Conservation of dolphins in the Adriatic sea

Jadransko more dio je istočnog Mediterana. U njemu na području Kvarnerića obitava jedina stalna zajednica dobrih dupina, ujedno jedina rezidentna zajednica morskih sisavaca u Jadranu, te još nekoliko povremenih vrsta. Dupini su izloženi različitim direktnim i indirektnim antropogenim utjecajima koji degradiraju njihova staništa, uzrokuju manjak plijena, ozljede, stradavanja i uznemiravanja. Glavne su prijetnje u zadnje vrijeme pretjeran izlov ribe, stradavanje u ribarskim alatima, otrovne tvari i turizam. Zbog toga meta-populaciju jadranskih dobrih dupina obilježava negativan trend i uvršteni su na popis ugroženih vrsta, dok je nekada prisutna vrsta kratkokljuni obični dupin gotovo u potpunosti nestala i smatra se vjerojatno ugroženom. Dupini su u Jadranu zaštićeni zakonom i međunarodnim propisima, a planira se i uspostava regionalnog parka na području Lošinjsko-Creskog arhipelaga. Istraživanja se provode na više lokacija, a u Hrvatskoj se njima najviše bave Institut Plavi svijet, Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu i sustav praćenja CROdolphin. Postojeća istraživanja trebala bi se još unaprijediti, a još bi se trebala provesti dodatna istraživanja i suradnje.The Adriatic Sea is a part of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A few species of dolphins are occasionally seen in the Adriatic Sea, but the only abundant population of dolphins is the Kvarnerić bottlenose dolphin population. That is also the only resident population of marine mammals in this sea. Human activity affects dolphins directly and indirectly by habitat degradation, reduction of food prey, disturbance and cause of injuries or death. The main threats in recent times include overfishing, incidental mortality in fishing gear, toxic substances and tourism. Because of that, the Adriatic bottlenose dolphin meta-population has a decreasing trend and is listed as endangered species, while the short-beaked common dolphin, once abundant, is listed as probably endangered. The dolphins in the Adriatic Sea are legally protected under the Croatian law and international regulations. It is also planned to establish a regional park around the islands of Lošinj and Cres. They have been studied on a number of locations, and in Croatia the research is carried out by the Blue World Institute, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of University of Zagreb and the CROdolphin database. Still, more research should be done and the on-going should be improved