INTERN COORDINATOR 2019 DELFINI DEL PONENTE RESEARCH PROJECT, IMPERIA, ITALY Cetacean and Marine Fauna research The project The dolphin research project “Delfini del Ponente” is the first project focused on monitoring bottlenose dolphins in the Western Ligurian Sea. Due to the morphology of the seafloor, this area is not a usual habitat for this species and historically, sightings have a been more rare and sporadic than in the Levantine side of the region. The continental shelf is, in fact, very short and high depths (around 2000 m) are reached quite close to the shore making the area suitable for other cetacean species but not for bottlenose dolphins, which tend to remain in waters with depth not exceeding 200 m. Despite this knowledge of the range of the species, an interesting change has been noted in recent years in the area, where sightings of bottlenose dolphins have almost tripled, from fisherman, whale watching boats and other research institute. For this reason, Costa Balenae started in 2018 the project Delfini del Ponente in order to monitor bottlenose dolphins in the region to understand the extent of this change and what drove it. The project is structured on an annual basis, in order to obtain data not only on the distribution during the summer, but also changes during the different seasons. The project is already providing very interesting information about bottlenose dolphins and their distribution in the study area, and also about the seasonal presence of other marine fauna such as Mediterranean shearwaters (Puffinus yelkouan), Scopoli’s shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea), Northern gannets ( Morus bassanus), Sandwich terns( Thalasseus sandvicensis), sunfish (Mola mola) among others. Surveys will be made in coastal waters onboard a dedicated zodiac (6 m inflatable boat) around 10 times per month. Training will focus on collecting photo for photo-ID purposes, environmental, marine traffic, geographical (GPS) and dolphins' behavioural data. Land-based surveys will be done In Imperia, in 2 different points around 10-12 times/month collecting data on the presence/absence of dolphins, fishing boats in activity and marine birds. Fieldwork is a great opportunity to get involved and improve skills on cetaceans research and marine biodiversity. Surveys are weather dependent and their number can change each month. Office work (6 hours per day) includes training and lessons to the interns and supervision of all the activities ( photo-id work, transcription of data, data entry, QGIS work etc..) WHERE: Imperia, Italy WHEN: 1 March-30 June 2020; 1 September-30 October 2020 Preference will be given to candidates that can stay the whole duration (March to June or September to October). The intern coordinator will be asked to join the research team one week earlier than the actual start of the programme, to gain all the necessary skills and information needed. The intern coordinator is responsible for: - Assisting the researchers during all the research activities - Coordinating the interns and volunteers participating in the project with the help of the Project Coordinators - Be responsible for the cleaning schedule and maintenance of the shared apartment with the volunteers - Assist with the training of the interns both during office work and fieldwork - Carry on land-based surveys - Driving the zodiac and photo-id collection - Responsible for an own project for future conferences Skills/qualification: - Minimum age of 18 - Degree or on-going studies in Biology, Natural Sciences, Veterinary or similar (preferred) with strong motivation to work in marine mammals research - Speak, read and write in fluent English - Be adaptable as fieldwork is weather dependent - Prior experience in cetaceans or boat-based surveys - Be prepared to spend many hours on a small zodiac (5-6 m) and under the sun, able to swim and work in harsh weather conditions both in nearshore and offshore waters - Be prepared to spend many hours on the office (generally 6 hours per day) - Be sociable and with a positive attitude as he/she is expected to live and work in an international team - Boat driving licence or experience in handling small boats (preferred) - The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player as the project will involve working closely with other participants but also must be able to supervise small groups of interns. He/she must also be self-motivated and eager to work independently and responsibly. Other Information This position is unpaid but accommodation is provided. The intern coordinator will share an apartment with the interns but having an own bedroom and toilet. Successful applicants will be responsible for organising and paying for their own travel arrangements to and from Imperia. Website: http://delfinidelponente.costabalenae.it/ How to apply: Send your CV and a cover letter (please indicate the preferred period, date of arriving and departure, previous experience and skills , and at least one reference contact) to info@costabalenae.it addressed to Davide Ascheri and Elena Fontanesi no longer than the 30th of November. Successful applicants could be contacted for a skype interview. For any further enquiry and detail, please send an email to info@costabalenae.it Elena Fontanesi and Davide Ascheri Biologist - Costa Balenae Whale and Nature Watching info@costabalenae.it