First of three 5th Birthday field trips Kingscote Campus March 7th 2011

Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch celebrated its 5^th Birthday on March 7^th 2011 with a field survey  undertaken by Kangaroo Island Community Education’s Kingscote Campus students and volunteers – the first of 3 birthday celebrations involving all KICE campuses. Five years of work and research effort with outstanding results through student and community generated data, was celebrated onboard the “Zeehund” with a beautiful birthday cake decorated by KI Bakery. The downloading workshop in the afternoon in the Open Access Education room at Kingscote Campus yielded a number of matches with “Dino” again recorded after a long absence. A number of new identifications were also categorised for checking and cataloguing. It was a very satisfying expedition with a number of new students welcomed aboard for the first time.

Professor Seuront and family on board February 24th 2011

KI Dolphin Watch were fortunate to take Professor Laurent Seuront from Flinders University on an extended community field survey recently, this time accompanied by his wife Dorrine and daughter Eloise. Professional photographers and volunteers Pete Nash and Christian Clolus were also on board, allowing an excellent, quality data collection to occur. Analysis of the images to date has yielded a significant number of catalogue matches and new identifications. The catalogue compiled from sites around Kangaroo Island, has expanded to atleast 200 animals with new identifications being added regularly and a vast back log of ID work to do!

 A debriefing meeting following the onwater work, at project sponsors the Aurora Ozone Hotel, revolved around the extraordinary research potential offered by the island’s dolphin population. Nardi Cribb, PhD candidate from Flinders University, analysing the island data as a component of comparative habitat usage studies, also attended the meeting. Relocation of a number of research efforts under Professor Seuront’s supervision, from the mainland to KI, clearly demonstrates this exciting potential.

Cynthia Walsh WDCS International joins volunteers January 27th 2011

Recently KI Dolphin Watch enjoyed having Chris Butler Stroud; CEO of WDCS International on board “Island Explorer” for an extended field survey with volunteers on the North Coast of the island. A lone dolphin was observed and recorded at Emu Bay and three more at Big Gully near Point Marsden on the way to North Cape. Unusually no dolphins appeared at North Cape, normally home to a resident pod of approximately 25 animals, prompting a move further west to Dashwood Bay. Approximately 18 Bottlenose Dolphins were resting, milling and spending extended periods of time on the surface, allowing for excellent photographic identification work to be undertaken.

 A week earlier Cynthia Walsh, Funding Officer with WDCS International, based in the Chippenham Office in the UK, joined volunteers on a field survey to North Cape, this time via Shoal Bay. Sightings on this occasion were very brief, creating considerable challenges for all on board. Fortunately volunteer photographers Pete Nash and Christian Clolus, were able to capture some quick shots, yielding useful data. Pete’s were taken from the elevated platform on the stern of the “Zeehond” – KI Marine Adventures new vessel which was performing its maiden voyage in Kangaroo Island waters. Its extra beam and space was much appreciated and together with “dolphin friendly” jet drive engines, it will prove of great benefit to our photographic identification work.

 KI Dolphin Watch very much appreciated their company, interest, and support.

Think Global School students monitor dolphins

KI Dolphin Watch Coordinator Tony Bartram put to sea recently with students from Think Global School who were visiting Kangaroo Island under the auspices of Exceptional KI. The students visited the North Cape sight in two groups and the first group was treated to a wonderful display by the pod in quite trying conditions. Even though conditions worsened, the second group had an even more outstanding experience as the Dashwood Bay pod from further up the coast came visiting, resulting in a close encounter with 50+ local dolphins including some playful juveniles. The students assisted in Dolphin Watch’s data collection efforts with excellent results and declared afterwards “doing Science this way is better than going to an amusement park!” A highlight for all was skipper Andrew Neighbour’s skilful manouvering of “Island Explorer” in the less than perfect conditions.

Professor Chris Daniels presents the award to KI Dolphin Watch

The efforts of students, community volunteers and scientists involved in Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch’s dolphin monitoring and conservation programme in partnership with The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society of Australasia, received local acknowledgement recently when they won the 2010 Local Achievers Natural Resource Management Community Project Award. The presentation was made by Professor Chris Daniels; Professor of Urban Ecology, School of Natural and Built Environments – University of  South Australia, environmentalist and media personality, at the culminating event of the two day “Brush With Biodiversity” NRM Conference on Kangaroo Island. In her speech at the presentation ceremony, KI Natural Resources Management Board presiding member Jackie Kelly paid tribute to KI Dolphin Watch’s outstanding efforts and resultant impact at local, national and international level.

KIDW Presentation in Fiji

The Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch programme was presented to the recent International Pacific Marine Educators Network Conference in July as a model of building sustainable coastal communities through cooperative effort. It was highly acclaimed and generated extraordinary interest from representatives of the Pacific nations present. Case studies from the local programme on Kangaroo Island, Whyalla and Port Pirie, where it has been successfully established, and including examples from Kenya and the Pacific, demonstrated clearly the ready adaptability and ease of application of the Dolphin Watch model, making it very appealing to all parties, particularly those facing economic challenges and hardships.

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