- Camp on Masirah Island -
[Research & Fieldwork - October 2001]
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- Camp on Masirah Island - |
The group is still processing data from the survey, and it will be a few weeks before results can be published. However, there were a few exciting highlights worth relating. The survey team was lucky to have calm weather throughout the month of October, and 23 full days were devoted to boat surveys, which included over 150 hours of observation effort and covered over 3000 kilometers. The group recorded 36 sightings of whales and dolphins, including common, spinner, bottlenose, IndoPacific humpback and Risso's dolphins, and humpback, Bryde's, minke and (as of yet, unidentified) beaked whales.
The group is still processing data from the survey, and it will be a few weeks before results can be published. However, there were a few exciting highlights worth relating. The survey team was lucky to have calm weather throughout the month of October, and 23 full days were devoted to boat surveys, which included over 150 hours of observation effort and covered over 3000 kilometers. The group recorded 36 sightings of whales and dolphins, including common, spinner, bottlenose, IndoPacific humpback and Risso's dolphins, and humpback, Bryde's, minke and (as of yet, unidentified) beaked whales.
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- Humpback whale spyhopping - |
Humpback whales were one of the target species of the survey, and 15 individuals were successfully photo-identified. Using a new digital SLR camera, researchers obtained photographs of the tail flukes and dorsal fins of all 15 humpbacks. These photographs will be stored in a digital "catalogue" that will allow researchers to recognise individual whales when they are re-sighted in the future. The catalogue now includes over 30 whales, one of which has been sighted three times in the past year, a coincidence that is almost beyond the bounds of credibility.
Chomp, a whale with large distinctive bite-shaped scars in its tail flukes, was first observed in the Muscat area on December 8th 2000. Amazingly, this same whale was the first humpback to be observed during a two-week survey in Dhofar three months later. On October 5th, the first full day of boat work in the recent survey, researchers were stunned to see the very same whale off the East coast of Masirah Island. Chomp and a companion repeatedly approached the research boat to within just 5 meters, spy-hopping as if curious to inspect this strange orange craft that had followed them in Dhofar seven months previously. Researchers then followed the whales to obtain photographs and biopsies (skin samples) for genetic analysis. This analysis, which will be performed by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, should allow researchers to learn whether Chomp is a male or female, and possibly even how he or she is related to other whales sampled during the survey.
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- "Chomp", December 2000 - |
- "Chomp", October 2001 - |
Perhaps even more importantly, the analysis of all the genetic material obtained from whales during this survey will help researchers to determine whether humpback whales in Oman belong to an isolated non-migrating population or are interbreeding with neighbouring populations of whales in the Indian Ocean. The answer to this question will have important implications for management and conservation of whales in the Arabian Sea.
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- Humpback whale - |
The researchers had another exciting encounter on the 24th of October. On a flat calm day, what at first seemed to be dolphin-like dorsal fins in the distance, turned out to be a pod of very unusual beaked whales, which remained at the surface briefly as the boat approached, and then dived, never to be seen again. Examination of the photos taken during the brief encounter has confirmed that the whales were not Cuvier's beaked whales, hitherto the only species of beaked whale known to occur in Oman. These photos are still being circulated amongst world experts, who are finding it difficult to determine the species. It may be the mysterious Mesoplodon pacificus, commonly known as the tropical bottlenose whale or Longman's beaked whale. Until 1999, this species was only known from two damaged skulls from Australia and Somalia, so it is no wonder that scientists are still finding it difficult to determine what a live specimen would look like at sea!
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- Bottlenose dolphins - |
Beach surveys conducted before, during and after the military exercises revealed an extremely high number of dead sea turtles, including all four species that are known to feed and nest in the area. Although the cause of death could not always be determined, evidence implicated fisheries activities in many cases. Researchers also examined a number of cetacean remains, ranging from large baleen whale skulls to dolphin carcasses. Over 70 specimens were examined, resulting in the collection of over 70 samples for genetic analysis and 50 skeletal specimens that will be curated at the Oman Natural History Museum.
It is too early to tell to what extent the military operations affected the marine wildlife of the area. Observations in the field suggested that immediate, direct impacts were limited, but drawing early conclusions is cautioned by studies elsewhere in the world that have indicated longer-term and indirect effects, particularly on whales and dolphins. Further details of the military operations that occurred during the Saif Sareea II exercises may help to determine the nature of any possible latent impacts
Another valuable aspect of the survey was the cooperation between the Oman Whale and Dolphin Research group, internationally renowned whale and dolphin scientist, Dr. Vic Cockcroft, MRMEWR staff, and local rangers. The latter were involved in both boat and beach surveys, providing a wonderful opportunity for exchange of knowledge and expertise. Additional logistical support and sponsorship of the survey was provided by Shell Oman Marketing, PDO, OHI Marine, Han Padron Associates, DHL, W.S. Atkins and Veritas Geophysical.
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- The team on their research boat - |
- Members of MRMEWR with Tim - |