This project aims to provide the first consistent data on occurrence and relative abundance of marine mammals along the Kenyan coast. Also, it will help to define areas of “High Importance” for marine mammals, which will improve our understanding of these species in the region and on a broader temporal scale. At the same time, this data is extremely important for the marine mammal conservation and management strategies in Kenya and it may be used as a baseline for further studies.



Expected outputs:

1. Development of a marine mammal sightings database.
2. Development of photo identification database.
3. Contribution to protected status of marine mammals along the Kenyan coast
4. Development of an understanding of the natural factors (oceanography, bathymetry, etc) that could influence the occurrence of marine mammals in Kenyan region.
5. Promote community awareness.

The Kenya Marine Mammal Network has been collecting data since October 2011 from Shimoni (South coast) to Lamu (North Coast). In total, 301 sightings have been reported from 8 species (Humpback whale, Sperm whale, Killer whale, Pilot whale, Indo-Pacific bottlenose and humpback dolphin, common and spinner dolphin).

















































The most sighted locations were: Kwale (157 sightings), Malindi (132), Kilifi (5), Mombasa (4), Lamu (2), Tana River (1).

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If you would like to find out more about our new sightings please check our newsletters (under the publication section) or The Kenya Marine Mammal Network facebook group.