17
Apr 2009 - A preliminary study on Australia’s
mysterious snubfin dolphin has given researchers
new insight into the mammal’s habits and
behaviour, including that it uses an extraordinary
spitting technique to catch prey.
The research, funded
by ING DIRECT, has given an overview of
the life and habits of this very rare marine
mammal, affectionately named ‘snubby’ by
researchers, which lives in tight-knit social
groups along the northern coastlines of
Australia.
The small dolphins hunt
in groups and use a spitting technique to
catch their prey - chasing fish to the surface
of the water, and rounding them up by shooting
jets of water from their mouths, said WWF-Australia’s
Marine and Coasts Manager Lydia Gibson.
“This is incredibly
unusual behaviour, first seen in Australia
off the Kimberley Coast, has only been noted
before in Irrawaddy dolphins, which are
closely related to this species,” Gibson
said. “It also confirms the snubfin dolphin
is a fascinating animal, one which we know
so little about.”
Gibson said the WWF/ING
DIRECT research has been collating existing
information from many sightings over the
years while also gathering new valuable
data about snubfin habitats across northern
Australia.
The ten key findings
from the research so far show that:
• Threats to mangrove
systems from rising sea levels predicted
with climate change and from human impacts
such as dam construction, dredging and other
destructive activities are the greatest
threat to the snubfin. Where mangrove systems
are destroyed or damaged, the snubfins will
lose their food and their habitat/home.
• Snubfins are very
susceptible to chemical pollution, viruses
and bacteria because they live close to
shore and have a relatively small range.
A parasite found in cat faeces (Toxoplasma
gondii) is of particular concern, as it
was found - via contaminated run-off - to
be the cause of death of three Indo-Pacific
humpback dolphins recovered around Townsville
in the period 2000-2001.
• Snubfin dolphins are
more likely than other dolphins to be caught
in gill nets because they prefer inshore
estuarine habitats where river-nets are
set.
• Snubfin families appear
to spend much of their lives in very small
territories close to shore. This means snubfin
populations can be heavily impacted by habitat
destruction and unsustainable development.
“These top ten facts
were uncovered to better understand what
we do and do not know about the snubfin
dolphin. They will provide us with the benchmark
we need to inform conservationists, government
and scientists about how best to conserve
and manage this unique and threatened species
for future generations.”
Ms Gibson said that
habitat destruction was the key threat to
these coastal dolphins.
“There are already development
proposals around the Great Barrier Reef
that could affect their habitat – like the
extension of the Townsville Port – that
could have major impacts on these species.
We must work with all relevant stakeholders
to initiate a strategic environment assessment
of future developments close to snubfin
habitats.”
Australia’s largest
online bank, ING DIRECT, joined WWF-Australia’s
flagship species conservation program to
help fund research into the snubfin dolphin,
primarily in Queensland.
“We are even more proud
now that we have been able to help researchers
uncover a range of remarkable facts and
insights that may help preserve this remarkable
creature long into the future,” said Christian
Bohlke, ING DIRECT Head of Branding and
Communications.
ING DIRECT’s funded
research has not only given insights into
the, until now, secret lives of these dolphins,
it has also revealed the threats they face
from man.
“This overview sets
the stage for the ongoing research needed
to help us discover ways to minimise our
impact on these unique Australian creatures.
Companies like ING DIRECT that fund this
research are helping us preserve an extraordinary
creature and are building a legacy that
will be enjoyed by Australians for generations
to come,” Bohlke said.
+ More
Mediterranean bluefin
tuna stocks collapsing now as fishing season
opens
14 Apr 2009 - Rome,
Italy – As the Mediterranean’s bloated fishing
fleets ready themselves for the opening
of the bluefin tuna fishery tomorrow, WWF
has released an analysis showing that the
bluefin breeding population will disappear
by 2012 under the current fishing regime.
Global conservation
organization WWF reveals that the population
of breeding tunas has been declining steeply
for the past decade – and will be wiped
out completely in 3 years if fisheries managers
and decision-makers keep ignoring the warnings
from scientists that fishing must stop.
“Mediterranean bluefin
tuna is on the slippery slope to collapse,
and here is the data to prove it,” said
Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF
Mediterranean. “Whichever way you look at
it, the Mediterranean bluefin tuna collapse
trend is dramatic, it is alarming, and it
is happening now.
“WWF has no choice but
to again urge the immediate closure of this
fishery.”
The population of tunas
that are capable of reproducing – fish aged
4 years or over and weighing more than 35kg
– is being wiped out. In 2007 the proportion
of breeding tuna was only a quarter of the
levels of 50 years ago, with most of the
decline happening in recent years.
Meanwhile, the size
of mature tunas has more than halved since
the 11000s. The average size of tuna caught
off the coast of Libya, for example, has
dropped from 124kg in 2001 to only 65kg
last year. Data gathered by WWF show that
this pattern has been observed across the
entire Mediterranean.
Before the age of large-scale
industrial fishing, individual tunas could
even weigh in at 900kg. The loss of these
giant tunas – able to produce many more
offspring than medium-sized individuals
– has a disproportionately high impact on
the reproduction of the species.
The huge overcapacity
of fishing fleets, catches that far exceed
legal quotas, pirate fishing, the use of
illegal spotting planes to chase the tunas,
under-reporting of catch, fishing during
the closed season, management measures disregarding
scientific advice – and the insatiable appetite
of the world’s luxury seafood markets –
have all contributed to this dramatic decline.
“For years people have
been asking when the collapse of this fishery
will happen, and now we have the answer,”
added Dr Tudela. “Mediterranean bluefin
tuna is collapsing as we speak and yet the
fishery will kick off again tomorrow for
business as usual. It is absurd and inexcusable
to open a fishing season when stocks of
the target species are collapsing.”
WWF is calling for the
immediate closure of the Mediterranean bluefin
tuna fishery to give the species a chance
to recover, while continuing to encourage
consumers, retailers, restaurants and chefs
to join the global movement to avoid the
consumption of the imperilled fish.
There is also growing
support to suspend international trade of
Atlantic bluefin tuna by getting it listed
on Appendix I of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES) when contracting parties
meet in early 2010.
