African Aquatic Conservation Fund Inc

THROUGH FOCUSED RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, AND EDUCATION ACTIONS, THE AFRICAN AQUATIC CONSERVATION FUND IS DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF AFRICAN MANATEES, TURTLES, AND OTHER AQUATIC WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITATS THROUGHOUT THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. WE WORK IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL PEOPLE, SCIENTISTS, GOVERNMENTS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOTH WILDLIFE AND HUMANS.

THE AFRICAN MANATEE PROGRAM LEADER SUPERVISED FOUR GRADUATE STUDENTS AND 13 TRAINEES FROM FIVE COUNTRIES AND CONDUCTED FIELDWORK PROGRAMS IN SENEGAL AND GUINEA. AFRICAN MANATEE GENETICS, FEEDING ECOLOGY, AND AGE DETERMINATION STUDIES CONTINUED WITH COLLABORATORS FROM SIX AFRICAN COUNTRIES. AS PART OF GENETICS RESEARCH, WE BEGAN THE FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL DNA (EDNA) SAMPLING ANYWHERE IN WEST AFRICA, DURING OUR SURVEYS OF INTERIOR RIVERS IN GUINEA. FIVE NEW RIVERS FOR AFRICAN MANATEES WERE IDENTIFIED DURING THAT TRIP (JUNE 2023). WE LED EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS IN EIGHT SCHOOLS IN JOAL, SENEGAL THAT REACHED ALMOST 2000 STUDENTS. THE PI AND COLLABORATORS PUBLISHED ONE SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPT. AN ADDITIONAL NINE SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPTS AND SIX BOOK CHAPTERS ARE IN PREPARATION.

THE WEST AFRICAN SEA TURTLE PROGRAM LED PROJECTS IN GABON, EQUATORIAL GUINEA AND COTE D'IVOIRE. IN GABON WE CONTINUED TO COORDINATE THE GABON SEA TURTLE PARTNERSHIP, A NETWORK OF PROJECTS TO PROTECT SEA TURTLES AND THEIR HABITAT THROUGH BEACH SURVEILLANCE, RESEARCH, THREAT REDUCTION, CAPACITY-BUILDING AND OUTREACH. WE CONTINUED ANALYSIS OF THE LONG-TERM NATIONAL DATABASE OF NESTING ACTIVITIES FOR IMMINENT PUBLICATION. IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA WE CONTINUED TO MONITOR SEA TURTLE THREATS AND CONDUCTED A NATIONAL AWARENESS-RAISING CAMPAIGN. IN COTE D'IVOIRE WE CONTINUED TO COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL PARTNERS TO MONITOR AND PROTECT 50 KM OF NESTING BEACHES AND IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION INITIATIVES. WE WERE ALSO INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COUNTRY'S FIRST MARINE PROTECTED AREA, INCLUDING ITS DELIMITATION, SURVEILLANCE AND DATA-COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT. WE PUBLISHED 2 PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPTS ON SATELLITE TELEMETRY OF NESTING LEATHERBACKS IN BIOKO, AND A LONG-TERM ANALYSIS OF CAPTURE-MARK-RECAPTURE DATA OF NESTING LEATHERBACKS AND OLIVE RIDLEYS IN GABON.

THE AFRICAN CETACEANS PROGRAM LED PROJECTS IN MADAGASCAR AND SENEGAL. IN SENEGAL, WE CONTINUED A STUDY OF ATLANTIC HUMPBACK DOLPHINS WITH PHOTO IDENTIFICATION SURVEYS THROUGHOUT DELTA SALOUM, DEPLOYMENT/RECOVERY/DOWNLOADING OF THREE ACOUSTIC RECORDERS, AND TRAINED A RESEARCHER FROM GABON. ADDITIONALLY, WE CONTINUED A PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING PROGRAM FOR WHALES OFF DAKAR STARTED IN JUNE 2021 WITH TWO RECOVERIES/REDEPLOYMENT OF TWO RECORDING DEVICES THAT RECORDED THROUGHOUT 2023. IN MADAGASCAR, EXISTING ACOUSTIC MONITORING RECORDERS AT THREE SITES ALONG THE WEST COAST INCLUDING NOSY BE, MAHAJANGA AND TOLIARA WERE RECOVERED AND REDEPLOYED. IN ADDITION, IN NOVEMBER 2023 WE DEPLOYED 8 RECORDERS IN AN 50KM LONG LINEAR ARRAY FOR LOCALIZING BLUE WHALES OFF NOSY BE, AS THE FIRST EFFORT FOR THE MULTI-PARTNER QWIO PROJECT. ALSO IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WE CONDUCTED THE FIRST OMURA'S WHALE FIELD SEASON SINCE 2019 (PRE-PANDEMIC), DEPLOYING SATELLITE TRANSMITTER TAGS ON 4 WHALES THAT PROVIDED NEAR HOURLY LOCATIONS FOR UP TO 1 MONTH, AND PILOTED AN EFFORT TO PLACE VIDEO CAMERA TAGS ON OMURA'S THAT WILL CONTINUE IN THE 2024 SEASON. A NEW MALAGASY BSC STUDENT WAS TRAINED DURING THIS FIELD EFFORT, AND WILL USE DATA FOR THE PI AND COLLABORATORS PUBLISHED 1 PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION, AND 4 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (IWC SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE).