In 18-20 December special practical training for cetacean strandings along the coast was held within the project: “Citizens’ support for study of Black Sea cetaceans along Bulgarian coast”. The purpose of the fieldwork days was: monitoring the beaches of Bulgarian Black Sea coast for stranded cetaceans, practicing the methods for investigation and data collection on strandings; determination of status, gender and identifying species and taking measurements, recording the geographic location, taking photos of all that is found and filling the information in special field forms.
Six volunteers had the opportunity to participate in the patrols of sites initially selected and distributed between teams. They had covered and monitored all Bulgarian Black Sea beaches from Rezovo in the south to the border with Romania in the north. The facts were in favor of cetaceans and no alive or dead marine mammals have been found, but eager for new knowledge volunteers have found stranded skeleton (in the area of Pomorie - Aheloy) that was not identified; skull of bottlenose dolphin (beach north of camping Kosmos) and two porpoise skulls at Silistar/Ropotamo beach and they had the opportunity to determine which species the remains belong to by the method of comparing number and shape of teeth that is used when only bones/skull are found. All these remnants were photo documented.
Regular patrols and monitoring of the coast for stranded cetaceans is one of the oldest methods to study these less known mammals. That method helps to gather important information about the status and health of the populations of different species of cetaceans and threats that are the cause for their death. Samples can be collected from found carcasses for laboratory tests of internal organs and parasites. Identifying external cause of death can help to determine what it is and whether it is a result of human activity. The results of this type of fieldwork can be a basis to plan appropriate measures to reduce threats to cetaceans in the Black Sea.
for contacts and additional information:
Dimitar Popov – Project coordinator, phone number: 0885108712; e-mail dpopov@greenbalkans.org
Project „Citizens’ support for study of Black Sea cetaceans along Bulgarian coast“ is funded within the framework of Program BG03 in Bulgaria of Financial Mechanism of European Economic Area 2009 – 2014.
Six volunteers had the opportunity to participate in the patrols of sites initially selected and distributed between teams. They had covered and monitored all Bulgarian Black Sea beaches from Rezovo in the south to the border with Romania in the north. The facts were in favor of cetaceans and no alive or dead marine mammals have been found, but eager for new knowledge volunteers have found stranded skeleton (in the area of Pomorie - Aheloy) that was not identified; skull of bottlenose dolphin (beach north of camping Kosmos) and two porpoise skulls at Silistar/Ropotamo beach and they had the opportunity to determine which species the remains belong to by the method of comparing number and shape of teeth that is used when only bones/skull are found. All these remnants were photo documented.
Regular patrols and monitoring of the coast for stranded cetaceans is one of the oldest methods to study these less known mammals. That method helps to gather important information about the status and health of the populations of different species of cetaceans and threats that are the cause for their death. Samples can be collected from found carcasses for laboratory tests of internal organs and parasites. Identifying external cause of death can help to determine what it is and whether it is a result of human activity. The results of this type of fieldwork can be a basis to plan appropriate measures to reduce threats to cetaceans in the Black Sea.
for contacts and additional information:
Dimitar Popov – Project coordinator, phone number: 0885108712; e-mail dpopov@greenbalkans.org
Project „Citizens’ support for study of Black Sea cetaceans along Bulgarian coast“ is funded within the framework of Program BG03 in Bulgaria of Financial Mechanism of European Economic Area 2009 – 2014.
