January 29, 2013

Here are some photos of one of our new engines installed!  We are very excited to see one in already and we can’t wait for both of them to be installed and ready to go.  Stay tuned for more video of the other engine being installed.

One of our new engines installed in R/V Stenella!

Here is the engine installed in the starboard hull.  We had to remove the welding around the hatch covers in order to get the engine in.

Captain Pete with a big smile!

This is the old engine getting ready to be moved to its new home!

January 8, 2013

Below is a video of our research vessel, Stenella, dry docked so we can install our newer, greener engines.  Beside our boat, we rented a “Pod” to store our old/new engines in until the installation.  Enjoy!

R/V Stenella & POD

January 3, 2013

2013 is starting out to be a very good year for the Wild Dolphin Project.  In late 2012 we were able to raise enough funds to start our engine refit this winter.  We are giving our research vessel, R/V/ Stenella, cleaner and greener engines.  Here is a short video and a few pictures showing the process of hauling our boat out of the water to start the work.  And stay tuned for more updates, as the next two months will be full of changes and improvements for our boat.

Dr. Denise L Herzing, Founder and Research Director, WDP

Click below to see some videos of R/V Stenella being hauled out of the water:

Boat Haul 2013

R/V Stenella coming in to be hauled out.

R/V Stenella getting hauled out of the water.

Capt. Pete with Chuck & Andy.

As I write this blog our field season has ended, but in Taiji, Japan the dolphin slaughter has once again begun.  The purposeful slaughter of dolphins is horrific.  The thought of families being killed, or witnessing their mothers and brothers being killed, is beyond belief.  Despite the decades of building awareness about marine mammals, captive facilities in non-regulated countries continued to increase.  With less regulations and protection than the U.S. and Western Europe, many of the dolphins from the drive hunt in Japan, or just regular capture offshore, are going to China, Asia, the Middle East, where less than standard pools, private homes, and shopping malls become the homes of previously free wild dolphins.  In our own country, the U.S., dolphin friendly tuna labels no longer keep dolphins safe, questioning our own behavior on the open oceans and challenging the industries that continue to kill, or our trade laws that refuse to hold steady to our morals.   In 2012 over 25,000 elephants have been killed for the growing demand for ivory, again. Orangutans struggle to survive as their habitat is burned for palm tree oil.  A battle rages in the U.S. on the proposed import of beluga whales, captured in Russia, and awaiting the highest bidder as they explore their new confines away from their family and friends in the wild. 

I have been trying to write a blog about this issue for months.  Every time I start to write, my thoughts go to larger issues and I get overwhelmed at what is happening on this planet.  Why are we humans so in need of entertainment by animals?  How is it, in this educated and free society, the message still has not gotten through about the intelligence and the rights of wild animals and the need for wilderness?  Why don’t we get our own population under control so we don’t overtake every environment on the planet at the expense of the other 30 million species trying to survive.  It makes me think that I should be working for Planned Parenthood, which is under it’s own endangered species category.

My own theory is that we have the “greed” gene.  Enough is never enough.  We want more and we want it now at whatever expense.  We have created a consumer of animal entertainment and of the artificial substitute for a natural experience.  We still want tigers to jump through hoops, elephants to dance at the circus, and dolphins to tow us around in pools.  How is this possible in 2012?  Because we have been told, or sold, that we need this type of entertainment and stimulation to ironically educate us.   In the larger scheme of things it all revolves around awareness of other species on our planet and our abilities to connect and recognize this issue, and make a place for the wild.  Yet habitat continues to shrink, human population continues to expand, fish are overfished, waters are polluted, and human-to-human violence continues to escalate.  Until we eradicate poverty and bring awareness to nature and our ecosystems, humans will be lost to the future, along with many other species.    

 Little mention of the environment was heard in the debates this year, not to mention any discussion of climate change.  Yet there is no debate among scientists and among most non-U.S. western countries in the world:  it is happening.  We will lose habitat and shrink already challenged environments.  Animals will suffer, ecosystems will change, and humans will go to war over resources.  In the same breath there is talk about reducing regulation, which usually means environmental regulation.  “Bad EPA, how dare you regulate poison and particles in the air.  We can’t make enough corporate profits if you do.  Let’s get rid of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act while we are at it, since it stops job creation.”  No, it reduces corporate profits, that’s what it does.

When I was in college in the late 1970’s I volunteered for Save the Whales and Greenpeace.  No one had heard of Earth Day, and if you were green you were a hippie.  Well, maybe that was true but now we globally celebrate Earth day, we recycle, we pick up trash on the beach, and we explore sustainable living practices.   But once again the word “green” is equated with liberal and careless?  Huh?  What is more careless, taking care of the environment with cautionary approaches, or intentionally barreling ahead with poisonous toxins in the environment and practices that hurt not only nature but also human health?   

We cannot afford to go backwards and ignore the environment.  It simply cannot be allowed.  Our determination and direction must more clearly encompass nature and other species in our vision of the future.  It is our responsibility and our salvation.  We must change our direction and our habits. We must make room for the wild and space for free.

BLOG 2012  Dr. Denise Herzing, Summer 2012

May 2012

A VERY PREGNANT VENUS

Trip 1 – We are back in the Bahamas for our 28^th field season study the Atlantic spotted dolphins. First encounter with two mother/calf pairs, Venus/Val and Naia/Nematocyst.  Venus is looking pregnant as she swims along side her 2-year old, and still engages us in a game of keep away with sargassum.  Her son Val is also gaining new spots and will soon likely join a young male group when his new sibling is born.  Nematocyst has a dramatic shark bite on his dorsal fin.  Although sharks area normal predator in the dolphin’s environment, we can’t help but notice one of the local dive boats anchored and feeding sharks in the area.  His bite is raw and ragged but it does not look life threatening.  He seems a bit shy and his mother Naia is protective as female dolphins often are, especially after an injury like this.

NAIA WITH NEMATOCYST

Trip 2 – We have had some nice spotted and bottlenose dolphin sightings early in the trip.  Mid trip Tropical Storm Beryl formed right over us and we ran for shelter into the harbor as the storm formed and past by. It’s a bit early for this kind of serious tropical weather since hurricane season really doesn’t officially start until June 1.  Our group of young interns and students weather the storm well and spent their time reviewing their dolphin identifications as part of their learning experience. As a special treat we were able to observe some pilot whales in the Gulf Stream on our way to the Bahamas!!

A PILOT WHALE IN THE GULF STREAM

June 2012

NASSAU WITH NAUTILUS

Trip 3 – Back out in the field for another trip after two trips in May. The weather is still a bit challenging but we have been seeing many of our regular and familiar dolphins.  It is shaping up to be a good year for calves, perhaps even a record-breaking year.  Caroh has a male calf we have named Cobalt, Nassau also has a new male calf, Nautilus.  We are testing some new prototype equipment this trip, with colleagues from Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Atlanta.  After some frustrating tries with leaking equipment we continue to work on it through the week.

A RESIDENT BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

Trip 4 – More calves were seen this trip increasing our total to four so far. Little Gash’s daughter Laguna has a new female calf, Lowell, making Little Gash a grandmother once again.  We have also been seeing some familiar bottlenose dolphins too.  The weather is still a bit disturbed and sure enough Tropical Storm Debby forms in the Gulf of Mexico while we are in the field.  Usually not an issue for such a distant storm, this time Debby has churned up fierce winds even from the Gulf of Mexico and we find ourselves stuck in port for 4 days.  We make the best of it, reviewing video and swimming in the pool at the local hotel to stay cool.  This is the first time we have ever had to stay in port for such an extended period of time, and we are also late in returning back to Florida, as the Gulf Stream was too rough to get home. 

July 2012

CAROH TEACHING COBALT HOW TO PLAY WITH SARGASSUM

Trip 5 – Another July in the Bahamas finds us working in 90-degree heat and water temperatures around 86F, typical summer time.  Although we have had constant winds this trip, we have had some nice, close encounters.  We watched as Caroh taught her new calf, Cobalt, how to play with sargassum, a favorite dolphin toy.  Meanwhile Brush and Paint, two northern females have shown up with other dolphins in their group.  It’s nice to see they are still around and Paint, a grandmother many times over, also has a newborn, Pistol.  Sadly we have been monitoring another northern mother, Trimy, with her two-year-old calf, Tribble, with a horrible injury to her rostrum (beak).  Although Tribble looks healthy, somehow her skin on her upper jaw has been peeled back.  We can only imagine something sharp like fish line that would be able to cut through so cleanly.  We will monitor her through the rest of the summer but so far it looks like this wound is not infected and that she can still nurse, and hopefully catch fish in the future.

TRIMY WITH HER INJURED CALF TRIBBLE

Trip 6 – Finally after two months of challenging weather we had the perfect weather trip.  Quiet winds, a light breeze, puffy light clouds on the horizon, and beautiful gin-clear water.  We are still seeing most of our central and northern dolphins but I am starting to get worried about the southern group.  Venus and Naia are the only northern mothers we have seen so far, and it’s getting late in the season.  Although harder to find sometimes, the southern group consists of 20 or so dolphins, many that were pregnant last field season, so we hope to be able to check in on their progress soon.  Interestingly, one of our favorite young female dolphins, Amanda, is finally pregnant.  Known for her friendly nature and interest from the male dolphins in the group, we are not surprised she will finally become a mother at the age of 10.

August 2012

Trip 7 – At the beginning of this trip I decided to work down south a bit to try to find our regular southern dolphins still missing from our sighting list this summer.  Sure enough, our first day as we got underway there they were.  Flying A has a new calf; Summer is also with a newborn yet her two-year-old Shades continues to create havoc.  Younger females including Freedom, who lost much of her fluke to a couple shark bites, is also pregnant for the first time.  Later in the trip we see Venus again, swimming along side Fudge, who is also very pregnant.  In fact, these females are about as pregnant as we have ever seen. It is likely they will give birth soon given their size.  Although gestation is about one year long, and most of the dolphins give birth in the spring and fall, Venus is one dolphin who has, in the past, had an August birth.  We will see if there is any new calf on the next trip when we return.  Calf count now is up to 10 newborns, matching a record for us over the 28 years of observations.  The past couple field season we have had many pregnant dolphins, but not too many successful births.  Since the hurricanes of 2004/2005 the dolphin community has been in need of new recruits due to their decreased numbers, so we are happy to see the new young dolphins rebuilding the population here.

Trip 8 – The last trip of our field season was just getting started when another hurricane got in our way.  Although we got to see our dolphins for a few days, storms and potential threats chased us back to Florida for safety.  Thus ended our 2012 28^th research field season.   All in all it has been a good season, with record numbers of calves and normal dolphin behavior.   Let’s hope that Mother Nature gives this community a break from storms this fall. 

October 25, 2012 – As I write this Hurricane Sandy is moving through the Bahamas getting near to our study site.  A late season storm, Sandy is a bit unusual but not unknown for this time of year.   Hopefully it will keep moving rapidly without affecting our study site to any great impact.  This time of year calves are being born and just learning how to swim and socialize.  Unfortunately we won’t be back in the Bahamas until next May, so our thoughts go out to the dolphins and the Bahamian Islands for their safety and survival.   Hopefully they are just surfing some good waves!