Dolphin Conservation Project Internship

I'm Serena, a university student. I attended the first three years at the University of Turin, and I graduated in December 2018 as a naturalist. I subsequently decided to continue my studies abroad and I am currently attending the Master of Environmental Management at the University of Montbéliard in France. This year the career plan included a two-month internship and in October I started looking for it. As soon as I read about the project ‘’Delfini del Ponente ” I quickly filled out the registration form, hoping to be chosen. The cetacean world has always fascinated me and the chance to better study these particular mammals has won me over immediately. They took me in the team, and I can't be happier to have been chosen. The Internship has been intense, full of new experiences, new encounters, sightings and lot of fun. In two months we made 11 excursions and we saw bottlenose dolphins and striped dolphins. In addition to the excursions we also worked in the office with the photo identification and processing the data taken during the excursions. We also attended several theoretical lessons on the fauna of the Ligurian Sea, on the social aspects of dolphin life, on echolocation and much more… It’s an experience that I will always carry in my heart. Moreover, I discovered in myself a very strong bond with Imperia and the Ligurian Sea and I understood that I want to continue to specialize in this area. I warmly thank Barbara Nani, president of the Costa Balenae cooperative and of course Elena Fontanesi and Davide Ascheri, who allow students like me to be able to carry out an experience of this kind, which enriches both from a working and a human point of view.

I've spent 1 month at delfini del ponente and I loved it:) we saw many different species on the surveys, mostly bottlenose or striped dolphins but also long-finned pilot whales or fin whales. By doing the office work I could have a closer look into the daily life of a scientist and I enjoyed it very much:) in this one month could learn more than I expected. But not only this, I also felt very welcome and comfortable in the team. The people there are very nice and will always help you if you have a problem or a question. Thank you very much for the great time in Imperia!

A fantastic opportunity to explore up close the marine diversity which the Ligurian sea has to offer. It will be an experience you will never forget, which an amazing team of like-minded, hard working individuals there to support you at every step. Very professionally organised, allowing you to gain first hand experience on what it is like to be a field-based cetacean researcher. I'd highly recommend to anyone wanting to pursue a career in this field, or have a passion for marine mammals, you won't regret it!

I worked as a volunteer at Delfini del Ponente the entire month of October and the experience was excellent! Both the organization of the team and their great willingness to explain the different tasks and other doubts that arose during the various activities is admirable. They are very attentive to the needs of the volunteers/interns, ensuring that their stay is the best possible, not only in relation to work days, but also on days off! They met all the points detailed in their program, far exceeding my expectations! I highly recommend the experience!!

An awesome opportunity to meet some cetaceans of the Ligurian Sea! This is a wonderful chance to get some hands on experience in marine mammal biology. The project is focused on bottlenose dolphins specifically but you’ll have the opportunity to see fin whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, striped dolphins, and more! The scientists running the project and motivated and brilliant, as well as warm and welcoming. Having no experience with the Italian language, I was a bit worried but English is the main language spoken during the project. The scientists also went out of their way to show myself and the other interns some of the beauty and history of the area. If you want a hands-on learning experience in marine mammal field research and data processing, this is the perfect opportunity!

I had such an amazing time in Imperia and with the Delfini team! I learnt so much and they were so knowledgeable and helpful! I would definitely recommend to anyone who's keen on learning more about Mediterranean marine life!

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Applying for this internship was a great decision! As a Marine Biology student at the time, I wanted to gain hands-on experience in the fieldwork with data collection on cetaceans and marine life and I was not disappointed. Since day 1 we were involved in all aspects of the research project and were given multiple lectures on the target species (common bottlenose dolphin) and other cetaceans we might encounter. Additionally, we learned how the photo-id technique is used to study cetaceans in the wild, so much so that throughout the month we were tasked to sort photos of sightings and identify the individuals photographed by matching them with the association catalog. When we were in the fieldwork we collected environmental data, learned how to use a GPS and how to best record data for them to be used in scientific publication, as well as enjoying the sightings, and the sun! When the weather was not great we worked in the office and were either given lectures (on physiology, sea birds, oceanography...) or worked on data transcription and photo-id. The project coordinators were always available to explain new concepts multiple times for clarity if needed, and were always there if we had any questions, even on suggestions of what to do in the city during our days off! We also had the opportunity a the end of the month to do a presentation on a topic of our interest - linked to the work conducted or on species of cetaceans, sea turtles, or marine megafauna in general - to develop our general knowledge and were given feedback ... like a mock-up presentation that one would give at a conference! The month was intense, there's no denying that, but it was really rewarding as I learned a lot of new things that were not covered during my university courses, or only just mentioned. To top it all off the data collected by the interns are used in actual scientific work so participating in this internship really does help with the conservation of marine biodiversity!!!

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The Delfini del ponente dolphin internship is great for anyone in the marine biology field or anyone interested in learning more about marine biology and cetaceans. You will gain valuable research experience with boat based surveys and photo identification as well as better knowledge pertaining to topics of Mediterranean species. The researchers are great people who are very knowledgeable in this area of research and will make sure you have a great time in Imperia. I would highly recommend this internship.