Dear colleagues
On behalf of my co-authors, I would like to draw your attention to a new paper on common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in the northern Adriatic Sea:
Genov T, Kotnjek P, Centrih T. 2020. Occurrence of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in the Gulf of Trieste and the northern Adriatic Sea.
Abstract
- The Mediterranean common dolphin (Delphinus delphis ), considered to have been very common
in the past, had undergone a dramatic decline across most of the basin
by the end of 1970s. In the northern Adriatic Sea, one of the regions
with most available historical information, the common dolphin is
thought to have been the most common and abundant cetacean throughout
most of the 20th century. However, by the end of 1970s, it had virtually
disappeared from the region and is now considered generally absent from
the entire Adriatic Sea.
- This contribution summarizes the occurrence of common
dolphins in the Gulf of Trieste and provides a brief review of
published records in other parts of the Adriatic Sea.
- Systematic boat surveys in the wider area of the Gulf
of Trieste between 2002 and 2019 confirmed that the common bottlenose
dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ) is the only regularly occurring
cetacean species in this area. Despite this, several records of common
dolphins were documented in the Gulf of Trieste between 2009 and 2012,
through sightings of live animals or recovery of dead stranded animals.
- Dorsal fin markings allowed the photo‐identification
of some of these, suggesting that at least four different live
individuals (three adults and one calf) occurred here in recent times.
Most cases involved single adult individuals, but one included a
mother‐calf pair that was temporarily resident in a port for several
months, a behaviour atypical for this species. Photo‐identification
showed that the presumed mother had previously been sighted in the
Ionian Sea in Greece, over 1,000 km from the Gulf of Trieste, making
this the longest documented movement for this species worldwide.
- At present, the common dolphin continues to be rare in the region.
Best wishes,
Tilen
______________________________________________________________________
Tilen Genov
| Morigenos - Slovenian Marine Mammal Society |
| Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews |
| IUCN Cetacean
Specialist Group |
