Background
In September 2017, MCC introduced The Cambodian Marine Mammal Conservation Project, in collaboration with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration. The project’s primary aim is to collect data on abundance, distribution and residency to delineate and protect critical habitats for the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin in Cambodia’s Kep Archipelago.
| Total Land Surveys | 298 |
| Total Boat Surveys | 162 |
| Total Number of Individuals Identified | 32 |
| Total Number of Species Identified | 2 |
Project activities:
● observational land surveys using a Theodolite and Pythagoras software,
● observational boat surveys
● photo-identification techniques using Discovery software,
● acoustic monitoring using a real-time hydrophone and a passive acoustic monitoring device- C-POD and CPOD.exe software,
● social science techniques,
● data entry, processing and analysis,
● education and outreach,
● responding to marine mammal strandings,
● sharing findings with government groups, the scientific community and local people through producing peer- reviewed scientific articles, technical reports, meetings, conferences, workshops and social media
Do you want to be an intern?
Basic internship training schedule
Session 1: Introduction to MCC and The Cambodian Marine Mammal Conservation Project.
Session 2: Research method training on observational land and boat surveying techniques.
Session 3: Marine mammal identification and behaviour training.
Session 4: Marine vessel identification training.
Session 5: Data sheet and data entry training.
Session 6: Drone footage analysis training.
Session 7: Research techniques theory test, followed by feedback and debrief.
Session 8: Theodolite and Pythagoras introduction and training.
You will also become involved in other project related activities, depending on your interest, skill set and length of stay.
Internship requirements
We are looking for dedicated, motivated and hard-working interns, able to commit for a minimum internship period of one month. We are looking for those who will commit to early mornings and late nights, with a keen interest in marine mammals and their conservation. Ideally, we are looking for university students or recent graduates.
If you are interested in this internship and would like to know more, please email Amy Jones at: cambodiadolphinproject@gmail.com
Project Publications
www.researchgate.net/project/The-Cambodian-Marine-Mammal-Conservation-Project
Social Media
Facebook: The Cambodian Marine Mammal Conservation Project
If you would like to know any further information about our marine mammal research project, please send an email to cambodiadolphinproject@gmail.com
If you are interested in donating to our marine mammal conservation efforts, please visit The Cambodian Marine Mammal Conservation Project Donation Page
Literature cited
Beasley, I. and Davidson, P. (2007). Conservation status of marine mammals in Cambodian waters, including seven new cetacean records of occurrence. Aquatic Mammals, 33(3), pp 368-379.
Hines, E., Adulyanukosol, K., Somany, P., Ath, L., Cox, N., Boonyanate, P. and Hoa, N. (2008). Conservation needs of the dugong Dugong dugon in Cambodia and Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. Oryx, 42(01).
IUCN (2017). Orcaella brevirostris (Irrawaddy Dolphin). [online] Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15419/0 [Accessed 18 Dec. 2017].
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Fisheries Administration, Kingdom of Cambodia (2007). Law on Fisheries.
Tubbs, S.E., Akkaya, A., Cote, G., Jones, A.L. and Notman, G.M. (2019). Sighting and stranding reports of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) and Dugong (Dugong dugon) in Kep and Kampot, Cambodia. Aquatic Mammals, 45.5, pp.563-568.
Tubbs, S.E., Keen, E., Jones, A.L. and Thap, R. (2020). On the distribution, behaviour and seasonal variation of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in the Kep Archipelago, Cambodia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 68, pp.137-149.