Fin Review: The Peel-Harvey residents

Although we have encountered approximately 130 dolphins using the estuary, at the time of writing this (June 2017) we identify 85 individuals as residents to the Peel-Harvey.

Since we started our research, 14 new dolphin calves have been born into the population and two calves and one adult female have been confirmed dead.

Out of the 85 individuals, we have not seen two of them – both males – since July 2016 and two – a male and female – since October 2016.

What makes the Peel-Harvey resident dolphins quite unique and interesting is that at least 15 of the current residents have stranded at least once in their life time. We know this from either from their dorsal fin having a freeze brand on it or they have very distinct white scarring on their body, some even have a collapsed dorsal fin.

Of the resident individuals, 37 are considered adults, 26 juveniles, 18 calves and four are calves born in 2017.

Out of the adults and juveniles 29 are females, 24 males and for ten individuals we do not know their sex.

Although most of the residents can be seen throughout the Peel-Harvey, individuals appear to have different preferences of where they spend their time.

There are individuals, mainly some females and their offspring, that spend most of their time in the Serpentine and Murray rivers.

Other mothers and their offspring are mainly seen in town waters and the canals, while yet another group of mothers and their offspring are mainly encountered in the Peel Inlet.

Males are seen throughout the system with several of them occasionally observed also in coastal waters.

The Harvey estuary in the other hand seems to be preferred by the juveniles with mothers and calves and males alike joining them frequently.

As we continue our research we hope to better understand how different individuals use the different parts of the Peel-Harvey.