K ETOS
No. 3/ January 2019
JDC MAGAZINE
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In this issue SCIENCE
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BODY LANGUAGE How do whales and dolphin communicate?
CURIOSITY
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NATURE
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THE ART OF WAR IN THE DEEP BLUE… ABOVE THE SEA Marine Bird in the Gulf of Taranto
THE WHALES’
SONG
10 THINGSTOKNOW JDC NEWS
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KNOW ABOUT Mussel Farm
ROAD TO
“OASI BLU” LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! JDC to the film festival “CORTO DUE MARI”
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10 THINGS TO
OPEN SPACE
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READERS’ MAIL YOUR SHOTS
Edited by: Carmelo Fanizza JDC Chairman and founder Vittorio Pollazzon Head of team and Contributor Stefano Bellomo Head of team and Contributor Francesca C. Santacesaria Editor and Contributor Aldo Rizzo Contributor Pasquale Bondanese Contributor Roberto Crugliano Contributor Alessandro Console
Graphic designer Elena Montrasio Translator
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BODY LANGU
How do whales and communicate
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UAGE
dolphins e?
SCIENCE Dolphins and whales are known as acrobatic animals and they often amaze with showy jumps and backflips. Studying the ethology of these animals, it’s emerged that different types of similar behaviours hold different meanings. Frame-by-frame analysis of high-speed photographs shows that dolphins control these acrobat ics, affecting muscle movements that allow them to perform the same leap and plunge back into the water multiple times.
The spotted dolphins and striped dolphins win the title of high jump champions: their acrobatics can reach up to 7 m in height! But it’s the spinner dolphin the one to deserve special mention. This species is able to quickly rotate its body around its axis up to seven times before falling back into the water. And so, why dolphins jump? Jumps can be performed largely for socializing and communicating, but they can also be used to see at a greater distance and to scare fish with loud noises during a hunt. Among the most common jumps are the ones called breaching and leaping, respectively made by whales and small cetaceans. The breach of a large whale is one of the most powerful actions performed by any animal. Breaching is a jump where at least 40% of a whale’s body leaves the water. Breaching sperm whales approach the surface vertically from the depth. Other animals, swimming in less deep 7
water, like the humpback whales, make a horizontal approach to the breach, gaining speed until, at the very last moment, they raise their heads and flukes, pivoting on their flippers, converting horizontal momentum into vertical motion in the process, and thus rising through the surface.
To make a full breach, a humpback whale breaks the surface at about 28 km/hr (about 8 m/s), close to its maximum speed. In the breach of a large whale, the animal emerges from the water at about 20 to 30 degrees from the vertical, twisting so as to land on its back or side. However, about 20% of the breaches of sperm and humpback whales are “belly flops,” with the animal landing ventrally.
Breaches are often performed in bouts, up to 130 breaches in 75 min have been recorded for one humpback whale. Just as in large whales breaching, to clear the water a dolphin needs to attain rapid forward speed, near the limit of its swimming capability. It generally bends its body abruptly to exit the water, then twists the body in mid-air to re-enter the water in some structured fashion. Re-entering the water can be head-first (unlike in breaching large whales, where it never occurs head-first), creating minimal splash and noise. It can consist of a side, back, or belly splash, resulting in a welter of white water and foam and a 8
Breaching
considerable percussive (splash) noise in-air and underwater. Finally, there are the “showy” acrobatic leaps, that consist on spins, somersaults, and various in air twists.
The main meaning of the breaching and leaping is related to socialization. Animals found in larger groups, and for whom social structure seems more important, breach more frequently. In sperm whales, the gregarious females breach more often than the much larger, and more solitary, males. Calves of many species breach more frequently than adults. In a number of species (including humpback right whale, and
SCIENCE sperm whale), ), breaching is frequently observed when groups merge or split. Male humpback whales sometimes breach when they stop singing. Breaching often occurs with lobtailing or flipper slapping, with different animals performing different activities at the same time, or one animal switching between different activities. Breaches by one animal may trigger breaches by neighbours. Among the different meanings associated with the breaching of large whales is also aggression, a manifestation of annoyance, an “act of defi ance”, courtship, or a display of strength by males. For dolphins, leaps have mainly been considered signals Leaping
Lunging
concerning schooling. Leaps may be used to define the deployment of a school, to recruit dolphins to a cooperative feeding event, or as social facilitation that reaffirms social bonds. Another benefit of breaching/leaping is the ectoparasite removal. Baleen whales are the most heavily infested species, and tend to be the most frequent breachers, along with dolphins, which need to get rid of remoras. Another type of jump is called lunging, literally, "leap forward". Lunging might be a low form of breaching and may indicate a form of alertness or sociality.
It can signal aggression, namely when male humpback whales physically compete for mating. Lunging is often seen when baleen whales are feeding at the surface, but it can also be a behaviour directed at another individual, or individuals. Spy hopping, or “eye out”, common in both whales and dolphins, happens 9
Tail slapping
to one or slightly more per second. Lobtailing produces a loud in-air sound, but it is not all that loud underwater, and not nearly as loud as many of the vocalizations made by whales and dolphins. Sperm, right, bowhead, humpback, and grey whales are “frequent” lobtailers. For the smaller cetaceans, delphinids are champions at lobtailing and other aerial behaviours. Flipper slapping by whales and dolphins occurs, similar to lobtailing, with either venter or dorsum (of the flipper) striking the surface. It also produces a percussive in-air sound, and a softer one underwater.
when an animal slowly lifts its head out of the water, almost or fully vertical, usually just to the level of the flippers.
At times, spy hopping is attended by a slow rotation of the body, and it appears that the whale or dolphin may be surveying the in-air environment. Lobtailing or tail slapping consists of forcefully slapping the tail onto the surface of the water, either venter or dorsum up. While in large whales the beat frequency can be quite slow, on the order of several to as many as 10 seconds between slaps, in dolphins it can be up 10
Another surface behaviour is called fluking. It is the act of a whale, or dolphin, raising its tail, or fluke, above the surface of the water during the beginning of a dive. There is great variability in fluking behaviour, depending on the species: humpback and sperm whales almost always “fluke out” during a dive; minke and fin whales rarely do so. Flipper slapping
NATURE SCIENCE Right, bowhead, and grey whales vary the amount and type of fluking, depending on whether they are feeding near the surface (no fluking), at moderate depth (occasional fluking), or at depths of 60 m or more (“always” fluking). These species also generally fluke on migration, during the final dive after a series of “near-surface” dives between respirations. Even smaller toothed whales, such as bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales, fluke at times before deep, or steep dives.
Fluking
In smaller delphinids, however, most likely fluking has a distinct advantage during the initiation of the dive. When tail and tail stock (or caudal peduncle) are held above the surface, they provide in air weight to the body and help propel it downward. Different behaviours have different functions, often related to socialization, which help to coordinate the members of a school or a herd. Coordination is extremely useful for cetaceans in crucial phases of their life, such as feeding and reproduction. In these moments it is necessary to establish and maintain the balance of social hierarchies.
Another function of these behaviours is play. To the observers, many of the activities described can seem "playful”, and it is through these activities that these
animals learn important skills for their social life. To admire the spectacular acrobatics of these animals we advise you to go and observe them in their natural habitat, when they are free with their family group. Forget zoos and dolphinariums: in these places these behaviours are much less spectacular, deprived of any social meaning, and they are obtained only by forcing these beautiful animals to obey in exchange for food. Stefano Bellomo
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THE ART “Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory ” “The art of war” - Sun Tsu
This very special hunting technique has been observed in groups of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Florida, near the Florida Keys.
“Necessity is the mother of invention”, is the maxim that dolphins put into practice by showing their incredible intelligence when feeding/hunting. They are able to implement really complex plans, comparable to military strategy, because they don’t apply instinctive solutions but methodologies acquired, taught and handed down from generation to generation.
mud rings. By raising large amounts of sand, with their tails dolphins create a mud cloud around a school of fish. “These fish avoid swimming through muddy water and jump out from the cloud, probably because they have good eyesight and they don’t like to be in areas where visibility is poor" says Andrew Read, a biologist at Duke University. Thanks to this behavior, dolphins can capture their prey in the air or inside the "network" of mud. It has been shown that the formation of sand rings is an intentional act with the purpose of creating disturbance to the prey. Stefanie Gazda, a researcher at the University of Florida, published an
Mud ring “Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act. Then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him. “The art of war” - Sun Tsu
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This technique consists of a group of dolphins trying to trap their prey in
T OF WAR
NATURE
exhaustive study on this phenomenon. She studied the division of roles in a group of dolphins during this technique. A similar behavior, called "driver-barrier feeding", involves a leader (the driver) who pushes the fish towards a dolphin barrier. This ingenious and premeditated hunting strategy has never been observed in any other species of dolphin or whale. Studies shown that they have this intentional behaviour in order to disturb the prey. Aquaplaning “When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear, it is serious ground. In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march ” “The art of war” - Sun Tsu An original hunting technique has been observed on the beaches near Shark Bay, in Western Australia.
Specimens of bottlenose dolphins start heading towards the shore, gaining speed with their tail. At a certain point they begin to swim parallel to the shoreline, then, at the very last moment, they position their body perpendicular to the coast, waiting for a good wave to glide, just as if they were surfing. This way they can reach the prey that had taken refuge on the
shore. Obviously, the risks of this technique are very high: the dolphins find themselves in shallow waters only a few centimeters deep, with a high risk of getting stranded on the beach. It was mainly female specimens that were observed adopting this unique behaviour.
A very high social pressure is put on female individuals. 13
To produce enough milk for their offspring, female individuals need to eat more than the males. To get their food, they practice daring and clever techniques such as this one. Shell fishing “Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field ” “The art of war” - Sun Tsu A new hunting technique, still observed on the beaches of Shark Bay, consists of hunting a fish contained in a large shell. The dolphin picks up the shell, lifts it out of the water, slides the water out and grabs the unconscious prey. "The inventiveness of these cetaceans seems to be unlimited", commented the researchers of Murdoch University 14
of Perth, who have repeatedly observed this behavior adopted by the Tursiops aduncus. This "shell" fishing method was first seen in 2007 and it seems is spreading among dolphins at an unexpected speed.
The speed of diffusion could be due to a horizontal knowledge transfer, from generation to generation. Dolphins parents teach to the calves like human adults pass the knowledge to the young of the species. In this way the dissemination of knowledge is faster. Sponges to protect themselves “To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. The good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but can’t make certain of defeating the enemy ”. “The art of war” - Sun Tsu
NATURE To confirm their marked inventiveness there is another curious habit. Specifically, some specimens of bottlenose dolphins were observed wear sponges on the rostrum. They detached the sponges from the bottom of the sea to defend themselves from prey full of thorns. "We believe that they use sponges as a sort of glove to protect the rostrum when they probe the prey into the substrate," says Michael KrĂźtzen, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
The strong environmental pressure to which this population of marine mammals is subjected pushes this species to invent innovative strategies to procure food. During some sightings, dolphins have been observed intent on teaching this technique to their children, confirming the hypothesis of the researchers thats knowledges are passed from generation to generation.
dolphins can be more intelligent than primates and have distinct personalities, a strong sense of self and the ability to think about the future.
Unfortunately, the real war that cetaceans are forced to fight it is with the human. Statistical data show that every year about 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die because they are forced to live in zoo, dolphinariums, or worse killed during fishing. Roberto Crugliano
According to biologists from the University of Western Australia (Uwa), Murdoch University and the University of Zurich, this behavior could also be a courtship technique. Males offer large, brightly colored marine sponges to females, to encourage the mating. Many studies on the behavior of cetaceans are still going but all have highlighted the intelligence, the complex social organization and the empathy of these animals. From the research evidence seem that 15
In the deep blue… above the sea!
Scopoli’s shearwater
Marine bird in the Gulf of Taranto
Birds have always fascinated people: watching them evokes a desire for freedom, a desire to observe the world from a different perspective and, above all, the desire to discover their journey and the incredible mystery of their migration.
and international level, such as the International Waterbird Census (IWC) for wintering waterfowl, or the Italian Ornithological Monitoring (MITO) which concerns the nesting species. Very few studies have affected the sea
In ancient times, man tried to interpret the phenomenal movements of birds, but even today, despite scientific and technological progress, many questions remain unanswered.
Since 2017, the “Centro Studi de Romita” (CSdR), thanks to the precious and indispensable collaboration of the Jonian Dolphin Conservation, carries out the monitoring of seabirds in the Gulf of Taranto, with particular regard to the predominantly pelagic species.
Ornithology is the branch of Zoology that deals with birds. In Puglia and Basilicata there are many associations of ornithologists, scholars and nature lovers, who deal with monitoring, with censuses, with the ecology and biology of the many species of birds that are present in different habitats according to the period of the year. Many groups of birds are counted in a capillary way: decennial censuses are carried out simultaneously at national 16
and, even less so, the Ionian Sea.
The objectives of this study are varied, and range from the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the taxa present to the trophic use of the area, from the study of migrations to the analysis of inter and intra-specific interactions (including interactions with Cetaceans, interaction with plastics and pollutants). In order to standardize the data
Black-legged kittiwake
NATURE
collected and to compare them with other geographical areas such as the North-Western waters of Europe, the CSdR uses the European Seabirds at Sea (ESAS) database, which was set up in the early 1980s. The methodology has already been used in Italy by LIPU -Birdlife (Italian League for Bird Protection) and was preparatory to the identification of the IBA Marine (Important Bird Areas) and the Special Audouin's gull
Protection Areas (ZPS) in the marine environment. The first months of sampling were full of interesting observations, and an important amount of data has already been collected. The list of species observed is long, and it includes, for example, the Black -legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), the Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii), the Pomarine jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), the Parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus), the Yelkouan shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) and the Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea). There are still many things left to discover and study; for this reason, researchers from the CSdR, in collaboration with the JDC, are going to intensify the sampling during the winter and spring months. Cristiano Liuzzi
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THE WHALES’ SONG “Hither, come hither, renowned Odysseus, great glory of the Achaeans, here stay thy barque, that thou mayest listen to the voice of us twain. For none hath ever driven by this way in his black ship, till he hath heard from our lips the voice sweet as the honeycomb, and hath had joy thereof and gone on his way the wiser.” Homer , The Odyssey In this brief passage from Homer’s Odyssey (the epic poem that recounts Odysseus’ journey home from the Trojan war), the author describes the Sirens’ endeavor to entice Odysseus and his crew to join them in the depths of the sea. By describing their songs as legendary and mysterious, Homer has raised an interesting question for scholars, both of history and biology:
"What if, in reality, it was not Ulyssys desire to hear the Sirens’ songs compelling him to bind himself to the mast of the ship, but rather the songs and chants of the whales instead?" 18
Whales represent an important aspect of the Great Mystery of Nature and the Sacrality of Life, symbolizing the knowledge given to the world at the origin of time, when, elegant and immense, they swam numerous in the seas of the world. Their mysterious song travels through the endless waters of the seas and oceans of the world, slides along invisible channels, and spreads for miles. Sailors hearing it from far away, unaware of its origin, have always feared it as a disquieting presage of death. Despite the belief that the sound came from cruel, yet certainly charming and enchanted creatures, men threw themselves into the sea in an effort to join those creatures. However, for them, the wait meant the end of everything. As the journey of the whales in the oceans unfolds, their songs create a musical background that defines the most significant moments of their existence. They are their language, an echo of chants and sounds that develop and disperse in the infinite blue of the liquid mass that hosts them, and
CURIOSITY where they thrive, reproduce and die. The field that focuses on the production, dispersion and reception of mechanical vibrations generated by organisms, such as whales’ song, along with their effects on their behavior, is called biotremology. A branch of bioacoustics, it applies concepts of neurophysiology and anatomy to the production, reception and relationship between the vibrations and the medium in which they propagate.
“How does whales create this song that enchants men and follows the whales during their journey?” Underwater communication is a great challenge. Light and scents are not transmitted well, while sound, that in the water travels about four times faster than in the air, turns out to be an excellent tool for communication. The sounds produced by Mysticetes, cetaceans with baleen plates in place of teeth, are low frequency sounds, mostly below 5,000 Hz. These sounds can be the noisiest ever produced in the animal kingdom, and can travel for hundreds of kilometers underwater. Unlike the odontocetes, Mysticetes do not have any membranes (called phonic, or monkey lips, in the odontocetes) for the production of sounds, but a larynx that evolved in such a way as to be able to emit sounds in the absence of vocal cords. The mechanism and the area of their body from which these sounds originate are still a mystery for researchers.
Specific vocalizations vary among different species, and the sound repertoires include moans, grunts, blows and very low frequency beats between 20 and 200 Hz. Tweets, whistles and songs travel at higher frequencies, over 1000 Hz. Humpback whales also produce a series of repetitive sound units, up to 8,000 Hz, classified as "songs".
Experts hypothesize that such vocalizations can keep other males at a distance, attract the females. Songs also allow the whales to locate each other, as well as provide information such as species, sex, position, status of the partner and readiness to compete with other males during the mating season. Some mysteries are never meant to be solved, and who knows if what lies hidden in the chords of the whales’s songs will continue to baffle us forever. Aldo Rizzo
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Can you hear the Whale Song resonating deep?Can you hear that deep slow hum within your mind asleep?Can you understand the Whale Song and feel its undulating tones vibrating through our bodies within our flesh and bone? Why is it that the Whale Song entrances us in life and let's us glimpse a real-ness that needs not ears nor even eyes? Maybe it's that the Whale Song makes us feel part of this earth in a way that seems to be obscured in the life that follows birth. Whale Song - Poem by David Keig
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10 1.
10 THINGSTOKNOW
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT..
Mussel farm
THE “MAR PICCOLO” OF TARANTO
Because of its geographical position between the “Mar Grande” and “Mar Piccolo”, literally large and small sea, the city of Taranto is known as "The city of the two seas". Mar Piccolo is a coastal lagoon that stretches for about 20 km², in the north part of the city of Taranto. Divided into two sections, and with the shape of the infinity symbol, it is connected to the Large Sea only in two spots: the natural channel of the stone bridge and the artificial channel of the swing bridge. Many watercourses enrich the basin one of them is the Galeso river along with several breakages of the seabed, called citri by the locals, from which freshwater springs rise to the surface. These sources play a fundamental role in regulating the temperature of the waters of the entire basin, thus influencing its salinity, which is slightly lower than the levels found in the open sea. The abundance of mineral salts brought by the waterways, as well as the shallow depth and reduced hydrodynamism make the Mar Piccolo an extremely productive and biodiverse environment.
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MUSSELS
Mussels are bivalve clams with almost identical shells, elongated and with variable concavity. The color is typically black, with bluish-violet reflections. They are sessile organisms: they live attached to a substratum thanks to byssus, a filamentous substance. Mussels have a remarkable ability to adapt both to different substrates and to the physical-chemical variations of water. They are filtering animals: every day they introduce into their body several liters of water by filtering food and oxygen particles, as well as polluting substances such as harmful bacteria and toxic chemicals. This ability makes mussels excellent water purifiers! Taranto’s mussels are the Mitilus galloprovincialis, and they are typical of the Mediterranean basin.
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4. 3.
BACKGROUND
In the 15th century, the Mar Piccolo, a municipal property, was divided into "peschiere " ; fishing areas rented to the wealthier fishermen, to whom, on request, the town hall offered all the necessary equipment in exchange for a percentage on the fish caught. The fish ponds were separated by sioni, a set of poles driven into the seabed to indicate the end of a peschiera and the beginning of the next one. It was on that substrate, on the poles, that the mussels, perceived as a problem that needed to be eliminated, grew in abundance. They thrived so much that the owners of the fish ponds resorted to a class of less wealthy fishermen in charge to keep the poles clean. These forerunners of today's mussels farmers sowed the mussels in August on the sea floor, and collected them in the spring. Over time, they realized that the larvae of the mussels grew just as well on the surface, wrapped around the poles (to ensure their stability) and so they thought to add more suspended ropes between each pole. The floating system was born then, and its invention is, in fact, attributed to the citizen of Taranto around the end of 1700. The current system of poles fixed on the seabed seems to have been designed in France in the 18th century.
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MUSSELS’S REPRODUCTION
Mussels, like most mollusks, are either male or female; at the time of reproduction females and males produce eggs and sperm. Fertilization is external and gives rise to a pelagic ciliate larva, which feeds exclusively on plankton. When these larvae reach a size of 600 micron, they begin to produce the byssus, a substance that is necessary for the shell to attach itself to the substrate, which, in the early stages, must not be located at a depth greater than 1.50 m. After a few days the larvae have a small grayish shell that will reach the length of 1 cm after 60 days!
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A “BED FOR THE SEEDS”
The month of November is the time to prepare the "bed for the seed” inside the mussel nurseries: a series of ropes about 6 m long and placed about 25 cm apart. Laying on the surface of the water, they catch the larvae in the spawning period that runs from November to April. In March, the ropes, covered with small mussels, are arranged vertically in the water until the time of the first grafting comes. The grafting phase is called "trapping", during which time the agglomerations of young mussels (chioppe), after being detached from the ropes, are inserted into a first small mesh net. Two more grafts will follow.
The “sciorinatura”
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THE “SCIORINATURA”
Growing mussels are gradually colonized by other epibiontic organisms, which take nourishment and vital space from the mussel. To clean the valves in order to increase the commercial value of the mussel, the farmers in Taranto have developed a brilliant technique called "Sciorinatura" . This operation consists of spreading the strands of mussels in the sunlight, so as to exploit the ability of the mussels to close their valves in an aerial environment. This way the mussels will survive while the unwanted guests will die and detach themselves from the shell.
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THE ANCIENT TOOLS
The boat's engine is used exclusively for long journeys; inside the farm, the sole instrument used to navigate is “u 'fuerce” (a wooden rod with a crosswise table at the end) that the sailor uses to move the boat by hooking it to the poles and the ventie (ropes). “A’ foce” is similar to a scythe, and it is used to sever the ropes of the mussels (reste).
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FIXED SYSTEM: SQUERED PLANT
The mussel farm model, developed at the end of the 18th century and still employed today with only few a variations, deploys the "camera" (literally “room”) as its basic unit. The “camera” is a structure made of galvanized iron poles – in the past fir and chestnut wood was used –that can be as long as 20 m. The perimeter of the entire structure is marked by groups of 3 poles (triplette), while on the inside there can be only one pole (piombo). Each camera is delimited laterally, and crossed diagonally by synthetic ropes (ventie) that, in the past, were made of vegetable fiber. The rows (filari) are obtained by aligning the vertices of the single camere: a farm with 5 rows will have a square shape, will include 16 camere and will cover an area of 800 square meters. The “ropes of mussels” (reste) are tied to the supporting ropes, whose length depends on the depth. A farm with 5 rows consists, more or less, of 880 “ropes of mussels” (reste) with a production capacity of 250 quintals of mussels. 23
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10. MOBILE SYSTEM: LONG-LINES
Used for the first time in North America, today they represent the future of mussel farming. Surface long-lines are less productive than traditional fixed farms (called parchi fissi) but they offer numerous advantages: they are easier to assemble, require less maintenance, are easily removable and, above all, can be placed even in areas with a rocky bottom. However, they must be located in areas protected from turbulent waves and sea storms (fjords, inlets and gulfs). These are colored polyethylene floats joined together with one or two ropes (monoventia or biventia). The top that separates the two floats is about seven meters and that is where the ropes for the mussels (reste) are set.
THE MUSSEL FARMERS’ BOATS
By modifying the prototype of a small wooden fishing boat, the mussel farmers of Taranto have been able to create an entirely original model according to their needs. The stern of the vessel is equipped with a loading platform (a 'sanola), while the hold (a' nghiera) houses the team leader assigned to the management of the operations.The cockpit is designed to support the operator’s activities inside the hatchery with all the care and attention required. A curiosity is related to the exclusively outboard engine, which is located at the bow, and not at the stern, in order to not compromise the integrity of the stern itself: a boat devised in such a manner is the only boat that, at full load, can proceed aft way. The crew usually consists of 2 operators: the oldest and most experienced sits in the hold, the youngest occupying the aft. Vittorio Pollazzon
Long Line
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JDC NEWS
Road to OASI BLU #protectdolphinsoftaranto After ten years of research, data collection and public awareness carried out by the Jonian Dolphin Conservation, the presence of resident cetaceans in the Gulf of Taranto has widely been ascertained. It was thanks to this great effort that, last March, it was finally possible to take the first step towards the establishment of an “OASI BLU”, for the protection and the safety of cetaceans of the Gulf of Taranto. An OASI BLU is a crucial instrument for the management of a marine area, and it makes sure that the various activities taking place in the Oasi, such as fishing, military exercises, whale watching, etc. are strictly regulated. The goal was, and is now, for Taranto to become the "City of Dolphins", a strategic point in the Gulf and a prestigious center for the protection of these beautiful animals. The municipal administration of Taranto has enthusiastically embraced this idea by setting up a round table, around which gathered the heads of JDC, WWF, Italian Navy, Port Authority, Thalassographic CNR (National Research Council) and the University of Bari. In the course of this past year, the work of the Committee progressed, and a first zoning of the area was
“PERSPECTIVE, this is what the Gulf of Taranto needs! The most important historical bay in the Mediterranean Sea is at a crucial crossroad: increase the already heavy human pressures by focusing on oil drilling, or place its bets on the inexhaustible resources of the historical, cultural, and natural habitats of the Gulf? " Carmelo Fanizza—JDC founder
defined. While the city of Taranto couldn’t wait for this initiative to be launched, in other Italian regions, around the end of December and the beginning of January, politicians evaluated the possibility of new oil-drilling concessions, and search for hydrocarbons with the Airgun technique in the Gulf of Taranto. The use of airguns-air bombs of acoustic energy that are submerged to the bottom of the sea in search of oil below the seafloor- will most likely be cause of permanent damage to dolphins who live in the area. Cetaceans have very fine hearing, that they use to orient themselves and to feed. Loud noises cause loss of hearing and disorientation in these animals, with their consequent stranding and beaching. In addition, large cetaceans, such as sperm whales, that tend to live 25
“I am I and my circumstance; and, if I do not save it, I do not save myself.” José Ortega y Gasset
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JDC NEWS in very deep waters, when frightened by air bombs could be prompt to rise quickly to the surface. Due to this unnatural behavior, sperm whales could perish from the formation of blood clots. These are only some of the consequences that we might have to face if the search for the black gold in the Gulf of Taranto is going to be pursued. “I have already had the opportunity to express my personal concern about the matter of hydrocarbon exploration in the Ionian Sea. The exceptional presence of cetaceans in our sea, as well as clear targets for environmental protection, for some years now have been generating a sustainable, different economy, which follows the aspirations of the Taranto community towards a future that is not only industrial, but rather based on the beauty of the nature! Rinaldo Melucci-Mayor of Taranto
Committee quickly reacted to the news, requiring immediate media attention on this important issue and asking local authorities for a definitive meeting for the establishment of the Oasi Blu. Almost foreseeing the recent declaration by the Ministry of Economic Development, Mayor Melucci, Councilor Viggiano and the Municipal Manager Pisano, organized a meeting of the Committee that took place on 22 January, 2019: all participants agreed on the need to speed up the timing for the approval of the Oasi Blu, and, as the next steps that will lead Taranto to the creation of the Oasi Blu, contacted the competent authorities. We are getting closer to our goal! Francesca C. Santacesaria
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
JDC to the film festival “Corto due mari” For the JDC, 2019 takes off with an artistic and cultural marine journey. Taranto’s high school "Aristosseno" has won a MIUR (Minister of Education, University and Research) call within the Europe 2020 Strategy, aimed at the economic and sociocultural development of its peoples. The objectives of the project are the promotion of the students’ knowledge and cinematographic skills through the creation of short films, in addition to the development of topics focused on marine cultural aspects. What a great way to support the development of the gulf of Taranto! JDC will support the high school students acting as a scientific technical partner for the duration of the project.
The short films will be shown from the 20th to 22nd of May 2019, during the "CORTO DUE MARI: Taranto Film Festival", held at the Orfeo movie theater, in Taranto. The project will be a way, for the students, to offer their contribution and commitment to a positive growth of their hometown. Vittorio Pollazzon 27
Reader’s Mail People often say that the best photographs are not the ones we capture, but those that are given to us. In front of the spectacle of nature showed every day in the waters of the Gulf of Taranto, it could not be otherwise. I lived a large part of my life in an urban context. When I saw cetaceans at such a close distance, free in their natural habitat, I was surprising. Dolphins took my breath away. I still remembered their fast and elegant movements, in perfect harmony with the marine environment. I listened their breath and this reunited me with something I had forgotten. These encounters are so intense and wild, they mark my memory in a significant way because this was an unusual experience far from the canons of city life. We need to touch, to be there, to understand that the nature needs to be protected and preserved. This is what Jonian Dolphin Conservation tries to do since it exists. An association made up of people with different characters and characteristics. And so, I’m thinking about the experience and knowledge of Carmelo Fanizza or about Maurizio Ingrosso, a white and generous soul. I remember the patience and courtesy of Vittorio Pollazon, the tenacity of Alessandro 28
Console, the smile and the boundless passion of Sarah Donvito, the sympathy of Ezio Verardi, the sense of duty and responsibility of Stefano Bellomo, the strength and courage of Lia Santacesaria, the boundless curiosity of Aldo Rizzo, the quiet and the sense of wonder of Roberto Crugliano, the availability of Fabio Graziano, the dedication of Gianluca Graziano. These people, united by passion and a common mission, are an example to follow, especially for younger people. The will to protect our planet and the animal species that populate it is one of the largest and most noble forms that human beings can express. We are talking about values that we can’t lose and we must hand down to future generations. We are called to a challenge, probably the most difficult that mankind has to face. Anyone will enjoy the experience with the Jonian Dolphin Conservation should be aware of it and feel the impulse to protect an inestimable treasure, called life, in all its forms.
Fabio Conti
OPEN SPACE
YOUR SHOTS Enjoy nature. Exploring with respect so that we can understand. Observe the world with different eyes. Be in close contact with dolphins, symbol of freedom. This is what our reader– you– lived on board of our catamaran and told to us with these photos.
Share your photo and experience with us by email at lia@joniandolphin.it
Ph: Fabio Conti
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I’ve been there with my whole family. My sons were and are already excited. An unforgettable experience! Daniel Duzzi
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1 Daniel Duzzi
2 Fabio Conti
3e4 Patrizia Musolino
5e6 Ara Santiago
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OPEN SPACE
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“Thanks guys for all the things you made!!!” Ara Santiago
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