Holly Smith

 

Project title:

Habitat utilisation by coastal cetaceans of Bunbury and adjacent waters and population abundance and structure of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops sp. in the Southwest Australian region

 

Summary of the project:

Identifying critical habitat for bottlenose dolphins Tursiops sp. for particular behavioural activity states such as calving, resting and foraging and determine drivers of these including environmental and anthropogenic pressures and potential displacement effects.

 

Overall objective and significance of project:

This project will assist in determining the long-term viability of the population and the sustainability and management of the tourism industry based on interactions with the population.

 

Project objectives:

1.      Estimate size of the bottlenose dolphin population

2.      Determine the age structure of the population

3.      Document seasonal residency patterns of dolphins in Koombana Bay, Bunbury Port and adjacent waters

4.      Define and characterise the physical properties of critical habitats for Bunbury dolphins

5.      Investigate the environmental and anthropogenic drivers of residency and habitat utilisation