Bulletin 26 - July 1985: International Dolphin Watch -- Abu Dhabi Branch Report

International Dolphin Watch -- Abu Dhabi Branch Report

by D. Rowlands

The visit of Dr. Horace Dobbs, an authority on dolphins, to Abu Dhabi in April 1984 resulted in the forming of a local branch of the I.D.W., which was organised as a sub-committee of the Emirates Natural History Group. Recording forms were produced and a "Whales and Dolphins Handbook" was written by Ian Hamer and issued to members. The Dolphin Watch was divided into two sections.

The first logged reports from members and ran weekly spotting trips organised by boat owners and reported sightings from helicopter pilots.

The second section specialised in studying one particular group of Humpback Dolphins in the channel between Futaysi and Hudayriat Islands. This second section will be the subject of a separate report.

When in groups dolphins were very often observed swimming very close together, in twos or threes mostly. It was also observed that sightings usually depended on the presence of fish in the area; no fish meant no dolphins. Occasionally there would be a show-off dolphin, who treated the observers to a display of somersaults and backward flips.

One observer kept a list of sightings around the offshore complexes between September 1984 and March 1985. In Zakum Field 271 dolphins were recorded in 78 sightings, while in Umm Shaif Field 78 sightings yielded 510 mammals.

A full list of recordings carried out by the Emirates Natural History Group International Dolphin Watch for the year ending April 1985 is included in the chart accompanying this report.

Many questions remain unanswered, and no definite breeding ground was established. Why the sudden disappearance of dolphins from regular haunts, and their subsequent sudden reappearance? It is hoped that this first effort in recording the behaviour of dolphins in the waters around Abu Dhabi will form the basis of further work in this area.

(Dave Rowlands, ex-ENHG Mammal Recorder, has now left Abu Dhabi and returned to UK -Ed.)

Report No.	Date	Numbers A = Adult, J = Juvenile U = Unidentified			Size	Behavior	Color	Remarks

	1984	Humpback	Bottlenose	Others

1	20/3 - 12/5			60 U

2	19/4	15

3	22/4		10					Helicopter sighting

4	25/4		11

5	28/4		30+		2 m+		Dark grey	Feeding one after slack water

6	3/5	4						Incoming tide

7	4/5			3 U

8	4/5	10						Feeding

9	11/5			4 dugong

10	11/5	2

11	11/5		6		- 2 m		Dark grey and black

12	11/5		4

13	12/5		6		1.5 m		Dark grey

14	13/5			13 U

15	17/5	6						Feeding

16	18/5 - 23/5			43 U

Report No.	Date	Numbers A = Adult, J = Juvenile U = Unidentified			Size	Behavior	Color	Remarks

	1984	Humpback	Bottlenose	Others

17	22/5			5 U

18	25/5	2						Feeding

19	26/5		3

20	27/5	2						Feeding

21	7/6	6

22	8/6			5 U			Brownish

23	22/6	2 A + 3 J		14 U			Humpbacks black/grey

24	1/7		Few

25	6/8		6		2 m.		Greyish brown	Ebb tide

26	8/8			2 U				Umm Shaif Super Complex 19/19A Tower

27	22/8	1			2 m.			Feeding

28	29/8	2					Dark grey	Rising tide

29	31/8		2					Ebb tide

30	5/9		2

31	7/9		20 - 30

32	10/9		2		1.5 m.	Bowriding	Light grey

33	10/9			1 U				Feeding on tuna

34	21/9			8 U			Charcoal grey

35	28/9	1 J			1.5 m.		Charcoal grey

36	Sept - Dec		600 +

Report No.	Date	Numbers A = Adult, J = Juvenile U = Unidentified			Size	Behavior	Color	Remarks

	1984	Humpback	Bottlenose	Others

37	Oct		47 U

38	12/10		2 U				Charcoal grey

39	19/10	2

40	26/10	6					Uniform grey

41	30/10			3 U	2 m.	Jumping		High tide

42	30/10	3	1

43	Early Nov.	2

44	22/11	6						Feeding on tuna, ebb tide

45	22/11	2			1.75 m		Grey brown	Feeding

46	17/11 - 7/12			51 U

47	12/12		3 A + 1 J		1.75 m, 1 m	Bowriding

48	27/12	7					Dark brown

Report No.	Date	Numbers A = Adult, J = Juvenile U = Unidentified			Size	Behavior	Color	Remarks

	1985	Humpback	Bottlenose	Others

49	1/1 - 23/1		50+

50	9/1			6 U

51	13/1			3 U		Swimming on surface

52	Jan - March		204