Dolphin Research Programme Extra Information

Dolphins have fascinated man for thousands of years. They are intelligent social creatures that humans can relate to in many ways. People and dolphins interact on a variety of levels and many believe humankind has much to learn from these fascinating underwater mammals.

Dolphins, like many other sea creatures, are threatened due to man's exploitation of limited ocean resources. Research suggests first-born calves are lost due to high levels of toxins in mothers’ milk as a result of man polluting the oceans. With the increase of port and harbor development globally, the home ranges of dolphins are reduced. Dolphin numbers have declined significantly in the last 5 decades and the ocean mammals are under threat.

The Dolphin Project involves varied conservation and research activities based on the southern coastline of Mozambique. African Impact works in conjunction with ALL-OUT and subsequently the Dolphin Encounter to facilitate this research work and provide manpower for much-needed assistance and support. ALL-OUT is a Swazi based organization with the philosophy of “a better Africa through working together for wildlife and people”. It supports Africa taking charge of its future and believes in a world of opportunity through responsible tourism and information management. In this, African Impact and ALL-OUT have the same beliefs and foundations from which they support conservation management in Africa.

The Dolphin Project aims to monitor bottle nosed dolphin numbers and behaviour, loggerhead turtle nesting activity and coral reef condition in order to make recommendations for improving the conservation of marine biodiversity. It involves field data collection via beach walks, boat surveys, swims and dives on the southern coastline of Mozambique around Ponta d’ Ouro. It also involves assisting with tourist education and general tourism welcoming & interpretation. This programme runs in partnership with the Natural History Museum of Mozambique.

A number of cetaceans occur in the deep waters off this coastline including Sperm whales, Rissos dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, pygmy and false killer whales, common dolphin, spinner dolphin, striped dolphin, spotted dolphin, frasers dolphin, melon-headed whale, minke whale, sei whale, bryde’s whale, and blue whale – these are highly unlikely to be seen. Some cetaceans are found close to the shore but are again very unlikely to be seen, such as the killer whale. The bottle nosed dolphin is the focus of this project and is most easily seen. It is quite likely that volunteers may see hump baked whales, and hump backed whales are also in the area but more commonly seen in the Maputo bay.