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While Turkey is surrounded by the wildfires and the life on those forest is falling on us by ashes, even off 20 miles to the coast, we try. We try to defend the richness of this blue planet where mankind was a bunch of ignorant minds long enough that climate is changing in a speed we can’t dare to face consequences. We are small and may feel powerless but what they don’t know is a scatter as we are, we’re strong TOGETHER. We just need to try. Try to defend the wilderness of our land and of our seas, doesn’t matter how small it might feet at the time. There is no room for surrounder now. Photos: Serkan OCAK/DW

It takes years of tolerance, long-lasting hard work, yet scrabs of resources and many more sacrifices to be a marine researcher of the Eastern Med. Though, there is no room for a surrender because every and any hope we seed to this world, is going to generate the change of the current system, clearly is not functioning well with several warning signs not only for the nature itself but for our own species. And interestingly, where and what needs to be changed, always left out and ignored by the overwhelming community. When you hear the long hold breath coming from the deep blue, provides you the strength you need to carry on and that’s what DMAD team experienced in our summer survey effort in 2021, targeting the entire Eastern Mediterranean waters of Turkey. Sperm whales, are known as marine engineers with their critical role on healthy ecosystems. Turkey, highly neglected country by the research and conservation actions, despite surrounded by three different seas, is also home to these majestic creatures. Our team conducts seasonal survey effort, covering its waters from west to east in pursuit of these giant guardians of our waters. Because, the knowledge is our ONLY STRENGTH to fight against ignorance! We need to influence the value of long-term benefits over short-terms. Our research and conservation effort continuous since 2015 while giving opportunities to the students from any background to provide them the experience they need to show them the true meaning of what ‘Biologist’ really means. We are just at the beginning of our path with 7 years of effort to protect what is left to us. We need EACH of YOU with US to create the change for the good for OUR PLANET and for our society.Because, only together, our BLUE PLANET IS SAFE!

The summer observation of the Common Dolphins in the Common Seas project, which we have been carrying out in partnership with WWF-Turkey on the Dilek Peninsula for many years, has been successfully completed. The peninsula is known for its proximity to the Greek island of Samos, as well as having the untouched structure surrounding the National Park. Although a lot of research has been carried out in the waters of Samos, the limited cetacea research in the region covering Turkish waters has led WWF-Turkey and DMAD to initiate this collective study. In this observation, which is only one of the projects we created in order to close the lack of data on cetacea species in our common waters and to understand dolphin behaviour in the long term, we organize boat trips and catalogue the photographs of dolphins. At the same time, we are trying to establish a local database of vocal and behavioural data of the common dolphins by collecting sound data of dolphins with the help of a passive acoustic imaging device that allows us to distinguish dolphin sounds underwater.

This week in Montenegro, the hot weather is kicking us in the face! Since the beginning of week, we have been doing surveys around but have not seen any dolphins. But even if we do not see any dolphins, I am still so lucky to be here in Montenegro with the DMAD team. I am experiencing life as a field biologist and learning a bunch of stuff here. In the middle of the week, we saw off two members of the team (Cedric and Noemi) to their hometown, now the survey team is a little smaller, but it is not stopping us from watching dolphins.Since the longest day of the year, the weather temperature in Montenegro is getting higher and higher. Because of that, working and being concentrated during surveys is getting harder. Even for me, who is a girl from the west coast of Turkey where the summers are so HOT. At least we have a solution for these surveys in boiling hot weather. Jumping into the turquoise-colored sea of Kotor Bay, super refreshing ????.Hoping to see dolphins next week!Greetings from Montenegro

Last Saturday, we came together with young people from the Koruncuk Foundation Last Saturday, we came together with young people from the Koruncuk Foundation. Our researcher Belen Yıldırım presented about the marine mammals of Turkey and the dolphin species of Istanbul Strait. Before the observation event to be held in Istanbul, which we planned as the second part of our meeting, the young people received a short training on species and then asked questions about marine mammals and research. Our meeting started so calmy and continued with exciting questions and was completed with questions. The meetings that are full of knowledge and curiosity are making us so happy… We would like to thank Koruncuk Foundation Corporate Communications Manager Tuğba Uğur and Manager Serkan Çıtlak for enabling us to meet.

If you want to discover what we do in Montenegro, select ‘Adriatic Sea’ in the Research tab!!

Our intern&volunteer coordinator Selina Brouwer writes for DMAD We have been waiting for so long, the day has finally come… We are back in the south of Montenegro, we are back in Ulcinj, we are back where it all started almost 5years ago!!  After multiple lockdowns and many restrictions these last months we had to wait till the weather cleared up. Finally, we could do some surveys in the south! Of course, we planned it very carefully and efficiently, like always. So first we went to Ada Bojana, to have a goodbye party for our dear colleagues Tim & Laura. Soon Tim will start his PhD in the cold, rainy but also beautiful Scotland. This means he has to leave us after 3years of loyal service. The DMAD team wishes him and Laura all the best in the future. Hopefully, we will see each other again in the near future!! So back to the surveys…It all started with an early morning survey in Utjeha, and from there we went back to Ulcinj where we spent the upcoming 3 days, there we did the whole day surveys 🙂 It started well, in Ulcinj our new intern Duru already spotted a dolphin, close to the shore. Unfortunately, we didn’t see it again. After that, the sea state went worse and we had to stop the survey and had no other choice to enjoy the beautifulness of Ulcinj.The next day we started at 4:15 in the morning and we continued till 19:00 in the evening. Unfortunately again no dolphins, but we keep motivated to continue the next day. This morning we started at 5:30, the sea state was beautiful, like a mirror. But again no Dolphins…..where are they? are they hiding from us? or stay away because of the many Jetski’s? Nobody knows…..It was 3 intense days but the perseverance of the interns was amazing!  Let see if we can find the dolphins in Kotor bay next week! Sweet greetings from Montenegro!!

Our analyst Patrick Lyne wrote an article for IMarEST Magazine “Mitigating cetacean decline in the Med” Patrick Lyne, who is an analyst in DMAD’s research, wrote an article in the second issue of The IMarEST magazine with the title “Mitigating cetacean decline in the Med”. Lyne emphasized the increase in the human population in the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the past years and how this number will increase in the next decade, and how cetacea species and marine life will be affected. He reminded that the ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area), of which Turkey is also a signatory, follows serious rules especially for the protection of marine life and cetaceans. However, especially anthropogenic activities such as habitat destruction, population growth, military activities, offshore wind activities, natural-gas exploration activities create temporary or permanent hearing problems in marine mammals native to the Mediterranean Basin, which can be irreversible and result in death when ACCOBAMS regulations are not implemented. Marine mammals observers and passive acoustic observers working in industrial activities have the greatest responsibility in monitoring the implementation of regulations. Lyne, who included ACCOBAMS regulations in his article, stated that more data is needed for the protection of species native to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

We were completed Istanbul Strait Survey After a long way our team meet in Istanbul and completed seasonal surveys in Istanbul Strait. We started with land surveys and on the first day, we recorded bottlenose dolphins. The following day we meet with the German TV channel ARD. They have joined us at our boat survey and we talked about threatening factors, distribution and population rates in cetaceans of Istanbul Strait. From the moment observation began, Harbor porpoises and Bottlenose dolphins followed us. https://montenegrodolphinresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/Y7X1JuxiSUyD59kKDdhg_Video_DieSendungvom2.Juni2021-ARD-Mittagsmagazin-ARD_DasErste-GoogleChrome2021-06-0914-32-332-v.mp4

Spring expedition of DMAD’s long-term research completed We came together to research the sperm whales, beaked whales and dolphins of the Eastern Mediterranean, which we have been doing every season since 2018. With the data we obtained during our one-week research expedition, we aim to fill the data gap in the Eastern Mediterranean, measure anthropogenic pressure and assist conservation programs. Thus, not only we will gain important information about top predators but also reach the requirements of maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem in the Eastern Mediterranean.