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Fall 2021
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BAHAMAS MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION

E-NEWS October 2021

Dear friends and supporters of BMMRO,

This summer we successfully held two COVID-19-safe Whale Camps with young Bahamians from Long Island, New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Cat Island! Thank you to Mrs Felice Major, our camp leader, and Ms Evette Roach for all their help.

Additionally we were able to get a permit to conduct field work on Abaco's beaked whales as part of our 'Nutritional Stress' project using aerial photogrammetry to assess individual body condition and document pregnancies.

Finally, BMMRO are co-authors on a new manuscript about the distribution of deep divers, and lead authors on a new manuscript showing that ships slowing down by just 1.4 knots in the Bahamas during COVID-19, reduced our ocean noise level by 41%! Underwater noise is increasing at alarming rates and considered by many as the number one threat to whales and dolphins. This study allows us to assess the effectiveness of ship traffic management strategies, such as slowing ships down, to mitigate impacts on marine life, including local sperm whale populations.


 
A selection of pictures from both of our Whale Camps this summer. Thank you to The Devereux Foundation and Rotary Abaco for funding these important experiential programs for future Bahamian marine scientists.
During our 'Nutritional Stress' field work, some great weather resulted in encountering seven different species of marine mammals! Here we see rough-toothed dolphins (top picture and bottom left) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (bottom right).
During our fieldwork this summer we also encountered several species with young calves; Blainville's beaked whales (top picture); sperm whales (bottom left) and bottlenose dolphins (bottom right). The highlight was finding this adult female Blainville's beaked whale with a newborn calf (top picture). We saw her 22 years ago as a young mother with her first calf. This information adds to our understanding of the reproductive biology of this species and is supported by a grant from the US Office of Naval Research.
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All text, video, and images are © 2021 Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation. All rights reserved.

Postal address:
P.O. Box AB-20714, Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas
 






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Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation · P.O. Box AB-20714 · Marsh Harbour · Bahamas

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