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Roman Dolphins
Ischia Dolphin Project

Roman Dolphins is the research project monitoring the cetaceans frequenting the Roman coast between Fiumicino, Ostia and Torvaianica, including the Marine Protected Area "Secche di Tor Paterno". The target species is the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The species is protected by the Bern, Barcelona and Washington Convensions, by the EU Habitat Directive and by the 157/’92 Italian law, resulting the only species, among those under the protection of the MPA “Secche di Tor Paterno”, profiting of a very high degree of consideration in terms of conservation measures. To date, 90 individuals were photoidentified by Oceanomare Delphis Onlus researchers.

The purpose of this project is to achieve a better understanding of the presence of bottlenose dolphin and the interactions with human activities along the Roman littoral. In particular, the study is developing a regular monitoring program to study the distribution, the abundance, the use of the habitat and behavior of the species, to produce an updated data platform and to evaluate the impact of fishing activities (gillnets and trawlers).

The Ischia Dolphin Project has an educational purpose with the aim to increase knowledge of the general public to meet the needs of conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean. Field courses are open to everybody who wish to share and work enthusiastically on the field. Anybody can participate. The Project is almost exclusively supported by the financial contribution of project participants. The money you pay to participate in the program will be used to cover the project running costs. The financial contribution of project participants is essential to allow ODO study and conservation activities to continue. Read Jean Gab's Diary, the IDP blog.

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Since 1997, the research has focused on the submarine canyon of Cuma, a deep submarine valley which lies to the north of the Ischia island. Submarine canyons play an important role in biological events and are often areas of high species diversity because of their oceanographic characteristics. The main goal of the project is the conservation of the habitat used by whales and dolphins, habitat which is always more corrupted and threatened by human activities.

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ACCOBAMS SC11

Dd 01 The 11^th meeting of the Scientific Committee of ACCOBAMS – the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Contiguous Atlantic Area – took place in Monaco, last February 2017, with the aim to outline a three year-long plan (201- 2019) based on three strategic pillars: increase the knowledge of the status of cetaceans in the Area, reduce human pressure on them and enhance public awareness on their conservation.

In order to manage the plan’s objectives and priorities, the Committee has appointed 4 Task Managers with their relative support groups, called “correspondence groups” and organised in subject areas: 1) interaction with fisheries, 2) species conservation management plans, 3) functional stranding networks and responses to emergency situations, 4) protected areas for cetaceans.

IMMAs Workshop

Chania IMMA Workshop The report of the 1^st Regional Workshop for the Mediterranean Sea on the Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) has been recently published, which took place in Chania (Island of Crete, Greece) last October, and organised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The event for the Mediterranean area represented the first of a series of regional workshops that IUCN has planned by 2021 in five more areas of the globe: South Pacific, the Northeast Indian, the Northwest Indian and the Southeast Pacific oceans, and the waters of Oceania surrounding Australia and New Zealand.

MMO/PAM ACCOBAMS School

cnr eni 011 Last November, the Parties of ACCOBAMS – Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Contiguous Atlantic Area – approved an important Resolution establishing the ACCOBAMS International School for Marine Mammal Observers (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) operators in the areas of the Agreement. In particular, in the recent past, the role of MMO and PAM operators have been introduced, who are experts in charge of monitoring - with visual and acoustic techniques - marine mammals in the proximity of noise sources, and activating appropriate mitigation measures in real time, when applicable.

2016 ODO Research Camps are ON !

watching 01 After a winter full of activities of analysis of photo-id and acoustic data, scientific workshops, and public outreach events, ODO researchers are back at sea involved in the two field research camps in the Mediterranean Sea: Ischia Dolphin Project and Roman Dolphins.

ODO becomes ACCOBAMS Partner

ACCOBAMS web Oceanomare Delphis Onlus becomes Partner of ACCOBAMS - the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area - signed by 29 States (including 6 non-parties), and which this year celebrates its 20^th year of activity.

Results - Workshop on Common dolphin

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Oceanomare Delphis Onlus – not for profit organisation since 1998 for the study and conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea - together with the Biological Conservation Research Foundation (BICREF, Malta) and OceanCare (Switzerland) - promoted the 1st International Workshop on Common dolphin in the Mediterranean.

The Workshop aimed at promoting a greater participation to the international dialogue and knowledge exchange on the Common dolphin in the Mediterreanan Sea, with a view to integrate the different scientific efforts and find new mechanism to strenghten the cooperation for the knowledge and conservation of the species, at local, national and international level.

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