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07-07-2023

University of Padua Students Engage in Intensive Field Course with Morigenos

University of Padua Students Engage in Intensive Field Course with Morigenos

Morigenos was delighted to host students from the University of Padua for a field course as part of their Master’s degree in Conservation Medicine of Aquatic Animals. From July 3rd to July 6th, the students joined an intensive program, exploring various research methods such as dolphin surveys from land and boat, photo-identification, bio-acoustics, and even had an opportunity to meet “our” dolphins in person.

Under the guidance of Morigenos team, the students gained hands-on experience, deepening their knowledge of dolphin ecology and conservation efforts. Through different lectures, data collection, and observation, the students enhanced their understanding of the importance of research work and the need to protect the natural habitats of dolphins. The course concluded on a thought-provoking note with a guided debate on whaling, offering the students an opportunity to explore different perspectives and deepen their comprehension of the complex conservation challenges faced by marine species.

 

In conclusion, we take great pride in our collaboration with the University of Padua, enabling us to offer this learning experience to the students. We look forward to continued partnerships that promote education, inspire future marine scientists, and contribute to the preservation of these remarkable marine species and their habitats.

06-05-2023

Dolphin Rescue

DOLPHIN RESCUE

 
Yesterday, Morigenos received a call about a dolphin entangled in a bottom-set net near Piran. The dolphin was trying to stay afloat, but the net was dragging it under the surface. The Morigenos team responded immediately and went to sea. Fortunately, our colleagues from Aquarium Piran were already at sea at the time, and they too spotted the animal in trouble and informed us. They quickly reacted in the right way and started to lift one end of the net, which made it easier for the animal to breathe on the surface, and they then managed to remove the net from the dolphin’s tail. The dolphin swam away and a few minutes later, with the help of the guidance of our colleagues from Aquarium Piran, the Morigenos team managed to track it down. We observed the dolphin for some time to make sure that it was fine and behaving normally, and we were able to identify it. This is one of the resident dolphins in the area, which we at Morigenos have known well for many years.
Fortunately, today’s event had a positive outcome, but it also showed the importance of good cooperation among the different players in understanding, solving and perhaps even preventing this type of event in the future: recreational boaters who informed us about the dolphin; the Piran Aquarium, which at the right time and with the right vessel was able to help the animal and also informed us immediately; the owner of the net, who without hesitation allowed his net to be lifted; Morigenos, which tracked and identified the animal and will monitor its condition in the coming days and weeks; and even Municipality of Piran, which facilitated faster access to the harbour for us by vehicle.
In such disentanglement events, it is extremely important to monitor the post-release survival of affected animals. Not all seemingly successful interventions are always successful in the long term. We will therefore be paying particular attention to this dolphin in the coming days and weeks, to get an insight into its long-term survival. As the animal does not appear to have suffered any serious injuries, we are very optimistic for the time being. However, we urge anyone at sea in the Gulf of Trieste to immediately report any sightings of dolphins, both free-swimming and those in distress, to Morigenos at +386 31 77 10 77.
You can watch a video of the dolphin rescue HERE.
02-05-2023

Discover the World of Dolphins

DISCOVER THE WORLD OF DOLPHINS

Become part of our story

We’re doing something brand new at Morigenos. In June, we are opening a Dolphin Centre in Piran, which will share our unique offer to the wider public. You can be part of this new story by joining our Discover the World of Dolphins on the Pomagajmo.io platform. With the Discover the world of Dolphins campaign, we aim to raise the missing funds to prepare and equip the centre as we envisioned it – interactive, educational and attractive for all ages and visitors.

 

How can you get involved?

You can find out all about our Discover the World of Dolphins campaign and make a donation at the same time, all in one place. Donors can make payments easily and securely. Donors can get involved by sending encouraging messages and sharing information about the campaign in their social circle. The platform supports credit or debit card transfers, PayPal transfers, mobile banking transfers by scanning the UPN QR code, online banking transfers or transfers at an authorised point (banks, post offices). No registration is required to make a donation.
You can also become part of our campaign by making a donation via the platform. Every contribution counts and only with your support will we be able to continue our mission. Your donations will help us realise our long-held ambition to provide the Dolphin Centre with everything it needs.
 
Here you can find information on how to make a donation on Pomagajmo.io platform.
11-04-2023

Landscape Park Strunjan Celebrates SPAMI Day

LANDSCAPE PARK STRUNJAN CELEBRATES SPAMI DAY

 
Join us at the SPAMI* Day in Landscape Park Strunjan on Saturday, 15 April! Learn about the importance of marine conservation and how you can become active in preserving our precious marine ecosystem.

 

 

 
During the event, which will take place between 10 AM and 3 PM you will have the opportunity to explore a circular learning trail through the park and visit four interactive stations where representatives of the Morigenos, Landscape Park Strunjan and the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation will present the importance of SPAMI, the most significant plant and animal species in the area and the research of the dolphins that regularly visit the area, as well as practical tips and advice on how to better protect and preserve the marine environment through good habits.

 

The event is free and open to visitors of all ages.

 

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to learn and have fun while celebrating SPAMI Day. See you in the Landscape Park Strunjan!

 

*What is SPAMI?
No, it’s not a spam, but the acronym SPAMI stands for Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance. SPAMI areas are given a special status because of their ecological, scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational importance at a regional level. The areas have been identified by the Regional Centre for Protected Areas of the Barcelona Convention. There are 39 such sites in the Mediterranean, with the Landscape Park Strunjan in Slovenia. To showcase the Mediterranean Sea in all its diversity and richness, SPAMI Day is celebrated every year on 15 April.

 

The SPAMI Day event is organised by Morigenos – Slovenian Marine Mammal Society and Landscape Park Strunjan as part of the SPAMI Day and Marine Education Trail project and the SPAMI LPS, co-funded by UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
27-01-2023

Journey of a Poet: Morigenos Researchers Document the Longest Recorded Movement in an Inshore Bottlenose Dolphin

JOURNEY OF A POET: MORIGENOS RESEARCHERS DOCUMENT THE LONGEST RECORDED MOVEMENT IN AN INSHORE BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

A dolphin sighted off Piran became the world record holder in londistance swimming. Morigenos researchers, together with colleagues from Filicudi WildLife Conservation and Delfini Del Ponente, documented the longest travel distance for an inshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Our findings were published in a renowned science journal Mammalian Biology.

Prešeren with Slovenia’s highest mountain Triglav in the background.
 
In February 2020, during our dolphin monitoring in the Gulf of Trieste, Morigenos researchers photographed a dolphin that had not been seen in this area previously. As it was a new dolphin, and given it was sighted on 8 February (Prešeren Day, Slovenian national holiday, dedicated to Slovenia’s greatest poet France Prešeren), we called it Prešeren. Morigenos has been studying dolphins in the Gulf of Trieste for 20 years, during which time we identified over 400 individuals. Around 150 live here regularly, while others are occasional visitors. Prešeren was seen again a month later in March.
To our great surprise, we discovered that Prešeren arrived from Tyrrhenian Sea, more precisely from the Aeolian archipelago, north of Sicily, more than 1000 km from Piran. Researchers from Filicudi WildLife Conservation had been seeing him there between 2006 and 2017 (they called him Lino). As he was not seen since 2017, he was presumed dead. That is why they too were surprised when we contacted them and told them that “their” dolphin is now in the northern Adriatic. But how did we know that?In 2021 an online meeting took place, where Dr. Tilen Genov from Morigenos and Dr. Monica Blasi from Filicudi both participated. After his own talk, Tilen followed the presentation of Dr. Blasi and spotted a known fin in one of the photographs.

Photographing dolphin dorsal fins for individual identification.
 
After a careful examination of all available photographs, we jointly determined that this was the same dolphin beyond doubt. The animal had to travel at least 1251 km to get to Piran, breaking all the existing Mediterranean records, and most of world records too. But then an even greater surprise came. After we presented our preliminary results at an online international conference, we were contacted by researchers from Delfini Del Ponente, who study dolphins in the Ligurian Sea. It turns out they photographed Prešeren (Lino) as well, merely 6 months after we observed him off Piran. This time he had to travel a minimum of 2053 km (the shortest possible path), which is the longest recorded movement in a so-called inshore ecotype of bottlenose dolphins, and the second longest for the species overall. The only recorded movement that was longer was one of an “offshore” bottlenose dolphin ecotype, which was tracked through a satellite transmitter following a period of rehabilitation in human care.

Prešeren/Lino photographed in Tyrrhenian Sea, northern Adriatic Sea and Ligurian Sea
 
And why does that even matter? Bottlenose dolphins are generally thought of as a relatively resident species, with strong fidelity to their home area. This is mostly true, but our new findings, together with a review of the existing literature that we carried out, show that this species is much more mobile than we previously thought. This is important in relation to gene flow among populations, which is crucial in the long-term conservation of this species, but it also demonstrates the importance of international collaboration in conserving biodiversity. Such findings contribute to a better understanding of species, which indirectly leads to a better understanding of marine ecosystems.