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Conferences
An important part of our work is our participation in different forums of scientific research with marine mammals, in which we present the results of our work to share with other professionals.
Conference entitled Tourism Potential and impact of watching Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Bahia de Banderas, Mexico.
XXII International Meeting for the Study of Marine Mammals at Nuevo Vallarta from April 27 to May 1, 1997
During the months of December 1996 to March 1997 an evaluation was conducted in Bahía de Banderas to 6 of the tourist companies announced whale watching their main activities. These were divided into three different groups depending on the way to make excursions for whale watching. The impact it has on the behavior of the humpback whale is directly proportional to the type of boat and engine horsepower, as well as the maneuvering, length of stay and number of vessels around the group of whales. In general it was observed that mothers with young were most affected. The results obtained in this study laid a necessary precedent necessary for the development of regulatory and supervisory standards for humpback whale watching on Banderas Bay.
Conference entitled Encounters with Orcas (Orcinus orca) in the Banderas Bay area.
XXVIII International Meeting for the Study of Marine Mammals at Nuevo Vallarta 12 to 14 May 2003.
Although the killer whale is widely distributed in the Mexican Pacific, the lack of sufficient studies focused on this species in the area of Bahía de Banderas. They were occasionally observed inside the bay mainly in search of food, either hunting fish, turtles, manta rays and humpback whales. It is considered the orcas who visit the bay belongs to a type known as a transient and some of them are faithful to the area, as they have been identified since 1997. In this paper, the sightings made from 2001 to 2003, a catalog of different photo orcas identified in the area. Also because these sightings have been mainly in winter, a season in which we also find humpback whales video shows where the attack is evidence of the orcas to the baby humpback whale and discusses the high incidence of these attacks in the last season 2002-2003.
ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF A RESIDENT GROUP OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN (Tursiops truncatus) IN BANDERAS BAY.
XXVIII International Reunion For The Study Of Sea Mammals at Nuevo Vallarta May 12th– 14th 2003.
The bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus is one of the most accessible species to study in the wild. The facility to constantly observe them has allowed us to make a detailed study of a resident group inside Banderas Bay. The monitoring of this group has been since august 1998 so far. During this period we have done around 500 field work on which we have registered more than 750 sightings. It has been identified and documented the behaviour that this species presents in the area, defining the distribution and the use of habitat of this group. There are around 200 identified animals, from which 60 has been constantly monitored what has allowed to determined part of the social structure of the group. A special attention has been given to mothers with calves, on where it has been observed the giving birth intervals of some females as well as tracking these calves and their integration to the group. Due the high urban development in the area and the constant interaction of the group to human activities is important to maintain a frequent monitoring of this group for its conservation.
THE DIGITAL TECNOLOGY AND PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN ISUE FOR RESEARCH WITH CETACEANS
XXIX International Reunion For The Study Of Sea Mammals at La Paz, B,C.S. May 2 – 5 2004.
During many years the scientists have imployed photography as an essential tool of research. Equippment and material used depended on each particular kind of study, its objectives and budget. Photography has been used for species identification, behavior description and also most successfully in photo identification of individuals in many species. Although individual identification in marine mammals has depended strongly on photography, an elevated budget and photography skills were needed where good results were expected. Today, the digital photography is openning doors to a wide scale of new alternatives bringing down both budgets and time needed for information processing. In presented paper, new tools and their usage in photo identification of the humpback whale and bottlenose dolphin is being described as an example of digital photography potential, which could be applied to study many other species.
RESCUE OF AN ENTANGLED HUMPBACK WHALE (Megaptera novaeangliae) IN BANDERAS BAY AREA.
XXIX International Meeting for the Study of Marine Mammals at La Paz, B,C.S. 2 al 5 de Mayo 2004.
Humpback whales, as any other cetacean, are exposed to the danger represented by fishing tools such as hooks, fishing lines and nets etc. Each season there have been reports of adult humpback whales and even calves entangled in nets within the Banderas Bay area. In course of the last season, at the end of December 2003 and beginning of January 2004 an adult humpback whale entangled in a gill net was being observed during several days inside the bay. During January the 2nd and 3rd 2004 a rescue was launched with the objective to free the individual from the net. This action was coordinated and successfully executed with the involvement of the local chapter of the Strandings Network (Red de Varamientos de Bahia de Banderas y zonas aledañas), Ministry of Environment (SEMARNAT), Mexican Navy (Secretaria de Marina) and volunteers – members of whale watching tour operating companies. Photos and video are presented to show the actual rescue as well as material and tools employed. Conclusions and proposal of a rescue manual are presented, which could be beneficial in planning and execution of similar events in the future.
Keynote, The Banderas Bay Cetacean Symposium VI Zoology
University of Guadalajara University Center for Biological and Environmental Sciences. From 24 to 26 November 2004
Marine mammals most highly adapted to marine environments are those belonging to the order Cetacea, which are commonly called whales, dolphins and porpoises. The word derives from the Latin cetuc cetaceans (large sea animal) and Greek ketus (sea monster). Cetaceans are a diverse group of marine mammals who specialized anatomy and behavior have terrestrial origins and had to be changed and perfected over time to enable them to adapt more efficiently to the aquatic environment. There are currently 78 species recognized today clacificádas in 13 or 14 families in two suborders are Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (dolphins, porpoises and toothed cetaceans). In Mexico, Banderas Bay is an important area for breeding and feeding of different species of marine mammals have now been recorded more than 14 species of whales and dolphins.Although the National Ecology Institute (INE) of SEMARNAT and the National Commission for Biodiversity (CONABIO) consider A Bay of Banderas as a priority region for conservation, it is not under any category of protected area and even information about the bay and the species that live temporarily or throughout the year there is not enough, so it is necessary to know the current status of populations of different species, generating information about population sizes, abundance, ecotourism, distribution, behavior, photo identification, movement and residence as part of an initial attempt to understand its ecology and social structure. As currently being dug several research projects that develop in the Bay of Banderas with different types of cetaceans such as dolphins bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), Orcas (Orcinus orca). In addition to knowing the conditions of marine mammal populations and changes in them provides current status information that is the Bay.
ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION SPACE-TIME (Tursiops truncatus) EN EL NORTE DE LA BAHIA DE BANDERAS, JALISCO, NAYARIT, MEXICO.
XXIX International Meeting for the Study of Marine Mammals Ensenada, B, CS 2 to 5 May 2007.
Due to its coastal habits and the ease with which it provides to discover, the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is one of the most studied worldwide. Also, for this reason it is a species that is commonly used to observe dolphins. Thus making use of both circumstances since 1998 has been monitored throughout the year to the bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Banderas, Jalisco – Nayarit, aboard a small boat that made excursions to see this species. In this paper is to determine the distribution, movements and habitat use, and to estimate population size, level of residence and social structure of bottlenose dolphins in the bay. Analyzing data and photographs of sightings obtained during the period January 2000 to December 2004. The photos were analyzed using the capture-recapture method and in conjunction with data recorded during the sightings are expected to obtain enough information to help define the biology and population dynamics of this species in the area, to serve as scientific basis for proper management of the species.