Funding 2023
Catharine van Tussenbroeks has funded the field-season and locak community outreach from May -August 2023.
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Fadia Al Abbar has received a scholarship from INREF Wageningen
Funding 2022
KNAW Ecology has funded the field-season from July-August 2022.
Funding 2021
The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds was the first funding provided to Fadia Al Abbar to conduct her fieldwork on Sao Miguel, the Azores for the fieldwork season 2020 and 2021. This project, and Fadia's PhD, could not have been started without this key funding.
Stichting Lucie Burgers for comparative behavioural research at Arnhem, the Netherlands, has granted Fadia the funding for the fieldwork season of 2021 from June until the end of August. This significant amount has allowed the fieldwork season of 2021 to proceed!
The ongoing fundraiser has and is still providing support to the project. Click to donate!
Jo kolk provided a travel fund for the main researcher Fadia Al Abbar
Funding 2020
The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds was the first funding provided to Fadia Al Abbar to conduct her fieldwork on Sao Miguel, the Azores for the fieldwork season 2020 and 2021. This project, and Fadia's PhD, could not have been started without this key funding.
We have received some funding to get this project up and running in 2020!
Equipment & Supervision
Fadia Al Abbar is doing her PhD at Wageningen University. The university has provided supervision from Prof. Frank van Langevelde and Dr. Geert Aarts. Fadia's third supervisor is Dr. Fleur Visser from the University of Amsterdam. Additionally, Wageningen University has supported the project with a Phantom Pro V 2.0 and a hydrophone.
Luana Clementino, a Msc. student from the University of Exeter and current (2021) field-team member is using acoustic equipment from Seiche for her Msc. Thesis. From 2022, Seiche has become an official collaborator and provider of acoustics instrument.
The Azores delphis project collaborates with the University of Azores, with our main contact being Professor Jose Manuel Azevedo. Thanks to the University of the Azores, we were able to have access to the facilities, use the office space in the university and we were able to use materials such as binoculars on land. This collaboration helped us to get the necessary permits and local supervision.
Idea Wild provided a zoom recorder and 2 GPS's for the project.
Collaborations
Picos de Aventura is one of the two main collaborating whale watching companies supporting this project. Picos de Aventura allowed the team to use the vessels as a research vessel for this project. We are very grateful for the involvement of Picos de Aventura: Ana Castanheira who helped onboard and helped to organize the trips. Rodrigo Cabral helped to prepare the boats and fueling the vessels after the trips. A shoutout to Ricardo Pacheco who helped to find the common dolphins during his work at the lookout. Thank you to Pedro Miguel who offered the collaboration of Picos de Aventura on this project. Without your collaboration, also, this project could not have started and continued in its success. Finally, a thank you to Jonathan who helped flying the drone and to provide the drone when our drone pilot (and drone) was not available.
Terra Azul is one of the two main collaborating whale watching companies supporting this project. The project started with tests using the UAV Mavic Mini that was kindly provided by Terra Azul. Additionally, Terra Azul allowed the team to use the vessels as a research vessel for this project. We are very grateful for the involvement of the whole Terra Azul team: The front office Stephanie has scheduled when the vessels were free for the usage of the project. Tiago Batista offered to drive the boat during the testing phase, assisted with drone catching and helped to fuel the boats after all of our trips. Anais, Vanessa, offered their assistance on board. We are extremely grateful for the help of Nicole Pereira and particularly Filipe Fereira who have dedicated their time at the lookout to search for common dolphins for us, on their days off, and even during their office hours for Terra Azul. Thank you Miguel Cravinho for collaborating with Terra Azul on this project, without your help this project would not have been launched in the first place!
We are collaborating with MONICET, a citizen science platform where sightings from whale-watching companies are recorded. This open platform opens the knowledge on cetacean presence in the Azores, and therefore contributes to the conservation of the species. We add our sightings to the MONICET database when we encounter common dolphins and other cetacean species.
Our newest collaborator is the World Cetacean Alliance! The Azores archipelago are currently a Whale Heritage Candidate aiming to improve the whale watching and swimming with dolphin activities. Our collaboration will aim to disseminate results to the public and the results of the PhD of Fadia Al Abbar may contribute to the local and worldwide guidelines of swimming with dolphin activities.
We are also collaborating with Manta Catalogue Azores! You never know what else you might find in the ocean when we are out on our research trips. Whenever we encounter Manta rays or Mobula rays, we follow the data collection protocol set up by Ana Filipa Sobral to successfully collect the Photo ID on the species.
Our collaboration with Musea da baleia in Madeira entails an exchange of photo identification on different cetacean species that we may encounter during our research trips.
Terra do Pico is a whale watching company supporting this project. We can board their boat to run our surveys and they contact us when there are common dolphins seen.
Martina Trepczyk is a film producer and an artist who communicates stories through visual poetry and artistic filmmaking.
Since 2022 we have started collaborating with our drone Pilot Sean O'Callaghan sho has set up his own PhD project Sperm Whale Scale!