#bottlenose dolphin

New UH research is using drones to successfully assess the age of critically endangered, free-ranging dolphins in Greece. Researchers are comparing the drone imagery results with long-term data and data from stable, non-endangered bottlenose dolphin populations in Australia and Florida.

The nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation (PFW) has redesigned its adoption program of humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins or endangered false killer whales, with all proceeds going to the research, education and conservation efforts.

The study focused on the four most frequently sighted species in Maui Nui — the Pantropical spotted dolphin, the spinner dolphin, the common bottlenose dolphin and the more elusive false killer whale — and revealed a concerning lack of applicable information regarding the distribution of these populations.

While the wintering whales often get much of the attention on Maui, dolphins are found year round off Maui’s shores. Dolphins, like whales, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the state prohibits intentional swimming with dolphins in Hawaiian waters.