The protection and enhancement of this wealth passes through the creation of a protected area whose realization is imminent thanks to the agreement between the Municipality and the Jonian Dolphin Conservation association.

signature at the Amati palace

The agreement signed by the mayor Melucci and the director of the JDC, Carmelo Fanizza , goes further by projecting itself towards the dolphin shelter, where the cetaceans would be treated and, those coming from the dolphinaria, would be re-educated to life in the open sea. Education and the culture of the sea is the theme of “human” training that is already taking place at the Ketos headquarters, a commitment that demonstrates the passion of the researchers and volunteers of this association of which the well-known activist Richard O’Barry said : “The Jonian Dolphin Conservation in Taranto is my favorite. It is much more than watching dolphins. It’s an instruction on why we should never buy a ticket for a dolphin show. “

We talk about it directly with the president of the JDC, Carmelo Fanizza :

“Blue Oasis” is a project that comes from afar, from studies begun in 2008 when the enemy was drilling rigs for the search of hydrocarbons. What is it now?

Now, compared to the beginnings of 2008, we are going to sea more, we have doubled the means and tripled the commitment and efforts. We go to look for cetaceans knowing better their routes and habits and we have a significant amount of data supported by the support of UNIBA and CNR.

The gulf of Taranto has always been full of life, there are 5 different species of cetaceans: dolphins: the bottlenose dolphins, the striped dolphin typical of the Mediterranean and small in build but there are also the Grampus griseusche reaching a length of 4 m and a weight of 500 kg, also this is the fourth consecutive year that we see sperm whales. There are several specimens and let’s not forget that the Sperm Whale is the largest marine predator existing in Nature. All this variety is exceptional and it confirms that our interest is well placed and that we must preserve and enhance them. The show of dolphins free in the sea communicates an energy that feeds our daily commitment.

Off the coast of Sardinia , in the heart of the Caprera Canyon , a large group of splendid common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) have been sighted in recent days  ,  cetaceans not exactly easy to meet in our seas, as the name suggests. This species, in fact, in the Mediterranean Sea has been largely “supplanted” by the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleolba), the most widespread marine mammal of the Mare Nostrum, for reasons that are still being examined by scientists.

Therefore, having sighted about forty common dolphins complete with puppies is great news, both from the point of view of conservation.than from the purely environmental and ecological one. The Caprera Canyon – located about forty kilometers from the north-eastern coast of Sardinia – is once again confirmed as a paradise of biodiversity , as well as one of the best places in Italy where you can admire cetaceans in their natural habitat.

The dolphins with the unmistakable hourglass design on the side were spotted during a whale watching excursion organized by WWS – Whale Watching Sardinia – Snorkeling Offshore, an outing in which scientists from the SEA ME Sardinia onlus association also actively participated .

To collect data in the field. For about ten years the association based in La Maddalena has been conducting a research project on the cetaceans of the Caprera Canyon. On average, as pointed out in a Facebook post by SEA ME, common dolphins are spotted in the area once a year. No wonder the rarity of these encounters, bearing in mind that for the Mediterranean Sea they are considered in danger of extinctionon the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ). On a global level, fortunately, the species is instead classified with an LC code (minimum risk).