Laura Marina Reyes

During the first stage of the project, we carried out the first surveys for cetaceans in the coast of Northern Golfo San Jorge (250 km on transects), and we produced a complete and comprehensive checklist of cetaceans sighted and stranded in the gulf. As result, a total of 12 identified cetaceans species were registered in the Golfo San Jorge. Apart from identifying species, we examined its habitat variables and determined local threats.

We also focused a great part of our job in raising the interest and support of provincial and local governments. At the present, we are working actively on the preparation and advertisement of public conferences and short courses addressed to general public and to students of biology. These activities begin in July, aiming to attract public attention to the local marine mammals as flagship species for marine conservation, and to train local students in wildlife conservation. We are convinced that the local people will have a great interest to participate in the activities and to attend conferences and courses, and that it will be the starting point to involve them in conservation actions, and to change their perception and behaviour towards the ocean and its wildlife.

Since July, we started to accomplish the educational goals of our project. We offered two conferences and two free courses focussing on the ecology and conservation of local marine mammals at the University of Comodoro Rivadavia. The community response was overwhelming. All the media (television channels, radio stations and local newspapers) broadcasted these activities and interviewed Dr. Reyes on several occasions. Approximately 300 people attended the events, including many biology and tourism students, marine enthusiasts, Coast Guard officers, and primary, high school and university teachers. Moreover, several schools asked us to offer more lectures and to participate in meetings related to environmental issues.

We launched the formation of the stranding and sighting network, involving the Coast Guard, a Nautical operations company, the Comodoro Rivadavia Fisheries Council, the Coastal Reserve (Punta del Marques) wardens and many local students and private navigators. We designed and distributed among them an identification chart and a sighting report form and we have already received several sightings through this system.

The Provincial Government is very interested in our programme and is actively promoting all our activities. Besides, we were invited to participate in the Declaration of a new Marine Protected Area in the northern San Jorge Gulf, our study area, and in the design of its Management Plan, regarding the relevance of the information we are producing for this unique area.

The steps for the last phase of the project are to re-start the field work in October, continue with the conferences due to the high demand, and communicate some research results in the National Marine Science Congress.

We are deeply satisfied with the goals achieved so far and with the people interest and response. We really feel that through this programme we are filling a gap in that area, enhancing public participation and making people aware about the ocean conservation.

When we designed our RSG project, our main goal was to generate some public interest for marine wildlife in the coastal area of San Jorge Gulf. The results exceeded our expectations: 372 people of all ages, jobs and interests attended our courses and conferences; the media broadcast our work and school students published articles in newspapers extracting our conferences. Teachers asked us for training to apply conservation concepts into their classes. Through the stranding and sighting network, we found a total of 12 cetaceans species stranded or sighted in the gulf, including 9 odontocetes and 3 misticetes and we achieved the active involvement of local people and institutions in our work. In regards to our field work, we surveyed by boat a total of 1003 Km (543 nm) by random line transects techniques.

The most frequent species in the area was the Peale’s dolphins (Lagenorhynchus australis) including mother-calf pairs. Schools of Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) were also found foraging in shallow sectors, as well as Commerson’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) and Killer whales (Orcinus orca). All these species occur in an area where important tourist activities and new oil development plans have been announced, in addition to the current problems with growing fisheries. Six students of the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia “San Juan Bosco” participated in the surveys.
As an outstanding achievement, the Provincial Government involved us in the creation of the Marine Protected Area of Northern San Jorge Gulf. The information produced by our project will be crucial to zone the coastal area, according to the distribution and habitat use of small cetaceans.

In brief, we are really satisfied with our achievements. The aim of this project was to initiate a community-based education and conservation program for Patagonian cetaceans at Golfo San Jorge, setting bases for long-term studies. We succeeded, and now we have a better insight of the biological, social and political framework of this area. Therefore we have new goals and an appealing challenge to follow this track that we have initiated.

A 2nd RSG Grant has been awarded for the continuation of this project.

Between September 2004 and January 2005, we developed several activities, including field work, conferences and meetings. In October, November, December 2004 and January 2005, we continued the surveys for small cetaceans in northern Golfo San Jorge. Despite the usually bad weather conditions to navigate, we achieved a total of 36 hours on observational effort, and we registered 15 sightings: 13 of Peale’s dolphins, one of Commerson’s dolphins and one of Risso’s dolphins. The most representative dolphin in the area, the Peale’s dolphin, used coastal areas of northern Golfo San Jorge to feed and breed. Our scientific results were communicated in the XIX National Meeting of Mammalogy carried out in November. Seven students of the Universidad Nacional de La Patagonia participated in the surveys, data analysis and communication of results as a training opportunity.

Moreover, we continued promoting local awareness about ocean conservation, taking marine mammals as flagship species. We offered conferences at Comodoro Rivadavia and informal talks with local people at Bahía Bustamante, we published articles on the local newspapers, and we produced texts on wildlife for the web-site of Comodoro Rivadavia. In addition, we carried out a meeting with the Secretariat of Environment of Comodoro Rivadavia, the coast-guard, the air force, and people from the University, to organize a team in case of a contingency (wildlife rescue or rehabilitation). Finally, in December 2004 we participated in the first meeting to work in the zoning of the South Western Atlantic Large Marine Ecosystem, held at Buenos Aires.

As an outstanding achievement, the National Ministry of Health and Environment declared our conservation program of national interest for Argentina.

Read about Laura's latest project http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/laura_marina_reyes