https://doi.org/10.82144/443d7862 https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/744 https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d558518f-670f-45cf-8a77-2a432054745d https://obis.org/dataset/d90281b7-cce9-49a1-b27a-1226a90b6777 Gianna Minton Sarawak Dolphin Project Primary contact gianna.minton@gmail.com http://www.ibec.unimas.my/SDP2008 OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu distributor Gianna Minton Sarawak Dolphin Project Primary contact gianna.minton@gmail.com http://www.ibec.unimas.my/SDP2008 owner 2025-07-31 eng Original provider: The Sarawak Dolphin Project, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation Dataset credits: The Sarawak Dolphin Project, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak Abstract: Between June 2008 and September 2009, 56 days of small boat surveys were conducted off the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia with the aim of recording cetacean distribution. These surveys, which focused on the Miri, Bintulu-Similajau and Kuching regions, comprised 173 hours of survey effort and covered 2851 km of pre-determined systematic tracks. Surveys were clustered into three sets of seasonal snapshots: June-July, September-October and March-April. A total of 115 cetacean sightings were made, of which 65 were on-effort and used in analyses of cetacean encounter rates in relation to habitat characteristics. Species observed included (in order of frequency) Irrawaddy dolphins (<i>Orcaella brevirostris</i>), finless porpoises (<i>Neophocaena phocaenoides</i>), Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (<i>Tursiops aduncus</i>) and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (<i>Sousa chinensis</i>). One hundred and ten of 115 sightings were made in less than 10 m water depth, highlighting the importance of nearshore coastal habitats for these species. Despite an apparent overlap in habitat, Irrawaddy dolphins showed a statistically significant affiliation with areas of shallower depth and closer proximity to shore and river mouths than finless porpoises or bottlenose dolphins. This preference for nearshore areas renders the species vulnerable to threats such as fisheries by-catch and habitat degradation from coastal development. Irrawaddy dolphins were more frequently encountered in Kuching, while the highest encounter rate for finless porpoises was in the Bintulu-Similajau region. The highest encounter rates in both Kuching and Similajau occurred in areas that are destined for major coastal developments. Occurrence GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type.xml Observation GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml Marine Biology Visual sighting Conservation distribution habitat N/A Effort data are available through request from the original data providers. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 License. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/744 Oceans,Sarawak,South China Sea,Malaysia 110.185371 113.975585 4.560908 1.57334 2008-06-11 2009-09-16 Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). family Delphinidae Dolphins species Neophocaena phocaenoides Finless porpoise species Orcaella brevirostris Irrawaddy dolphin species Sousa chinensis Chinese white dolphin species Tursiops aduncus Indian ocean bottlenose dolphin A series of small boat surveys was conducted in three locations along Sarawak’s coastline with the aims of: 1) assessing more accurately the species composition, distribution and habitat requirements of coastal cetaceans in the region; 2) collecting baseline data on dolphin distribution and habitat use; and 3) facilitating management and conservation efforts. The results of these surveys should enable managers and researchers to identify areas of key importance for future conservation and research efforts and lay the foundation for more detailed and targeted study both within Sarawak and in other parts of the species’ range. notPlanned Gianna Minton Sarawak Dolphin Project Primary contact gianna.minton@gmail.com http://www.ibec.unimas.my/SDP2008 NA NA NA Gianna Minton owner NA zd_744 2025-07-31T15:33:04-04:00 dataset Minton, G. 2011. Distribution of small cetaceans in the nearshore waters of Sarawak, East Malaysia. Version 1.0.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/443d7862. OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset Page UTF-8 Interactive map https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/744 FGDC Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/744/fgdc EML Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/744/eml OBIS-SEAMAP zd_744 zd_744 Minton, G., C. Peter and A.A. Tuen. 2011. Distribution of small cetaceans in the nearshore waters of Sarawak, East Malaysia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology: 59: 91-100.