When Ocean Park first acquired dolphins in 1974, little was known about dolphins in general and almost nothing known about the species of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops aduncus, found here in Asian waters. In fact, little was known about any of the cetaceans found in Asian waters before Ocean Park founded the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation in 1993 to support marine mammal research in this region. Since the founding of OPCFHK, over $14 million has been spent on over 100 projects to support cetacean conservation across Asia through research studies, community education and capacity building of young conservationists.