Today I received this exciting email about the Singapore Wild Marine Mammal Survey (SWiMMS) conducted by the Tropical Marine Science Institute.Here's the email:
SWiMMS, funded by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund, aims to monitor the dolphin, porpoise and dugong populations in Singapore waters by establishing a volunteer network and reporting system. The SWiMMS research team needs your help.
If you should see a marine mammal in Singapore or regional waters, please let us know. Email us or fill in our on-line reporting form with as much information as you can. You can find more information on the different types of marine mammal that can be seen in Singapore waters and the work done by the Marine Mammal Research Laboratory (National University of Singapore) at www.tmsi.nus.edu.sg/mmrl.
Pilot studies by the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), National University of Singapore (NUS) have shown that several species of coastal dolphins, the finless porpoise and dugong are sighted in Singapore waters.
It appears likely that Singapore and neighbouring waters are important for coastal and riverine marine mammals in that together they form a habitat for these animals, all of which are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I (species threatened with extinction) or II (species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival).
However, more information is required to strengthen this concept of an extended habitat. With increasing coastal development and climate change, continued monitoring of marine mammals is essential to ensure their long-term survival.
We would greatly appreciate if you can help us publicise SWiMMS by helping us distribute some of our materials on SWiMMS. For more information, email swimms@nus.edu.sg
More about Singapore's dolphins and dugongs on wildsingapore.
