The marine conservation section of Nature Trust Malta have announced that they are presently in discussions with RIMMO (Réserve Internationale Maritime en Méditerranée Occidentale) and the local authorities to bring Opération DELPHIS to Malta.
Opération DELPHIS was born in 1996 at the request of dolphin and whale enthusiasts. They had already signed petitions and given support to associations, now they wanted to get personally involved in a cetacean protection project.
So every year, professional and amateur boaters are invited to an exceptional day out at sea to identify and count dolphins and whales. They also take plankton and sea water samples for scientific analysis. Each participating boat follows a precise scientific protocol on an individually allotted square of 4nm by 4nm. The adjoining squares form a wide mesh covering a very large area at sea. To ensure the accuracy of the data gathered by the volunteers, the RIMMO teams meet the participants to train them in identifying different cetacean species and how to use the plankton net.
For the last 16 years, RIMMO has organised the annual International Conference on Cetaceans of the Mediterranean in Nice every November, to which scientists, policy makers and Opération Delphis participants are invited. The latest data and results on marine mammals and marine biodiversity are exchanged and Mediterranean scientists define future research programs. The results of the year’s Opération DELPHIS are presented, discussed and compared with those of previous years.
This year, Operation DELPHIS is scheduled to take place on the 19th of July, both locally and in other designated areas of the Mediterranean. The success of this project hugely depends on the collaboration of volunteer boaters who can all observe and collect data. Nature Trust (Malta) have said that they would like the assistance of boat owners with GPS and VHF to perform this exercise for the first time in Maltese waters.
Since safety is paramount, this event will only take place in suitable weather conditions ie wind force 3 or less.
For further details please contact Nature Trust (Malta) by sending an email to delphismalta09@gmail.com [1] or phoning them on 21313150
For more details about Opération Delphis you can visit the site www.rimmo.org [2]