Department of Zoology, Croatian Natural History Museum
President, Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia

E-mail: drasko.holcer@hpm.hr
Web: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Drasko_Holcer2

Mr. Draško Holcer, Ph.D., is a marine biologist with expertise in ecology and conservation of large marine vertebrates, specially regarding bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) populations in the Adriatic Sea. He is a senior curator of marine zoology collection at Croatian Natural History Museum. As one of the founding members of Blue World Institute he is also its president, and still caries out field studies of bottlenose dolphins around the island of Vis in Croatia. 

Education

• Ph.D. – University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Croatia, 2012. Dissertation title: Ecology of the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus (Montagui, 1821) in the Central Adriatic Sea.

Selected references

Gaspari, Stefania; Holcer, Draško; Mackelworth, Peter Charles; Fortuna, Caterina Maria; Frantzis, Alexandros; Genov, Tilen; Vighi, Morgana; Natali, Chiara; Rako, Nikolina; Banchi, Elisa; Chelazzi, Guido; Ciofi, Claudio. Population genetic structure of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Adriatic Sea and contiguous regions : implications for international conservation. // Aquatic conservation : marine and freshwater ecosystems. 25 (2015) , 2; 212-222 (journal article).

Gaspari, Stefania; Scheinin, Aviad; Holcer, Draško; Fortuna, Caterina Maria; Natali, Chiara; Genov, Tilen; Frantzis, Alexandros; Chelazzi, Guido; Moura, André E.Drivers of Population Structure of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. // Evolutionary biology. 42 (2015) , 2; 177-190 (journal article).

Fortuna, Caterina Maria; Kell, Laurence; Holcer, Draško; Canese, Simonepietro; Filidei Jr., Elio; Mackelworth, Peter Charles; Donovan, Greg. Summer distribution and abundance of the giant devil ray (Mobula mobular) in the Adriatic Sea: Baseline data for an iterative management framework. // Scientia marina. 78 (2014) , 2; 227-237 (journal article).

Herceg Romanić, Snježana; Holcer, Draško; Lazar, Bojan; Klinčić, Darija; Mackelworth, Peter; Fortuna, Caterina Maria. Organochlorine contaminants in tissues of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the northeastern part of the Adriatic Sea. // Environmental toxicology and pharmacology. 38 (2014) , 2; 469-479 (journal article).

Pleslić, Grgur; Rako Gospić, Nikolina; Mackelworth, Peter; Wiemann, Annika; Holcer, Draško; Fortuna, Caterina. The abundance of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the former special marine reserve of the Cres-Lošinj Archipelago, Croatia. // Aquatic conservation : marine and freshwater ecosystems. 24 (2014) , 1; 135-137 (journal article).

Bearzi, G.; Pierantonio, N.; Affronte, M.; Holcer, Draško; Maio, N.; Notarbartolo Di Sciara, G. Overview of sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus mortality events in the Adriatic Sea, 1555–2009. // Mammal review. 41 (2011) , 4; 276-293 (journal article).

Lazar, Bojan; Maslov, Luna; Herceg Romanić, Snježana; Gračan, Romana; Krauthacker, Blanka; Holcer, Draško; Tvrtković, Nikola. Organochlorine contaminants in loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, from the eastern Adriatic Sea. // Chemosphere. 82 (2011) , 1; 121-129 (journal article).