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Peru Coastal Dolphin Research
Pucusana
Pucusana is a small, friendly and beautiful fishing port about 70 kilometres south of Lima with only 10,000 inhabitants. Life here is based around the ocean.
During the high season, up to a thousand small wooden boats drop their catch off on the pier, anticipated by a huge crowd of local fish workers, who prepare the fish to be transported to Lima in refrigerated vans.
From January to the end of March (the Peruvian Summer) the small beach of Pucusana becomes the main attraction for local beach tourists, due to the extremely calm waters in the sheltered bay. There are many small restaurants, and people love to walk along the promenade.
With dolphins visiting the port entrance regularly, Pucusana is the starting point for our dolphin research.
Paracas
The National Reserve of Paracas is one of the most important protected areas of Peru. Its conservation is fundamental for the protection of the coastal-marine biodiversity. The reserve protects a part of the coastal desert of the subtropical Pacific and waters of the Humboldt Current, which is characterized by one of the highest levels of fish production in the world, due to the coastal upwelling. There are nine Guano Islands located within the protected area.
Additionally there are the Ballestas Islands and the Chinchas Islands in the north of the protected area, which offer habitat to sea birds & sea lions. Together these islands are home to tens of thousands of guano birds (Peruvian pelicans, Peruvian boobies and Guano Cormorants), thousands of other marine birds like the endemic Inka terns, several species of sea gulls, the endangered Humboldt penguin and the highly endangered Peruvian diving petrel, as well as thousands of Southern sea lions and South American fur seals.
The Paracas National Reserve presents one of the most beautiful desert scenarios of the Peruvian coasts. The numerous desert mountains change their colours each day from different tones of yellow to pinkish reds.
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