Renaissance Whale and Dolphin Project 2017 Arabian Sea Humpback Whale Satellite Tagging
A project of Environment Society of Oman in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.
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| Name | Species | Life Stage | Release Date | Last Location | Days Transmitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dama'a (Tear Drop) | Humpback Whale | Adult | 2017-11-17 | 2017-12-05 | 18 |
| Luban | Humpback Whale | Adult | 2017-11-17 | 2018-03-18 | 121 |
| Nahdha | Humpback Whale | Adult | 2017-11-18 | 2018-01-04 | 47 |
| Zebra | Humpback Whale | Adult | 2017-11-16 | 2017-12-20 | 34 |
Click on an animal's name for maps and more information.
Introduction
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The Renaissance Whale and Dolphin is a project of the Environment Society of Oman. Since 2014 the project has focused on studying the spatial ecology of the Arabian Sea Humpback Whales (ASHW) through instrumenting whales satellite tags in the Sultanate of Oman. The ASHW is recognised as a non-migratory population isolated to the Northern Indian Ocean for the last 70,000 years. It is classified with 'Endangered' status on the IUCN Red List, with an estimate of less than 100 animals in Omani waters.
The tagging approach is deemed imperative to identifying important habitats and transitory pathways for the population that are critical to its survival. The outputs of the study are to be used to inform authorities involved in the management of marine resources.
The tagging is to compliment existing knowledge gained from studies conducted in Oman since 1999, which has previously included photo-identification, genetic and acoustic surveys.
The 2017 survey is complimented by use of cutting edge techniques to assess the health of whales using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) to provide data on body size, condition and respiratory infection of all encountered humpback whales through sampling the whale blow.
Project Partners
Partners and participation in the 2017 season includes: Five Oceans Environmental Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Alaska Fisheries Science Centre), University of Exeter, Blue Planet Marine and Clear Blue Photo.
Expertise and equipment for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle work has been provided by the Smithsonian Institution and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Support and permitting for activities is provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth, Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and Ministry of Social Development in the Sultanate of Oman.
Project Sponsors
This project is funded by Renaissance Services S.A.O.G.
