The Monitoring of Marine Megafauna Ponta Par0al Marine Reserve Annual Report OCTOBER 2011 TO SEPTEMBER 2012
KeepItSimple Technologies
CENTRO TERRA VI
Estudos e Advocacia Ambie
Dolphin Encountours in support of DolphinCare-‐Africa’s monitoring of marine megafauna with a focus on cetaceans within the Ponta Par:al Marine Reserve Prepared by Angela Gullan; Diana Rocha & Sara Jossul for DolphinCareAfrica
[email protected] - www.dolphincare.org - +258 84 330 3859
November 2012
Table of Contents: 1.
Permit details
2.
Summery, Highlights and Concerns
3.
Ac:vi:es and Results 1)
Marine megafauna recorded during the permit period within the PPMR.
2)
Examine the usage 0me of this area by boNlenose and humpback dolphins and compare with seasonal peaks.
3)
To assess the behavior of coastal dolphins within the PPMR who are subject to dolphin swim programs and compare data indica0ng the impact of human/dolphin encounters with mother/calf pods in the high density areas.
4)
Dolphin Tourism Informa0on & Feedback.
5)
To ascertain the home ranges of trans-‐border species -‐ boNlenose and humpback dolphins in the Kosi bay / iSimangaliso Conserva0on Area.
6)
Collect data on vessel intensity and usage in Ponta do Ouro.
7)
Beach Clean-‐Ups
8)
Synchronized Whale Watching Day (WWD)
9)
Strandings and specimen collec0on
10)
Sharing of and decima0ng informa0on
4. Closing
DNAC Permit and Area Details Project period: October 2011 to September 2012.
Details of the permit holder: Angela Gullan, Director Cetacea Charters Lda t/a Dolphin Encountours in support of DolphinCareAfrica Research Project Number of people involved in project:
1) Diana Rocha -‐ Biologist & guide,
2) Mitchel Niemeyer -‐ Surf skipper & guide
3) Angela Gullan -‐ In & top water iden0fica0on & behavior recording & guide
4) Crimildo Joe Tembe -‐ Top water photo recording 5) Sharyn West -‐ DCA scien0fic advisor
Name of supervisor: Dr Almeida Guissamulo NHM of UEM
Permit number: 0014/2010 as per permit license -‐ 011212
Descrip:on of the loca:on and habitat where the study occurred: Ponta do Ouro (26.50702 / 21.50468) is situated on the southern most 0p of Mozambique, bordering South Africa. To the south, there is a long line of forest covered dunes, 100m in eleva0on. At Ponta point, the coast swings to the west, crea0ng a leeward protected bay. The area of the town is 10 km2, located 117 km south of Maputo (Bjerner & Johansson, 2001). The area is characterized by a warm sub-‐ tropical climate. The warm currents from PDO is a tourist hotspot with a concerning amount of jetskis and the Agulhas determine the temperature, boat users that frequent the habitat of resident dolphins within the composi0on of the sea water and, indirectly, the north-‐south orienta0on of the Ponta Par0al Marine Reserve.. the coastline (Dardis & Grindley, in Bjerner & Johansson, 2001).
Summary This annual report presents an overview of the organisa0on’s research effort and broader ac0vi0es that are concerned with cetacean and marine habitat protec0on. The report is the third in a row produced for the DolphinCare-‐Africa’s monitoring of large marine megafauna within the Ponta Par0al Marine Reserve. It focuses on the southern most bays of Mozambique and includes data collected and analyzed from the October 2011 to September 2012. The report summarizes the ac0vi0es completed under the previous research permit granted to monitor marine megafauna within the PPMR. Commercial dolphin swim operator Cetacea Charters Lda t/a Dolphin Encountours supported DolphinCare-‐Africa’s research and was used as the funding and collec0on plahorm during which data was collected on marine megafauna with a focus on the local popula0on of the Dolphins of Ponta, the resident popula0on of BoNlenose dolphins as well as the monitoring of the humpback whale migra0on. Both land and boat based surveys undertaken in Ponta do Ouro serve to confirm con0nued habit use, abundance and distribu0on of cetaceans in the area. We have con0nued to campaign for Ethical Mar0ne Mammal tourism protocols within the area. Aier the implementa0on of the PPMR management plan at the end of 2011, we are confident that the limita0ons of dolphin swim operators in the area will prove successful in allevia0ng some of the stress caused on the local popula0on of dolphins.
Highlights 1. Presenta0on at the African Marine Mammal Colloquium (AMMC 2012) 2: The collabora0on with the Associa0on of Coastal Conserva0on of Mozambique on developing an online catalogue for Humpback whale fluke iden0fica0on images. 3: Maintain and update the Dolphin photographic fin iden0fica0on project. 4: Support offered to Planet Whale’s 2012 WhaleFest (Oct 2012). 5: Con0nued collec0on of data pertaining to swimming with dolphins -‐ Tofu-‐Inhambane, in conjunc0on with NHM and Marine Megafauna. 6: Con0nued collabora0on with AMAR -‐ Divers Associa0on of Mozambique through the instrumen0ng and organizing of a workshop for dive operators hosted in May 2012. Dia do Mergulho was hosted at the end of September for local school children who enjoyed educa0onal presenta0ons, a beach clean-‐up, ocean safari’s and discover scuba ac0vi0es followed by lunch sponsored by local business operators. 7: Submilng of the EMMT document to MICOA for the Drai Regula0on for the Protec0on of Marine Mammals and observa0ons of cetaceans through CTV and AMAR. 8: The produc0on of short documentary on dolphins -‐ their ability to heal and dolphin eco-‐tourism in Mozambique (s0ll to be screened) for south african television. 9: Case study presented by Lucia Walker at Planet Whale annual conference held in Brighton, UK 25th – 28th 2012 on behalf of DCA
Concerns 1: A scuba diving concession within Ponta do Ouro has been given permission to undertake dolphin swims in the area. This is over and above the two permiNed operators as s0pulated in the PPMR management plan. This authoriza)on will see other operators in the possession of a transport license start to undertake marine mammal tourism if not addressed. 2: The unrestricted and con0nued use of jetski’s within the area negates the PPMR management plan. Incidents have been recorded whereby these crai harass dolphins and whales. It is of priority that offenders be fined and an awareness created so tourist are aware of the harassment implica0ons. Educa0onal boards should be erected as a maNer of urgency at launch sites within the reserve. 3: Incidental entanglement in recrea0onal fishing gear has been recorded twice within the past year. One known calf (offspring to Danny) was presumably lost to this aier been seen entangled in 2011. 4: The Techobanine Port development con0nues to be a concern for marine mammals. 5: An increase in recrea0onal boaters within the 300m limita0on is s0ll being seen.
Ac:vi:es & Results During the period from 01 October 2011 to 30 September 2012 a total number of 372 launches were undertaken from Ponta do Ouro. The effort yielded 430 sigh0ngs that included that of spinner, spoNed, humpback and boNlenose dolphins. A total of 558 hours were spent at sea in observa0on of these species with 24 hours of in-‐water observa0ons and 129hrs focal following the resident dolphins. During this 0me some 35 000 images were taken and 48 in-‐water events filmed, mostly of the resident dolphins, humpback and boNlenose dolphin interspecies associa0ons, whale sharks and manta-‐rays. 1: Marine megafauna recorded during the permit period within the PPMR. Below is a table detailing the species encountered together with the number of sigh0ngs per species. In some circumstances entries were grouped together when two species were recored in associa0on with each other. The area covered was ~ 20km from Ponta do Ouro to Ponta Mamoli. During whale season (June to November) more 0me is spent offshore looking for whales. Results show an increase in sigh0ngs and launches over the past year. The restric0on of dolphin swim operators to only two within PDO has seen the observa0on plahorm increase by means of spending more 0me at sea on-‐board commercial dolphin tourism and research vessel Avalon. Species Sighted between October 2009 to October 2010
2009-‐10
2010-‐11
2011-‐12
BoNlenose Dolphin -‐ Tursiops aduncus
442
253
390
Indo Pacific Humpback Dolphin -‐ Sousa plumbea (with BND’s)
31
25
32
Pantropical SpoNed Dolphin -‐ Stenella atenuata
2
5
6
Long Snouted Spinner Dolphin -‐ Stenella longirostris
4
2
2
Total dolphin sigh:ngs
430
Humpback Whale -‐ Megaptera novaeangliae
89
141
71
Southern Right Whale -‐ Eubalaena australis
0
2
0
Whale shark -‐ Rhincodon typus
51
13
14
Manta Ray -‐ Manta birostris Small Eyed S0ng Ray -‐ Dasya)s microps
1 0
5 0
9 2
80 5 0
46 2 1
67 9 0
379 213hrs
256 384hrs
372 558hrs 129hrs
Turtle loggerhead Tracks -‐ Care?a Care?a Turtle leatherback Tracks -‐ Dermochelys coriacea Sub Antarc0c Fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis Launches undertaken Effort Focal follow (dolphins)
2: Examine the usage :me of this area by boSlenose and humpback dolphins and compare with seasonal peaks.
0%
Working on the DCA area map, the loca0on of all cetaceans encountered were recorded together with GPS markings, environmental, abundance and behavior data.
0%
Dolphins were located 75% of the 0me when the boat was leaving PDO traveling north. Only 48% of sigh0ngs were had within the bay of PDO, a drop of 12% compared to the previous year. The remaining 52% of sigh0ngs were divided between south and north of the PDO bay. Area’s G, H & I had liNle or no sigh0ngs due to no fieldwork within those zones.
2%
6%
Peak and non-‐peak seasons (governed by public holidays and school holidays) effected the locality of resident dolphins with high density zone B again seeing a drop in sigh0ngs. Dolphins preferred area’s C,D and E and probably further north during these periods. Main peak tourism months con0nue to be December and April as can be seen in the boat and jetski traffic data.
15%
23%
Dolphin loca0on in rela0on to depth found that most sigh0ngs, 41% took place in depths of 5 to 10m of water, while 33% were from the last breaking wave to 5m. 20% of sigh0ngs were had in 10m plus of water. GIS maps (see annexes) were produced from data da0ng back to Feb 2006 to to November 2011 and serves to confirm the inshore use of both Tursiops aduncus and Sousa plumbea.
34% 14%
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3: To assess the behavior of coastal dolphins within the PPMR who are subject to dolphin swim programs and compare data indica:ng the impact of human/dolphin encounters with mother/calf pods in the high density areas. Dolphins response to the approach of our vessel shows that there was a 70% no response rate. Dolphins approached and approached the boat to bow ride 25% of the 0me and only avoided the vessel 2% of the 0me. Change of direc0on of travel was recorded 17% of the 0me. During trips, vessel ac0vity within 300m of the dolphins was recorded 17% of the 0me and included jetski’s, kayaks and other boats. Observa0ons and in-‐water encounters with the dolphins took place in Beaufourt sea states 0 (5%), 1 (48%), 2 (36%), 3 (10%), 4 (1%). The rougher sea state the more difficult it is to a) locate the dolphins due to whitecaps and swell and b) allow par0cipants in the water due to said condi0ons. Dolphin Encountours generally do not take place in sea state greater than 3 although sea state max 2 is preferred in order to create a safe, calm space for humans and dolphins to engage. Dolphin human interac0on found a further decrease in class A and B interac0ons (>10 minutes in the water with dolphins who engage in conscious interac0on with human observers or allow unobtrusive viewing of their natural behaviors.) An visible 10% increase in class C interac0ons (&"
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Abundance and reproduc0ve success of boNlenose dolphins exposed to long-‐term disturbance in the PPMR was analyzed using data da0ng 2006 to March 2012. Within the know popula0on of 78 females and 77 males, 46 females and offspring we surveyed by means of iden0fied images and data. 510 boat and in-‐water observa0ons were made over 1178hrs. A comparison study for pods with and without newborns showed that pods with newborns tend to prefer bigger pod sizes, 40.34% (15 to 30 individuals) & 62% (0 to 15 individuals) for pods with no newborns.
season
newborns
fatality
%
2007/08
11
4
36,4
2008/09
20
4
20
2009/10
18
7
38,9
2010/11
22
7
31,8
Calf mortality is high, reaching 38,9 % for 2009/10 and surface water temperature was an indicator for the start of calving season. Possible reasons for the high mortality rate include but are not limited to preda0on; fishing line entanglement, increased tourism/boa0ng ac0vi0es and toxicity. At least one observa0on was had with a calf entwined in fishing gut. 4: Dolphin Tourism Informa:on & Feedback. Aier par0cipants completed their ac0vity (either a dolphin encountour running over four days or and 2,5 hour ocean surfari tour) they were requested to complete a ques0onnaire. The majority of tourists who partook in the ac0vity were mostly from South Africa, followed by Europeans, Mozambicans and others. The experience con0nued to rank high amongst tourists and 97% of people stated they would like to repeat the experience. ~ Dolphin Tourists Ques:onnaire ~ Country of residence? Was this your first experience?
Nr285
Encountour or once off Did you feel you were disturbing the dolphins? Do you feel the ac0vity should be restricted? Are you keen to repeat the experience? Do you think dolphins have healing abili0es? Would you recommend this ac0vity to anyone? Did you manage to interact with the dolphins? What was your opinion on the: Opera0on Crew Booking
Nr264
Nr316
Nr282 Nr228 Nr217 Nr255 Nr362 Nr330
Nr333 Nr325 Nr314
Mozambican 4,9% Yes 82%
South African 75,8% Europe 14,7% No 18%
58,7 {3 launch min) Yes 2,8% Restricted 94,7% Yes 97,7% Yes 90,2 Yes 98,8% Yes 65%
41,3 {1 launch} No 97,7% Prohibited 2% No 2,3% No 9,8% No 1,1% No 35%
Excellent 84% Excellent 88% Excellent 79%
Good 16% Good 12% Good 20%
Other 4,6%
Unmanaged 4,4%
Bad 0% Bad 0% Bad 2%
5: To ascertain the home ranges of trans-‐border species -‐ boSlenose and humpback dolphins in the Kosi bay / iSimangaliso Conserva:on Area. Re-‐submiNal of the permit applica0on will take place 2013. 6: Collect data on vessel intensity and usage in Ponta do Ouro. PPMR kindly supplied data that was used in con0nuing this study in reference to habitat use of boNlenose dolphins and peak seasons.
7: Beach Clean-‐Ups – A total of 6 clean-‐ups were undertaken during the said period, whereby 370 bags were collected, weighing +/-‐ 2 300kg. Areas included 3x Dobela, 1x Border to Ponta Malongane, 2x 500m stretches of Ponta Bay. We now have permanent beach clean-‐up staff, that on daily beach walks (short stretches) thorough cleaning. The 2 clean-‐ups in Ponta Bay coincided with events such as the Interna0onal Coastal Clean-‐up organised by Ocean Conservancy and Dia do Mergulho organised by AMAR. All clean-‐ups had the support of local residents and operators, as well as na0onal NGO Centro Terra Viva (CTV). See Trash Free Seas below. 8: Synchronized Whale Watching Day (WWD) – 4th August 2012 -‐ Once again we par0cipated on this African event organised by Samaki in Tanzania. This year DCA only par0cipated through land based observa0ons from 10am to 5pm. We recorded a total of 19 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Preliminary results of the seasons opportunis0c land based observa0ons has recorded >250 individuals passing between June and October 2012. 9: Strandings and specimen collec:on – A total of 3 strandings were reported during this period. All three were oceanic species of dolphin. No whale strandings were reported during this period. Necropsies and data aNached. ←Frasers Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei): 7th April 2012. Adult male, 253cm PPMR report & delivery
←Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba): 7th September 2012. Adult male, 205cm PPMR report & delivery
←Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba): 19th October 2012. Sub adult male, 196cm Live stranding PDO, animal repeatedly beached itself and died 2,5hrs later.
10: Sharing of and dissemina:ng informa:on Conferences Presenta0on on the African Marine Mammal Colloquium (AMMC 2012) -‐ Abundance and
reproduc0ve success of boNlenose dolphins exposed to long-‐term disturbance in Ponta do Ouro – Mozambique (Rocha, D.; Gullan, A.; Guissamulo, A.) See annexes'.
Case study presented by Lucia Walker at Planet Whale annual conference held in Brighton, UK 25th – 28th 2012 on behalf of DCA. DCA contributed further as a Founder signatory to the Save the Whales Reloaded campaign that emerged as a joint ac0on between par0cipants at conference. Reports Case Study produced for Planet Whale (September 2012). Swimming with Dolphins -‐ An Evolving Art. A case study on the development & implementa0on of a dolphin swim code of conduct in Mozambique. (Angie Gullan, Diana Rocha, Sharyn West, Dr Almeida Guissamulo (NHM), Mitchel Niemeyer). See annexes'. Internships 1: The project hosted one intern from Holland that stayed from March 2012 to May 2012, the research will result in her Master’s degree. Subject: Skin lesions on boNlenose dolphin (T.aduncus – classifica0on and causes.
2: DCA received and reviewed one masters project undertaken last year by Saskia Sauer. Short-‐ term effects of tourism on swimming behavior of resident inshore Indo-‐ Pacific boNlenose dolphins in Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique. See annexes'. 3: Mozambican Sonia Muando was awarded her MSc degree aier undertaking studies on the impacts of boat traffic and swimmers on the behaviour of boNlenose dolphins at Ponta do Ouro; her study was submiNed and examined at UEM.
Closing We would like to thank The Department of Conserva0on Area’s and Tourism for gran0ng our permit and look forward to the con0nua0on of the long term monitoring of marine mammals within the PPMR in future. We look forward to establishing a formal and longterm memorandum of understanding between both yourselves and us. We sincerely hope our efforts & work proves of value to DNAC and other interested par0es and hope that the data and informa0on herein can be beNer used for the management of marine mammal tourism and in Mozambique. For the Love of Dolphins! Angie Gullan DolphinCareAfrica References: Louro, C M M, E J S Videira, MAM Pereira, R Fernandes (2012) Monitoring, tagging and conserva0on of marine turtles in Mozambique. Annual report 2011/12 Maputo. CTV/AICM.
Inshore habitat use of T.Aduncas and S. Plumbea
