Australian Marine Mammal Conservation Foundation

Do you like dolphins? Yes. Well this is for you!

Did you know that Port Phillip Bay is home to a new dolphin species?

In 2011, Principal Researcher and Founding Director of the Australian Marine Mammal Conservation Foundation (AMMCF), Dr Kate Charlton-Robb, formally identified and named Tursiops australis, known commonly as ‘Burrunan dolphin’ following Australian aboriginal narrative.

The Burrunan dolphin has already been listed as ‘Threatened’ under the Victorian State Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act due to its small and isolated populations. In accordance with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), the Burrunan dolphin would be classified as ‘data deficient’.

C O N S E R V A T I O N   C O N C E R N 
The Burrunan dolphin is endemic to southern Australian coastal waters and is characterised by small, genetically distinct and isolated populations. There are only two known resident populations in the world (Port Phillip Bay and Gippsland Lakes).

The specific aim of this project is to investigate the population structure of Port Phillip Bay’s resident Burrunan dolphin. This population has significant conservation concern due to their low levels of genetic diversity, close proximity to urban and residential settings and high exposure to various anthropogenic threats.

AMMCF’s Project Burrunan is the only research program of its kind in Victoria. With a special focus on the newly described dolphin species, this research aims to protect and conserve this charismatic and endemic dolphin for future generations to enjoy.

In order to establish greater protection and conservation for our unique Burrunan dolphin we need to bridge the gaps in our current knowledge about this new species by addressing a number of data deficiencies. Greater scientific knowledge underpinning the correct management and conservation of this species is crucial. With no data there is no incentive for action and without action we can have no conservation.

SO WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT? 
AMMCF’s 2015 Honours candidate Dominic Lawler will be conducting an important population assessment for Port Phillip Bay’s resident population of Burrunan dolphin. Using photos of the dolphin's dorsal fin we can individually identify and catalogue dolphins in our population. We identify individuals based on unique nicks and notches along the trailing edge of the dolphin's dorsal fin. Each distinctly marked individual will be catalogued and used to estimate the population size, calving rates, movement patterns and identify important regions for the dolphins. This project is a crucial step to better understanding and protecting the Burrunan dolphin not only for conservation of biodiversity but also for future generations to enjoy!



Photograph of unique dorsal fins used to identify individual dolphins and to follow them through space and time (above).

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
By pledging money to this project you are pledging your support for ongoing research aimed at conserving and protecting our precious Burrunan dolphin. Any contribution, big or small, would be greatly appreciated and will go a long way to making this project possible. To thank you for your support we have put together a list of fantastic rewards.

Port Phillip Bay is a large drowned river system covering an area of approximately 1930km2. We will be conducting surveys in the north, east, south and western parts of the bay in order to obtain a representative sample of the whole area. As you can imagine, travelling to different parts of the Bay is timely and expensive. We will be conducting 8 – 10 surveys (weather being the biggest determining factor) per month with repeated effort in 4 zones. Overall we aim to complete 32 surveys from April through to July 2015. This is the minimum number of survey days required for us to collect an adequate data set to hopefully saturate the discovery curve (identify all marked dolphins in the population over time). With greater support, we can extend these surveys across the entire year to assess the seasonal variation and habitat usage of the Bay, building a more complete image of this iconic species.

HOW MUCH MONEY IS NEEDED?
In reality, we need in the vicinity of $20,000 to run the first stage of this project, which we hope to continue in the near future. However, with significant changes to applied research funding opportunities and the urgency in conservation concerns, we need to get on the water to make a start by mid April 2015. We cannot do this without your support!

PROJECT COSTS
The greatest costs associated with this project include driver and research vessel hire. The cost of hiring a commercial vessel (in survey) will cost at least $200 per day and approximately $50 per hour for a qualified driver. Each survey day will run for approximately 8 hours. This includes getting to our location, unloading and loading the boat and completing one zone per day. It will cost approximately $600 per day to collect this important information.

COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CAMPAIGN
As with any crowd funding campaign there are a number of costs associated with running the project and of course delivering our awesome rewards to you. 

Weather is always an unknown factor. We aim to complete 32 surveys in Port Phillip Bay from late April through to July 2015. Planing trips around good weather windows means that on occasion we will need to act and prepare quickly. Dr Kate Charlton-Robb has extensive experience conducting field surveys of this kind in Port Phillip Bay and the Gippsland Lakes. Her experience and expertise means that we can achieve our goal in a safe and effective manner.