue that we need a new mind-set about nature, one that centers on empathy, compassion, and being proactive. This collection of diverse essays is the first book devoted to compassionate conservation, a growing global movement that translates discussions and concerns about the well-being of individuals, species, populations, and ecosystems into action. Written by leading scholars in a host of disciplines, including biology, psychology, sociology, social work, economics, political science, and philosophy, as well as by locals doing fieldwork in their own countries, the essays combine the most creative aspects of the current science of animal conservation with analyses of important psychological and sociocultural issues that encourage or vex stewardship. The contributors tackle topics including the costs and benefits of conservation, behavioral biology, media coverage of animal welfare, conservation psychology, and scales of conservation from the local to the global. Taken together, the essays make a strong case for why we must replace our habits of domination and exploitation with compassionate conservation if we are to make the world a better place for nonhuman and human animals alike."

House with dolphin view

Bottlenose dolphins sometimes get very close to the coast – in this case just a few metres.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Northern Evoikos Gulf, Greece)

Slow down!

Please slow down when dolphins are close!

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Imprinting of a marine biologist

This National Geographic post describes Maddalena Bearzi's early experience of Sardinia's pristine nature, at the root of her professional career as a marine conservation biologist.

Vanishing Innocents: Fish, Dolphins, and Other Sea Creatures in Troubled Waters

(Photo by G. Bearzi: the coast near Posada, Sardinia, Italy)

Atlantic spotted dolphins by AQUAWORK

Tanker riding

A striped dolphins jumps in the bow wave of a large tanker in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. Mount Parnassos (with some snow) is visible in the background.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Disegno a Matita

This is Giovanni's 2nd album.

Free listening HERE.

Coastal striped dolphin

A striped dolphin jumps near the Gulf of Corinth's eastern coast.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Sperm whales adopt deformed bottlenose dolphin

Yacht riding

A striped dolphin bowrides a yacht for the joy of its owners.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Risso's dolphin scar

Risso's dolphin "Yaya" shows her impressive scar, possibly left by a shark bite. She survived.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Zinggg

There's not a day that goes by that all of us don't collectively think of the good times we had in Greece thanks to our lovely professors. The sights we saw, the lessons we learned, the knowledge we obtained, and the memories that were made will stay with us forever. Because of this we can't go for very long without getting together and reliving it, so... a Greece reunion happens every so often. Between Sheepie and the happy chicken talks we have nothing short of a laugh-filled dinner. Before we begin our meal we (without shame) hold hands and "zinggg." So thank you. Thank you for the memories and the love that you gave us.

-- Amanda Reyes / Texas A&M University

Preserve wild dolphins, not their photos

This shot is dedicated to Dr. Bernd Würsig, the professor of the course that has inspired me to pursue conservation biology; as well as to Giovanni, Silvia, and Nina, the researchers who provided a foundation on which my skills and knowledge of these concepts can grow and expand. I hope that this photograph conveys a sense of pristine beauty that should be preserved in the wild and not just in the still frame of a camera.

-- Katherine A. Gillis / Texas A&M University

Yaya from above

The Risso's dolphin nicknamed "Yaya" swims in front of our inflatable.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Three species

A Risso's, striped and short-beaked common dolphin swim together in the blue waters of the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)