Ms. Christine O’Sullivan, a PhD graduate student in Marine Sciences at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology, Jamaica, and an active advocate for marine mammal conservation has been awarded the Adele Lewis Grant Fellowship, valued at US$10,000, from Graduate Women in Science (GWIS). The award combines support from the Adele Lewis Grant and the Nell Mondy Fellowship and recognizes outstanding research by women scientists addressing critical environmental challenges.

The fellowship will support Ms. O’Sullivan’s doctoral research project entitled “Determining the extent of depredation in Jamaica and identifying possible mitigation measures that will reduce conflicts between bottlenose dolphins and fishers.” The study focuses on dolphin–fisheries interactions, specifically the growing issue of depredation, where bottlenose dolphins remove fish from traps or damage fishing gear.

Since at least the year 2000, fishers in Jamaica have reported incidents of bottlenose dolphins overturning fish traps or dragging them into deeper waters, leading to damaged or lost gear and reduced catch. These interactions have created economic strain for fishing communities and, in some cases, have resulted in threats to harm dolphins involved in the behavior. In 2015, bottlenose dolphins were formally documented taking fish directly from traps in Bluefields, Westmoreland, highlighting the need for systematic, island-wide research.

Ms. O’Sullivan’s project aims to expand this work by assessing depredation across four sites in Jamaica, including three new locations. The research will examine how widespread the problem is, whether different groups of dolphins use different strategies, and the ecological or behavioral factors driving this interaction. A key objective is to identify and evaluate practical mitigation measures that can reduce conflict while protecting both livelihoods and marine biodiversity.

The project will be conducted between July 2025 and June 2026 in collaboration with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute and The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Findings from the study are expected to inform conservation policy, fisheries management, and community-based solutions that promote coexistence between fishers and marine mammals.

Photo caption: Ms. Christine O’Sullivan