2 1 0 2 Photo: Vivian gliding through the surface in the sunset www.blue-world.org [email protected] This year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Dolphin day. Dear friends We received children’s drawings with the motives of the sea and sea life arriving from all over Croatia and beyond. Each and every one of them was exhibited and the best ones Another year full of joy and activities has come to a close. were awarded prizes. In addition to several children’s We started 2012 with the renovation of the education workshops, there was a game of hidden treasure in which centre in Veli Lošinj which was flooded after heavy rains in the struggle for the winner was very tense. All of you who the autumn of 2011. After grabbing the paint and tools the haven’t had the opportunity to be a part of the Dolphin day walls were redecorated with new waves and colourful yet are invited to join us next year, either by sending your fishes swimming through them which visitors to the centre drawings or by participating in workshops and games. enjoy from the beginning of April. In addition to the Our educational programme was busy once again. About 75 renewed centre we also received two new young members, school groups from different part of Croatia and foreign our dear colleagues Andrea and Jelena gave birth to little (most of them Germans) visited our centre this year. Nola and Igor. But this wasn’t the end of the celebration; it Children of all ages, and those with special needs, were continued when Nikolina, the Adriatic Dolphin Project head interested in learning about Adriatic Dolphin Project and researcher, changed her prefix from Ms. into Mrs. and then participating in workshops like photo-identification which is later into Dr. We would like to take this opportunity to a basic method that scientists of Blue World use to monitor congratulate them all once again! dolphin population in Cres –Lošinj archipelago. Once again, this year, people from all over the world got Moreover, the Blue World Junior group initiated again. involved in the Blue World volunteering program. We met a Started from October, students in the age from 6-10 years lot of students from different faculties, but also diplomats, from Veli and Mali Lošinj gathered in group “Little Explorers nurses, computer programmers, economists, a very broad of the Sea”. Through fun and games kids learn about the group of people, maybe next year it could be you. On top of importance of preserving the environment, with an this our internship programme was also very active with emphasis on life in the sea. Blue World Youth Club has also students from Harvard Law School (USA) and Dalhousie continued to work during 2012. Members of the Club University (Canada) joining us for a while. organized educational lectures and workshops on ecology Recently we introduced some novelties to our web site so and biodiversity. They also visited Croatian national park from now on you can adopt a dolphin online. Visiting our Risnjak and nature park Učka to promote sustainable web page (http://www.blue-world.org/en/get- development and nature conservation among the youth. involved/adopt-a-dolphin/adopt-online/) you can check Other good news was that Blue World and partners from all dolphins waiting to be adopted and choose the type of over the region have received funding for the conservation adoption. Using easy online forms you can do your of cetaceans and sea turtles in the Adriatic Sea through the adoption and the package can be sent the same or NETCET project funded by IPA Adriatic programme. Within following day. As usual, our work and news are still this project we will be developing a turtle rescue centre available on our www.facebook/BlueWorldInstitute page, located in Sunčana uvala in Mali Lošinj. which will be updated on a regular basis, don't forget to Finally, we would like to emphasize our pleasure and sincere 'like' it to get regular updates. appreciation to all of our members, volunteers, donors, Once again the weather served us well throughout the dolphin adopters and promoters on the generous support year. We had over 80 boat trips with more than 90 dolphin and faith in our work. sightings. In most trips dolphins were seen in groups, composed of less than 30 individuals. Our adopted dolphins Lots of warm greetings from Veli Lošinj! were all sighted on a regular basis. We had another visitor again this year - the Mediterranean monk seal. We Tihana Vučur presume it’s a female, a big one, about 2 m long. This time it was seen resting on one of the beaches on the island of Cres, without paying any attention to humans. Loggerhead sea turtles were also seen floating on the sea surface again this year. Most of them were about 40 cm long and seen in late spring. They come up to catch the sun after hibernating in the mud of the sea floor in the region. This project is funded by the National Foundation for Civil www.blue-world.org [email protected] Society Development 1 Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) The sightings continued throughout 2012. We were also thrilled when we saw it again in June on the island of Cres, Visitors to the Blue World website last summer could while it was resting on the beach in the afternoon sun. hardly have missed the news about sightings of one of the Another spear fisherman saw the animal when it was more world's most endangered marine mammals, The active. While he was getting out of the sea, the fisherman Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), near the saw the monk seal turning the rocks in the shallow water, island of Cres. Encouraged by the report of our sighting a probably searching for octopus. When the animal noticed lot of people started to contact us with news of their the man, it swam towards him. Surprised and scared, the encounters with this timid animal. The largest number of diver got out of the water so he could see the monk seal reports was received from the Istria and Kvarner regions. resting on the surface. One interesting story was the encounter of an underwater It is interesting to note that in all of the reports there fisherman with the monk seal in Istria. He had the appears to be only one animal. opportunity to see the seal while it was diving near cape This rare species once lived in colonies, but today is Kamenjak. To his great surprise the animal approached him generally found in small groups. However, there are two to within 20 cm. According to his estimate, it was about 2 m distinct populations: the Mediterranean population, which long, gray with a white belly. The diver admitted that he inhabits areas of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and was confused in that moment, so he remained motionless Atlantic population in the waters of Northwestern Africa. while the animal was swimming around curiously looking at The Mediterranean monk seal once used to live in the him with its big eyes. Also in Istria, another diver reported Adriatic sea. Its abundance was estimated at 30 individuals. that he was decompressing at 16 m depth when he saw a In the last 30 years the monk seal has been seen more often 'huge animal', according to his words. He told us that he in the area of middle Adriatic. According to the Croatian felt like he had won the lottery. After initially being afraid, Red book of endangered mammals from 2006, the he took a photo of the monk seal. Reports about other Mediterranean monk seal is considered to be regionally sightings of Mediterranean monk seal during the summer extinct. of 2011 arrived from Istria and the island of Cres. In Urbanisation of the coastal areas of the Adriatic has addition we received an interesting report from a member disturbed many of the previous isolated habitats it once of the public that saw it near the island of Pag. This man, used. There is now a lack of isolated places on the coast and who is also a great lover of the sea, said that he couldn't inaccesible sea caves which could be used as suitable habitat believe when the monk seal appeared some 50 m from his for this species. If you experience an encounter with this boat. He describes how the animal surfaced four times extremely rare animal, the most important thing is not to curiously looking at the boat. When he told to his friends disturb it: try to remain as still as possible and do not from Šimuni on the island Pag about his encounter, they approach it, despite your excitement. If the Mediterranean confirmed that the seal had been seen several times in that monk seal has found a home it is necessary to allow it a area. quiet stay and make it feel safe and protected www.blue-world.org [email protected] 2 read more about fin whales around Vis (http://www.blue- Adriatic Dolphin Project – Vis world.org/en/news/2012/4/30/fin-whale-near-vis/). After that we saw no more whales but the apparently The Blue World research station on the island of Vis uniform open sea is always full of surprises. On the rare continued with its successful operation this year. This year occasions when weather conditions are ideal, we look to the field work began spectacularly. We received a few calls take longer trips that take us a bit further than usual.