Wild Sydney Harbour
Wild Sydney Harbour is helping us better understand the incredible wildlife living in our marine backyard. By studying how these animals move and use their habitats, we can make more informed decisions about how best to protect them. Your donation will support this important research and help safeguard Sydney Harbour’s marine life for future generations.
Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia and are processed safely and securely via Stripe.
If you would prefer to make an offline donation, please click here.
The Problem
Sydney Harbour is a diverse marine ecosystem, home to various marine creatures right on the doorsteps of many Sydney locals.
Despite this close proximity, we are yet to understand the movements of some of its biggest visitors- marine mammals; such as the dolphins, fur seals and even whales. These species all play important ecosystem services and act as indictors of ocean health, helping us learn more about the status of the Harbour marine environment.
(Image credit: Dr Vanessa Pirotta)
The Solution
Wild Sydney Harbour is undertaking the first ever study of the marine mammals in Sydney Harbour. This includes the first dedicated study of the dolphins, which we are yet to understand if these are the same individuals which swim past Bondi Beach, into Gamay (Botany Bay), past Cronulla and to the northern beaches. Identifying individuals, occurrence and behaviour can provide insights into how these marine mammals use Sydney Harbour and the surrounding waters across the year.
Proudly, Wild Sydney Harbour is working directly with the Gamay Rangers using rigorous scientific methodologies to document the dolphins, fur seals and whales. Members of the public, also known as citizen scientists, are being engaged to help spot dolphins and other marine mammals. Humpback whales are a spiritual ancestor to the local First Nation Gamay Rangers and caring for them through research is an extension of their work to protect Sea Country.
(Image credit: Dr Vanessa Pirotta)
The Science
A combination of methods are currently being used including vessel-based surveys (working from a boat to spot dolphins and other marine mammals), land-based sightings, photographic identification to recognise individuals using their distinct dorsal fins.
Wild Sydney Harbour and the Gamay Rangers are also extending their scientific research beyond Sydney Harbour and conducting Sydney Offshore Megafauna Surveys (SOMS), to document the diversity of marine life beyond coastal waters. This extends out to the continental shelf off Sydney via day long vessel based surveys. As part of this research, the team are documenting sightings and using environmental DNA, also known as eDNA to genetically test for marine mammal occurrence (testing the water for fragments of DNA in the last 24-45hrs of swimming there).
(Image credit: Dr Vanessa Pirotta)
Citizen Science
Wild Sydney Harbour was first created in 2021 to connect community with its blue backyard. As part of this, social media has been used as a tool for people to report marine mammal sightings daily by snapping photos or video and uploading them to social media or via wildsydneyharbour.com page. This has seen public document whales, dolphins, sharks, penguins, fish, corals, seals and the list goes on. People want to understand what they see and Wild Sydney Harbour is providing direct opportunities to share knowledge directly with community. People can report sightings at @wildsydneyharbour on Instagram and via a dedicated page via the Wild Sydney Harbour website.
(Image credit: Dr Vanessa Pirotta)
The Future
Wild Sydney Harbour is a perfect research platform for our next generation of locally grown Sydney based marine scientists. In addition to research, Wild Sydney Harbour is upskilling and directly providing opportunities to the next generation of Gamay Ranger scientists. Support for Wild Sydney Harbour directly empowers local capacity building and outreach through the local findings the teams make. Marine mammals, are long lived like us. This means our efforts to study individuals remains ongoing 20 or 40 years into the future. The questions we ask today may take years to understand. The conservation of marine mammals locally helps ensure a functioning and pristine blue backyard for us all, well into the future.
(Image credit: Dr Vanessa Pirotta)
