Period: 2001 – ongoing
WHEN DOLPHINS MEET MAN
The “Delfini Metropolitani” project ( www.delfinimetropolitani.it ) was started in 2001 by the Genoa Aquarium (Costa Edutainment SpA) with the aim of studying the presence, abundance and state of conservation of the bottlenose dolphin along the Ligurian coasts of the Pelagos Sanctuary. Since 2003, the Fondazione Acquario di Genova Onlus has supported Costa Edutainment SpA in the management of the project.
The study is particularly important because it concerns highly anthropized coastal areas where navigation is particularly intense, as are fishing activities.
Data are collected on board rigid-hull inflatable boats on survey transects, but also along normal navigation. Georeferenced data (sampling effort and sighting points of the target species) are recorded together with photographic data of the dorsal fin useful for photo-identification of individuals through natural identification signs.
Since 2001, thousands of daily surveys have been carried out for about hundreds of thousands of km travelled at sea and several thousand sightings. Over 300 bottlenose dolphins have been individually identified by our research group thanks to the natural signs present on the dorsal fin. We have estimated that about 250 individuals permanently reside in our main study area (eastern Ligurian coast).
Since 2011, the data collected within the Delfini Metropolitani project have been shared on the Intercet platform and compared with those of other research institutions participating in the network. This collaborative project allows us to obtain results at a scale that would otherwise be unattainable by individual research institutions.
As part of the activities, a promotional video on the Cetacean Sanctuary was produced in 2010 and, in 2022, another promotional video on the activities of the Metropolitan Dolphins project.
The Intercet project has been officially recognised under the EU Missions – Restore Our Ocean and Waters.
Partner:
Genoa Aquarium - Costa Edutainment SpA, Genoa Aquarium Foundation Onlus, Genoa Boatmen.
Sponsors:
ECOCREST© (through certification by Carloforte Tonnare PIAM srl), RINA (to Costa Edutainment SpA), Nestlé.
From 2024, the project also includes an Adriatic part, Delfini Metropolitani-Adriatico, with the involvement of the partner Marina di Cattolica srl.
For more information: https://www.delfinimetropolitani.it
