SHARE Off the coast of Dubai, a team of scientists have launched a boat-based survey to gather data about the local dolphin population in the emirate. The year-long project aims to assess the different species in the water, as well as population structure and trends. Led by Dr Ada Natoli, assistant professor at the College of Natural and Health Science at Zayed University, researchers will span 1,000 km2 of Dubai coastal waters. So far, the Dubai Dolphin Survey 2021-22 has recorded several species swimming below the water’s surface including four sightings of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and two sightings of the rare and elusive Indo-Pacific finless porpoise.