Whale Surveys in the Southern Bahamas to Advance Conservation Directives
Project Overview:
The Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO) is planning a two-week expedition to the southern Bahamas to conduct visual and acoustic surveys of whales and dolphins. The survey will focus on the deep waters surrounding the “Far-Out Islands” of The Bahamas, including San Salvador, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Plana Cays, and Samana Cay — areas where marine mammals remain critically understudied.
BMMRO’s long-term research in the northern Bahamas has shown that some cetacean populations may be declining due to human impacts, highlighting the need to better understand species presence and conservation status in the southern region. With support from the Bahamas Protected Area Fund, this expedition will prioritize surveys within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), using scientific data to help inform effective MPA management.
This project forms part of a broader, Caribbean-wide effort to address key data gaps in marine mammal research, contributing to regional biodiversity conservation and science-based policy development.
Program Partners
- Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation
- Bahamas National Trust
- Bahamas Protected Area Fund
- The Regional Activity Centre for the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife for the Wider Caribbean Region, Caribbean marine Megafauna and anthropogenic Acivities
Location
- Southern Bahamas (with operations centered around Long Island, and potential routing to San Salvador or Crooked Island)
Expected Time Frame
- June - July, 2026
Duration of Expedition
- 2 Weeks
Accommodation Needed
- 2-4 Researchers and 1 SeaKeepers Representative
Special Equipment Needed
- Unobstructed deck space for launching drone, vessel with stabilizer or catamaran preferred
Expedition parameters listed above are flexible and negotiable.
Background:
The Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO) has led marine mammal research and conservation in The Bahamas for more than 30 years. Through vessel surveys, acoustic monitoring, satellite tagging, and drone photogrammetry, BMMRO has documented the year-round presence of multiple marine mammal species and identified key threats to their populations. This work has demonstrated the importance of conservation strategies tailored to localized populations across the Bahamian archipelago.
To date, much of BMMRO’s research has focused on the northern Bahamas, particularly around Abaco and Andros Islands, where 26 marine mammal species have been recorded. These long-term efforts have contributed to major conservation outcomes, including the establishment of The Bahamas Marine Mammal Protection Act, expansion of the Bahamas National Protected Area System to include marine mammal habitats, and The Bahamas’ designation as an Important Marine Mammal Area by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
In contrast, the southern Bahamas remains critically understudied, despite its ecological importance. As global and local threats to marine mammals continue to increase, baseline data on species occurrence, habitat use, and abundance in this region are needed to inform conservation planning. This project aims to help address these data gaps in the southern Bahamas.
Mission:
This expedition aims to assess the occurrence, distribution, and conservation status of whales and dolphins in the southern Bahamas.
Using standardized vessel survey methods, trained observers will conduct visual surveys along pre-determined transect lines while a towed hydrophone array is used to detect marine mammals below the surface. Environmental data will be collected throughout surveys. When cetaceans are encountered, researchers will document species identification, group size, composition, and behavior using photography and drone imagery before resuming survey transects.
Over the two-week expedition, the team plans to complete surveys across two gridded areas, covering approximately 500–600 kilometers. Collected data will be analyzed and shared with national and regional stakeholders, including Marine Protected Area managers. Results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, presented at scientific conferences, and shared locally through outreach activities in the southern Bahamas.
Applications:
This project will support marine mammal protection and Marine Protected Area (MPA) management in The Bahamas by identifying critical habitat and biological hotspots for marine megafauna. Findings will provide science-based recommendations to managers and policymakers to help strengthen existing conservation measures, including the management of commercial shipping traffic within MPAs. As part of a wider Caribbean effort, the project will also contribute to regional marine conservation initiatives.
The project will also support education and capacity building. University of The Bahamas students will be offered internship opportunities to participate in fieldwork, and data will be shared with undergraduate and graduate students from the University of The Bahamas, the University of Plymouth, and the University of St Andrews for academic research projects.
Relevant/Previous Scientific Publication(s):
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