This project aims to answer to the I.W.C scientific committee call for research in the area. We would like to focus the research on population identification and abundance estimation as well as breeding stock structure and behaviour assessment. It is also planned to undertake a stock assessment of other marine mammals encountered during assessment, such as Dugong, dolphin species and other whales. All our results will be used for law reinforcement within the marine park of Moheli in order to protect and conserve effectively marine mammals. We will also monitor Dugong habitat for best management practice.

The project is the first ever complete study in the area, bringing new concepts and expectations to local conservation effort, aiming to make new discovery in the area, testing a combination of survey effort techniques for population estimation and trends, understanding breeding behaviour and gender disparity, working on and adapting statistical models and reinforcing law within the marine reserves. The 2008 I.W.C. Workshop urged scientist community to work on different humpback whales Breeding Stock (BS) with priority given, among others, to BSC including Comoros islands.

Humpback whale research is indeed very poor in the Comoros but nevertheless promising. This reflects the lack of economical development and scientists’ availability, especially for the three independent islands. This whale population is of great interest for research because as well as being understudied, it is fairly undisturbed by whale watching, vessel traffic and fishery gears around Comoros, giving scope for behavioural observations. The monitoring of Dugong habitat is paramount in any conservation effort and easy to put in place it is also possible to either spot them or traces of their feeding behaviour. Dugongs are nearly extinct in Comoros and recording sign of recovery would be of great scientific interest.

We are looking at several aspect of whales and dolphins behaviour. We are focusing on whale watching impact on direct behaviour of cetaceans population in order to advise in tourism best practice. You will be in charge of taking notes in order to record whales and dolphins' surfacing, change of direction, distance boat-pod, distance between individuals.

What will you do ?

Marine mammals spotting, Photo-Id, data collection (behaviour), data entry, sea- grass meadow monitoring (dugong grazing site), site maintenance, equipment maintenance, people awareness.

Time will be split between bungalows and tents on the beach of Moidjio C.R.C.A.D. Conditions are simple and rudimentary, based on the traditional way of living and with a focus of living in an environmentally friendly, low impact way.

Bad bits: On site facilities are basic! No electricity or running water, loos are rudimentary .

Good bits: Possiblity to shower on site using thermal showers (heated by the sun), or in the near village after expeditions.

Lighting is provided by oil lamps, candles and camp fires. Food is organic, traditional and fresh, and all prepared and served to you.

Accomodation in the near village of Nioumachoua can be provided if required with electricity, water some extra comfort (£70 extra/week) but you will miss the contact with nature and talks with the nocturnal Lemurs.

Flights

Several airlines fly to Comoros. Moheli does not have an international airport so you will need to fly to either Mayotte or Grande Comore (neighbouring islands) first. From there you will then be able to take a short local flight to Moheli. The airport on Grande Comore is called Moroni, on Mayotte it is called Dzaoudzi. There are direct flights from Europe to Mayotte, however, there is also the option to change at Nairobi (Kenya). This occasionally comes up cheaper than the direct flights and is a good option if you are planning to travel aorund the African mainland. You might like to check out some of the airlines and routes below.

NB. If you are a student or under 26 yrs old then book through STA travel! They are an international student travel agency and can get you huge discounts on your flights. They have saved me hundreds before and are also good at finding routes. They have a website, but this does not contain all of their destinations. If you can it’s best to get in to one of their offices, or from the website you can request a callback from an advisor.

You also can try any trailfinders, they are very fast and will advise you on the best prices and routes.

KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines)

They operate flights from London to Mayotte, via Amsterdam and Nairobi.We generally find that they are the cheapest and simplest options, with prices starting from £674 (including all taxes and booking fees).

Kenya airways

We have found some really cheap flights too as low as £495 return.

Corsair

This is a French airline which flys from Paris to Mayotte.

They have flights direct from Paris to Mayotte or Grande-Comore. It is a very simple route but can be pricey.

Yemen Airways

Fly from London to Grande Comore via Sana’a. This may require an over-night stop, but if it does then you will be accommodated in a hotel by the airport and this will be included in the price. Set price of £993.30 all inclusive. They don’t have online booking, but you can call them on 020 73233213.

Air France

London to Mayotte via Paris and Nairobi. From £869

These are the ones that we know about. There of course may be other direct flights from other parts of Europe. So far this has worked out more expensive when travelling from the UK but of course if you are coming from elsewhere then one of these places may be more convenient for you.

Travelling to Moheli from Mayotte or Grande Comores.

Once you are in Mayotte or Grande Comore you will have to catch a short local flight across to Moheli. The local flights are operated by Comores Aviation( www.comoresaviation.com). Flights cost from around £200 from Mayotte, but are much cheaper from Moroni (around £80-100). The website advertises that you can book through it but this function is often broken, telling you that there are no flights on that day. We can help you when booking tickets with this airline if needed.

We keep the costs for volunteering as low as possible because we make sure that you are paying the actual cost of your stay and research activities without us making a profit from you.

Whales and Dolphins research assistant: £400 per week.

Includes: Accomodation in bungalows and/or tents, food (3 meal a day), transport from airport to field station, boat hire and petrol, guides, scientific training, excursions.