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There is a great deal of overlap in the project roles and most
people combine their activities. However, it is always useful to
have details of preferred areas of work. The four main areas of
activity are guiding, research, educational workshops and
special projects.
Guiding: our core activity has always been guiding on
the whale watch boats. Six year´s ago there were no
guides, now, because of volunteer efforts, there are guides on
most of the boats. Our role is to assist where there is a guide-
normally on the bigger boats, and provide a fuller service on
the smaller boats. What is guiding!? It is the ability to make
people fully appreciate the value of the whales and dolphins
visited . To this end we use several techniques: Training in
the use of Technical Guide material and particularly in
language texts. Everybody has to have a go in Spanish as well as
their mother tongue and the more languages spoken the better;
Free posters in the main European languages to be given
to the tourists and to be used as a base for discussing what can
be seen in Tenerife and European conservation issues- the
objective is to get through to at least one tourist a day, to
see them mentally commit to ´do something´. In this
way we can send back to Europe thousands of individuals and they
can effect change;
Free Educational booklets for the children carrying
clear conservation messages; Extensive didactic materials-
laminates of identified pilot whales and dolphins with
information on each, technical information and images on most
common species, conservation issues, Tenerife flora and fauna
etc etc. In addition to guiding duties, all volunteers have to
assist with research data collection and with the
project´s PR work on their allotted boat. Guides have to
help develop the boat as a centre of whale watching
excellence.
Research: The projects
are involved in a broad range of research initiatives. These
intiatives have several goals: to establish a role for such work
on the boats in future for local marine biology students; to
create baseline data as the basis of on-going research work; to
understand the marine habitat and cetaceans visited and
interpret this information for use by the industry and whale
watching tourists; to help establish Tenerife as a recognised
international centre for cetacean research; to assist in
achievement of conservation goals on the basis that education
and awareness are the key tools in achieving these goals.
In addition to our on going and planned research, the projects
will also consider innovative proposals for new research from
anywhere in the world. Ideas must be submitted the end of
November each year for work starting the following summer. All
submissions will be reviewed by a panel of associations in
Tenerife including La Laguna University, Tenerife Conservation
and Proyecto Ambiental Tenerife. Decisions will be announced in
early January and proposers of ideas suggested will be eligible
for free acommodation and board whilst on field work, supply of
all appropriatre equipment/ research bases and volunteer support
in collecting data. Research Areas: The following are all
on-going
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Photo Identification
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Pilot whales. This work is now going into its
fourth year and the database built-up of some 300
animals is being used as the basis of its own work
by La Laguna University. All animals have been named
by members of the whale watching community and
supporting behavioural data assimilated. The
database and supporting behavioural data is
available for general usage and shows changes in
population structure over time as well potential
family groupings and associations.
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Bottlenose dolphins. This work is primarily
in Los Gigantes where there is a resident
population. In 1998, the first year of study, some
ten dolphins were identified. In 1999, the
population seems to have grown to 16 although there
is suspicion that the dolphins are
´resident´ to the Canaries as opposed to
a particular location. The Projects are
collaborating with Manola Carillo, a much respected
and experienced local researcher who is currently
researching dolphins as part of the Liffe programme
administeres through Las palmas University on Gran
Canaria. Manola has an extensive database of
bottlenose dolphin sightings from around the
Canaries.
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Rough Toothed Dolphins. Because of the high
incidence of quality sightings of this species in
1999, the projects have developed a new database.
Also developed in 1999, are sightings databases for
Beaked whales , Sperm
whales and Baleen whales in
general.
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Behaviour Studies- Data is
now available for pilot whales (since
1997) and bottlenosed dolphins (since
1998). This data is designed to throw light on social
role, group structure and composition and changes over
time, individual characteristics and boat impact.
Measurement parameters were drawn from the Tethys
Institute report on cetacean research.
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Boat Impact- land based research using digital
theodolite was commenced in 1999 in Los Gigantes with a
study of local bottlenose dolphin populations. This work
is combined with behavioural data collection from on board
the whale watch boats. In 2000, it is intended to extend
this work to cover pilot whales.
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Acoustics- This work will commence in ernest in
2000 with the acquisiation of especially designed computer
software and hydrophones.
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Pollution Studies- A laboratory was set up in 1999
to help establish base line data in four areas of on going
research:
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Heavy metal content of seaweeds from a wide range of
sites around the Island.
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Air and water quality in the Guimar Valley, from the
mountain ridge at 2000mtrs down past the industrial
site to the coastal beaches. As this equipment is
mobile, it is possible to analyse air quality direct
onto lap tops around industrial installations
several of which are worthy of attention.
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Sediment analysis, particularly around sewage
outlets and such as a proposed fish farm site.
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Water quality around beach areas looking
specifically for effects of sewage in tourist areas.
The objective of this research, in part, is to establish
the framework of an effectice pollution monitoring system
for the Island.
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Psychology project- Why do humans get so excited
when they interact with whales and dolphins. This
research, commenced in 1999, is designed to explore the
nature of human reaction and relate it to both different
personality types and indicators of emotional
intelligence.
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Customer Survey- Management information has been
available to the whale watch boats through these surveys
since 1997. In addition to overall comments on industry
performance, information is made available on individual
boat performance relative to the industry. All data is
accessible except for individual boat details for
confidentiality reasons.
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Marine Habitat Survey- shore line ecology surveys
have been established on beach areas around San Juan and
Las Galletas. In 1999, the seabed ecology projects
produced 3D images of the sea bed between San Juan and
Punto de Teno which its dive teams have been researching
with the objective of establishing baseline data of marine
flora and fauna through which to monitor impacts on the
marine environment. It has also collarorated with a
government initiative to monitor the effects of colonising
sea urchins on indigenous flora and fauna.
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In addition to the above on-going projects, it is intended
to explore the possibility of research in DNA testing,
and, of course, to consider proposals for new research
initiative for 2000.
Educational Workshops
Raising awareness is key to the continued success of the
projects and a number os specialist workshops have been
developed each of which is multilingual and can be delivered at
a number of levels of expertise. Children´s
workshops are run on the whale watch boats; on the
beaches and in local schools and summer camps; Training
workshops are run as part of the induction programme
for volunteers, for boat crews and guides and for the local
community; Talks on cetaceans are delivered in
public meetings and in hotels.
This area of activity is combined with preparation of didactic
materials, to include- multilingual training manuals,
educational packs, case study materials, display materials for
use on the boats and in public places.
Special Projects Team This
team co-ordinates development of strategy with boat owners,
Captains Association, relevant educational and conservation
organisations and local and international media. It is also
charged with the implimentation of ad hoc projects as
developed.
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