Cetacean Association
Who are we?
The area where our research activity is focused is the central Catalan coast, between Barcelona and Segur de Calafell. Our home port is Port de Sitges – Aigualdolç.
Basic information
Founding date
August 2012
Members
23 members
Location
Port de Sitges – Aiguadolç
Why did it come about?
The beginnings
Asociación Cetácea was founded in August 2012 with the aim of protecting, conserving, and researching marine life and habitats along the Catalan coast. Through our activities, we hope to contribute our grain of sand, joining the thousands already contributed by other organizations and individuals, to the preservation of the marine environment and the species that live within it.
With these goals in mind, a group of individuals who had worked in the marine field decided to create the Association.
An anecdote
I will explain two:
- During an outing, we saw a group of dolphins swimming in formation. They avoided the sailboat a lot, and we could barely follow them. We only managed to get a couple of photos to identify them. Subsequent analysis revealed that it was a group of rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis), which is a very rare species in the Mediterranean Sea.
- During an outing, in the distance, we saw what appeared to be a Risso's dolphin, due to its characteristic grayish, almost white color. People were very excited, as it's a species we don't often see. It turned out that when we got closer, we saw it was a mattress that had fallen from a boat, and we collected it. Sadly, it wasn't a dolphin, but it highlighted the pollution plaguing the Mediterranean.
News
Current concerns
- Conservation of cetacean populations.
- Raise awareness about the marine biodiversity we have in the Mediterranean.
- Educate the population to conserve this richness.
Current initiatives
- Dolphin and whale photo-identification project on the Catalan coast.
- Friends of the Sea Project: citizen science project.
- Feathers at Sea Project: data collection on seabirds on the Garraf coast
Funding Sources
Our funding sources basically come from individuals who make small donations, which allows us to carry out the project's outings.
Reflections
A disturbing thought
This year we have started a process to evaluate our excursions and thus improve them. As part of these evaluations, we asked people if they knew, before going out with us, about the existence of dolphins and whales in the Mediterranean Sea. 50% of those who joined us were unaware that there are whales and dolphins in the sea right next to our homes. We believe this should not be the case; people need to know this information because only if people know that we have dolphins and whales will we be able to protect these animals as they deserve.
A reflection for hope
More and more people are becoming interested in the conservation of the natural environment and are starting to demand a change in mentality from the authorities, not only for the conservation of birds and biodiversity, but also for our own health and well-being.
How can I help?
Ways to support
There are different ways to help us:
- Join us on one of our sailing trips to see dolphins and whales.
- Become a member, which helps to support the development of the activities we carry out as an organization.
- Become a volunteer for the photo-identification project.
- Make a donation.
A good habit
Reduce plastic use. On ALL our outings, we see plastic in the sea, and if we see it, so do dolphins and whales, and they even eat it. Plastic use must be reduced, and what little we do use, we should try to reuse as much as possible.
Upcoming goals
Objective 1
We want to increase the number of departures, as that would allow us to increase the number of people who could enjoy the experience.
Objective 2
We are developing activities for the little ones to help them understand the importance of the sea and its inhabitants.
A dream
We currently do not have a physical headquarters, a place where we can carry out our activities, both logistics and research. We do everything voluntarily from our homes. So a small dream we have is a place where we can work, store material, meet people, or hold meetings.
Striped dolphin
Cetácea Association Expedition
Striped dolphins leaping out of the water
Striped dolphin leaping out of the water
Gray Calderon
Gallery item