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Back on the Beach and in the boat! Studying Atlantic Humpback Dolphins in the Conkouati-Douli National Park, Congo.

Back on the Beach and in the boat! Studying Atlantic Humpback Dolphins in the Conkouati-Douli National Park, Congo.

The Noé humpback dolphin monitoring team on the beach: Ecoguards Ricky, Exercice and Alice, and Master’s students ; Prince and Cline.

The Conkouati-Douli National Park (CDNP) is located on the northern border of the Republic of Congo, adjacent to the Mayumba National Park in Gabon.  Since 2021, this Protected area has been managed by the NGO Noé, and their team has recently embarked on new studies on the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (Sousa teuszii). This work aims to collect data on its distribution and relative abundance within the park in order to establish monitoring systems for the protection and conservation of this critically endangered species.

Humpback dolphins had not been regularly monitored in the park since studies led by Tim Collins were halted in 20151. In 2024, these efforts resumed under the leadership of a new head of the conservation department of CDNP. Initial work has involved beach-basedtransect monitoring and boat surveillance. The team is also investigating the feasibility of monitoring dolphins using drones. So far, the team has documented 2 dolphin sightings comprising 5 individual humpback dolphins during their beach transects in the period from June to September 2024.

Humpback Dolphin monitoring team in a boat: Gédéon, Christain, Mike, Evrard, Alainde and Yorick.

In addition to these beach-based observations, the team has documented two cases of Atlantic humpback dolphin entanglement. One of these catches was documented on June 5, 2024, and the dolphin carcass was brought ashore. However, on the evening of July 14, 2024, a dolphin was successfully released from fishing gear thanks to the intervention of two marine eco-monitors from CDNP, Ricky and Exercice. Unfortunately, due to darkness and the excitement of the moment, no photos or video footage were taken during the release. These incidents highlight the urgent need to implement measures to reduce dolphin-fisheries interactions.

Sousa teuszii found dead in fishing nets in the village of Mvandji in PNCD on June 5, 2024.

These valuable data have been shared with the CCAHD, and further work will continue, notably through new collaborations currently underway between Noé’s Conkouati-DouliPark, the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) Bycatch Mitigation Initiative, and the Consortium for the Conservation of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (CCAHD).

Stay tuned for more updates on this collaboration!

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1Collins, T. (2015). Re-assessment of the Conservation Status of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, Sousa teuszii(Kükenthal, 1892), Using the IUCN Red List Criteria. Advances in marine biology, 72, 4777. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2015.09.001

2Weir, C. R., G. Minton, and T. J. Q. Collins. 2021. Conservation of Africa’s Most Imperiled Cetacean, the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (Sousa teuszii), The Encyclopedia of Conservation: Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier. p. 1-12.