Drones have become a crucial research tool across marine environments over the past decade, being specifically useful in marine mammal research. Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) have been monitored feeding along the Catalan coast, Spain (NW Mediterranean), since 2014. To overcome issues such as the distance between a whale and a research vessel or the lack of distinctive dorsal fin features, an aerial identification technique was developed. It uses the fin whales’ characteristic central chevron pattern (CCP) and blaze, which are clearly visible from an overhead position. A total of 237 individual whales were identified between 2015–2022 in this study area, of which there were 35 interannual recaptures. While the dorsal fin may undergo modifications over time, the CCP and blaze patterns did not naturally alter over the years, with one whale displaying the same characteristics 8 years apart between the first and the most recent sightings. As such, this coloration pattern provides a reliable identification feature to be used for the interannual identification and population monitoring of fin whales using drones. This novel technique aims to improve and unify this species cataloguing overseas by using the CCP and blaze obtained from UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) zenithal videos as a robust identification tool.

Ship strikes are a widespread conservation issue for many cetacean species globally. Population level impacts depend on the occurrence and severity of collisions, which may lead to life altering injuries or fatalities. Such impacts are a major concern for large, long-lived, and reproductively slow species like the fin whale. Since 2014, a seasonal feeding aggregation of fin whales has been monitored from February to June off the Catalan coast (Spain), in the northwest Mediterranean Sea. Oceanographical factors influence the occurrence and high density of krill within submarine canyons along the continental shelf, resulting in high whale abundance within a small spatial area. The study area extends 37 km offshore across a 1,944 km2 marine strip situated between the towns of Torredembarra and Castelldefels. This fin whale feeding ground is exposed to high density marine vessel traffic, given its location between the northern Mediterranean shipping lane, which links Barcelona and Tarragona Ports to the Atlantic Ocean and wider Mediterranean Basin. Ship strikes represent the greatest conservation threat for fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea. At least four fin whales have been found dead in Barcelona Port since 1986 due to ship strikes and seven live whales have been documented with injuries in the study area since 2018. Fin whale distribution was mapped with known high-risk marine vessels’ (cargo, tanker and passenger vessels) shipping lanes. Vessel density and shipping lanes characterised by speed were considered. Collision risk was estimated monthly based on the predicted fin whale occurrence and traffic density. Several shipping lanes crossed the fin whale feeding habitat every month with an average speed of 15 kn. Cargo vessels displayed the highest ship-strike risk during April, overlapping with the peak of fin whale sightings in the critical feeding area. Slower vessel speeds (8 kn) in waters <200 m depth or along the continental shelf should be implemented along the Catalan coast, during the whale season. These suggestions should be applied into the Barcelona Port transport separation scheme. Ship strike risk for this species will persist unless active management plans are adapted in the region to mitigate its risk.

Ten species of cetaceans coexist in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the richest seas in biodiversity and endemisms worldwide. The conservation status of Mediterranean cetaceans has been a concern for many years, particularly due to increasing anthropogenic threats such as global warming and overfishing. We established the stable isotopic niches of carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur for five species of cetaceans inhabiting the northwestern Mediterranean Sea to elucidate the mechanisms of coexistence. The fin whale exploited epipelagic habitats with a low trophic level; the bottlenose dolphin was mostly neritic and had a high trophic level; the Risso’s dolphin was oceanic and fed bathypelagically and at a high trophic level; finally, the common and striped dolphins displayed epipelagic distributions and similarly intermediate trophic levels. The isotopic niches of all species were exclusive except the common and striped dolphins, whose niches overlapped by 20%. These results suggest that the majority of species avoid competitive exclusion by trophic or spatial segregation with the exception of striped and common dolphins, in which interspecific competition is apparent. It is suggested that this competition brought the striped dolphin to displace the common dolphin from part of its distribution range, restricting it to the southern fringe of the western Mediterranean and, particularly, to the Alboran Sea. In this area, coexistence of the two species would be permitted by some degree of spatial segregation between them and a remarkably high productivity, all which mitigate competition.

The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is sighted off the coast of Garraf (northwestern Mediterranean) between March and May. Sightings occur mainly in an area at the edge of the continental shelf and near the Foix canyon, which is characterised by a high production of krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica). In this study, we relate sightings between 2014 and 2018 to satellite-measured chlorophyll as a proxy for system production. The largest number of sightings is in April, about a month later than the maximum chlorophyll peak. Throughout the year, sightings have a very high relationship with chlorophyll except for 2018, which is an outlier. Despite the variability in the sightings data, by cross-correlating, there is a trend between the number of sightings in the area of maximum sightings and chlorophyll some twenty-four days earlier. It seems, therefore, that fin whales find in the Garraf an area where they can feed while on their annual migratory route.

The low number of f in whales Balaenoptera physalus L.) from Mediterranean wate rs presents a very fragmented distribution . The presence of this species in the Catalan coast has been confirmed by different studies. A semivariogram analysis conclude s that the maximum spatial variability is 15.86 km², much higher than in other areas . I n order t o predict the fin whale distribution an Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) was constructed . ANN incorporates four input variables: salinity (SSS), temperature (SST), chlorophyll (CHL) and bathymetry (BAT) and an output variable , the presence (1) or absence (0) of animals. T he best multilayer perceptron was formed by 1 5:10:3 neurons with a C index of 0.979 which it is highly reliable. M onthly distribution maps have been constructed for different years using QGIS. These show a high spatial variabili ty probably caused by large masses of krill that are very seasonal but enough abundant to attract animals. The association of fin whales with decreases of SSS confirms that adjacent rivers must provide essential nutrients that caused these seasonal krill e xplosion . Our results suggest that the Catalonian population is a connect ion area between the fin whales from Ligurian Sea and the Atlantic.

Ship strikes are becoming an increasing and widespread issue for large marine mammal populations, being the most significant threat for fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea. Most of these fatalities are unknown events, as most of the whale species sink when they die. To reduce the collision risk, different methodologies have been implemented. Thermal cameras have been tried recently to automatically detect cetaceans, mainly whales.  Even though some organisations have successfully done this automatic detection, there is still no standardised method. Since 2014, the Fin Whale Project has been carried out on the Catalan Coast feeding ground in spring. In 2022 a total of 47 surveys were performed in which 110 fin whale sightings were recorded. From May to mid-June this year, an M364C LR FLIR thermal camera was installed at the top of the mast of a sailing catamaran, 21 meters above mean sea level, aiming to get a new perspective on how to implement thermal cameras to decrease the risk of collision for whales in high-risk areas. This technology was implemented in 14 days of fin whale sightings, recording more than 35 hours along 38 sightings, being able to detect whales up to 1km, depending on the meteorological and oceanographic conditions. The images obtained are being used to train a machine-learning model that aims to identify the whales’ blows and bodies and mark their direction. The animal’s position and direction are mapped together with a probable appearance area for each ship-whale encounter in the monitored zone, covering a 120-degree angle at the vessel’s bow. A smaller 60-degree risk zone is also drawn, indicating the high collision risk area. By implementing this model in merchant’s vessels, we might reduce ship strikes and have a better idea of the number of ship-whale encounters.

A preliminary study on data collection combining land-based fix stations and vessels to monitor the migration of fin whales between Valencia and the Strait of Gibraltar during their movements towards the Atlantic is presented. Different entities as the Poliytechnic University of Valencia, Laboratory of Marine Biology (University of Seville), Ecolocaliza and Migres Foundation, deployed three land-stations located along the south-eastern coast of Spain. Photo ID information was collected by EDMAKTUB and UPV vessel in Valencia, Ecolocaliza in La Línea de la Concepción and the Whale Watching company, Turmares in Tarifa. From the 11th of June to the 30th of July all entities were actively observing and obtaining information from the different geographical areas. Three matchings of photo ID were obtained between Valencia and the Strait of Gibraltar and the timing of migration between the two locations was averaged. The coastal distance between the three stations was calculated, therefore the speed of the whales between the stations. Whales speed´s signification was analysed thorough the non-parametric Wilcoxon median test resulting non-significant. Several lapses of days were assumed between the number of individuals of the different stations to prove that the swimming speed coincided with the averaged through the Photo-ID matching times. Taking in consideration that photo-ID matchings were limited due to the difference in photographed sides of the whales between entities, the uniformity of protocol and the collaboration of entities along the coast of Spain can provide very important information in the fin whales migration routes and their timing of arrivals to the Strait of Gibraltar which could contribute to the management and conservation of this species in human impacted environments and heavy maritime traffic routes.

Fin whale is the largest species in the Mediterranean Sea and is known to perform long seasonal migrations. Just in the Western Mediterranean Sea, along the Spanish coastline, fin whales have been observed to migrate southwards in summer and northwards in winter, contrary to traditional observations, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. We investigated fin whale acoustic presence along the Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula coast by analysing more than 9400 hours of Passive Acoustic Monitoring recordings. Seven locations were monitored within the framework of four projects (LIFE PortSounds, Fin Whale Project, CaboRorcual Project and additional data coming from IEO-CSIC acquired in the framework of MSFD D11 implementation) between June 2021 and September 2022. The locations include the Garraf coast (Northwest Mediterranean Sea), San Antonio and Nao Capes (three different locations), Mazarrón escarpments (SAC), Almería coast and the Gulf of Cadiz. We found all the different types of sounds described as fin whale vocalisations: 20Hz pulses, in some cases attached with 130Hz pulses, 80-40Hz down-sweep sounds and Backbeats. On the Garraf coast, the fin whale acoustic activity was found almost daily in April and the first weeks of May. In San Antonio and Nao Capes, we found fin whale acoustic presence almost throughout the year, with a peak of detections during summer. In Mazarrón and Almería, the most abundant sounds found were 80-40Hz down-sweeps. Finally, in the Gulf of Cadiz, the analysis was more difficult to perform than in the other cases because of the high noise levels due to marine traffic. These results highlight some new areas (Garraf coast, Nao Cape) that should be considered necessary for managing this vulnerable species.

In conservation practices, assessing cetaceans’ population structure and reproductive status is crucial. When dealing with large cetaceans, non-invasive sampling, focusing on blubber biopsies, is a principal methodology. Present work reports about the analysis of sexual hormones in 39 blubber samples from Spanish fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) to evaluate the usefulness of this tissue for sex and reproductive status determination. Biopsy samples were obtained in 2019 and 2021 with a crossbow type Barnett 150 pounds during EDMAKTUB‟s Fin Whale Project 2021 along the Catalan Coast, Northeast Spain, a recently described feeding ground. Samples (0.05 g minimum) were extracted with ethanol, and extracts were reconstituted with 0.5 ml of 5% ethanol and analyzed with commercially available ELISA kits for testosterone (T), progesterone (P4), and estradiol (E2). Genetic analyses were performed to determine the sex of each whale. A P4/T and E2/T ratio was calculated, as these parameters are commonly used for sex determination. The results were compared with those of some recent studies to analyze in females what the reproductive status might be, and in males, whether dominant ones were related to elevated Testosterone levels. No statistical difference was found between males and females in any of the hormones due to the high standard deviation observed in males for all hormones considered. A good correspondence between genetic and hormonal sex determination was found, although some mismatches were found. Compared with known reported levels indicative of pregnancy and lactation in fin and humpback whales and dominance in male humpbacks, a few females seem to be pregnant, as from E2 and P4 levels. Testosterone levels are high in all whales, being them females or males. Obtained results indicate how blubber could be helpful in sex and physiological status determination for conservation purposes.

Ship strikes are a widespread and concerning conservation issue for many marine mammal species globally, being the greatest threat for fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea. Population level impacts can occur depending on the occurrence and severity of collisions which may lead to life altering injuries or fatalities.  Since 2014, a seasonal feeding aggregation of fin whales has been monitored annually from March to May off the Catalan coast, northeast Spain in the northwest Mediterranean Sea. Fin whale presence is driven by the presence of northern krill found around submarine canyons and the end of the continental shelf.  A high abundance of fin whale sightings has been recorded. The study area covers a region between Ametlla de Mar and Palamós, with the collaboration of fishermen and sailors. The whole area is exposed to a high marine traffic density as it features Barcelona and Tarragona harbours that have major shipping lanes linking these ports to the Atlantic Ocean and the rest of the Mediterranean basin. Almost 3 million merchant vessels call to these important trading ports during the fin whale season. Seven individual live whales have been documented with injuries in the study area since 2018. At least three whales have been found dead in Barcelona Port since 1986 due to vessel collisions. Shipping lanes and fin whale presence were mapped from March to May 2021. A high collision risk map has been evaluated by month, indicating that April and May had the highest risk for collisions. An active management plan is required to slow vessel speeds and alter the route during critical feeding periods to further reduce the collision risk posed to fin whales off the Catalan coast. This could be the basis for the designation of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area under the framework of the International Maritime Organization.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, drones) are a novel, economical and non-invasive tool for cetacean observation and monitoring. During the Fin whale Project, conducted along the Garraf coast (NE Iberian Peninsula), drones have been used since 2015 in order to obtain behavioural data, monitor body condition as well as to identify fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) individuals. Since 2014, 266 fin whale sightings have been recorded off the Garraf coast and 145 individuals have been identified through traditional photo-identification. For each fin whale sighting, when weather conditions were favourable, a DJI drone was launched from the research vessel. The drone was usually flown between 5m to 30m altitude and whales showed no behavioural response towards the UAV. High-resolution vertical images of the whale’s chevron have been analysed and a total of 84 different patterns (individuals) have been catalogued. 60 of these patterns were associated to their dorsal fin photo (taken from the boat). While from a research vessel it is just possible to get the photography of the right or left chevron pigmentation pattern, from the drone point of view it is possible to observe the whole chevron pattern, especially the chevron’s central pattern (CCP) where left and right chevron’s lines join. Every fin whale recorded with the UAV had a unique CCP that together with the blaze shape turned out to be a unique pattern not possible to observe from a vessel. Animals with weak chevron pigmentation or not distinctive dorsal fin that were not consistently available to match by photos taken from the boat, were successfully identified after analysing their CCP. This new fin whale photo-id methodology has a high potential as a tool for individual and population monitoring, behavioural studies from UAVs videos (tracking each individual while studying its diving pattern, movements and interactions within groups) and morphometric analysis.

The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) moves every spring season through the Catalan coast and the Catalano-Balearic Sea. Since 2014, from March to May, visual maritime surveys consisting of random transects have been conducted and sightings data has been recorded. The study area is a coastal zone of more than 1300 km2 and extends until 15 miles offshore. The presence and distribution of fin whales in the area has been studied; differences between seasons have been observed in number of animals and their spatial and time distribution. In addition, behavioral data has been collected, having recorded mainly foraging and feeding behavior. For this reason, we aimed to analyze the influence of the coast on the fin whale presence. A comparative study has been done considering the next variables: presence and distribution of fin whales, chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SAL), as well as rainfall inputs on land (in a 50 km radius from study area). For the analysis, 8 day and monthly resolution data of oceanographic variables and monthly rainfall inputs have been used. The rainfall has been related with and increment of phytoplankton; satellite chlorophyll has been used as a proxy of phytoplankton biomass. There is a positive Pearson correlation between rainfall and chlorophyll-a concentration. And a positive non-significant correlation between rainfall and fin whale sightings with an offset of one month. An offset of 2-3 weeks has been found between chlorophyll concentration and whale sightings. Moreover, crosscorrelations show a relationship between the presence of fin whales and the oceanographic variables chlorophyll-a, SST and SAL, and rainfall. Thus, the coastal inputs in this area have a high impact in the presence of fin whales, since less rainfall on land in the previous weeks cause a decrease of the fin whales observed. Enforcing it as a feeding ground.

Photogrammetry is a method that has been used to measure different characteristics of cetaceans. However, it is mostly based on the use of laser-metrics from vessels, or aerial photographs from aircrafts. We propose a non-invasive and coasteffective option, which can be used at sea, simultaneously with photo-identification techniques for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). We explored the usage of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, drone) images and videos to develop a new measurement method of individual fin whales off the Catalan coast. The drone-made videos enabled us to acquire a large amount of high-resolution vertical images of the head and the full body of the same individual and implement relative measurements. Due to the subsequent images, we were also able to account for measurement errors and the variability of these characteristics. In the present study, we obtained 427 videos over a 4 years period from 2015 to 2018. Due to the unique pattern of the chevron of fin whales, we were able to identify 84 animals, from which we selected a subset of 30 individuals for measurements, which had the best footage of the desired body axis. The relative measurements of the head and body were used to estimate full body length and the leanness with the size of the girth. We compared the relative values with the size of the boat, but also with other individuals, the data of the same individual within the year and between years, to see if there is growth and to examine the longevity of the characteristics. Such data are important, since it can provide information on the species. The acquired ratios can further be used to estimate body condition and nutritional status, and as such the health of the individual, which is crucial for our knowledge of the survival of the animal and the population.

Ship strikes are a major non-natural source of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mortality in the Mediterranean Sea, as has been proven in the past and possibly pose a sinister threat for the health of this understudied population, or as recent insight suggests, populations. Even though these problematics have already been a focus of a previously done research for a certain part of the Mediterranean, this study focuses on the negative relationship between the fin whale spatial distribution and the trajectory of cargo ships in front of the Garraf Coast, Balearic Sea. This study is a part of a much larger overall and ongoing multiannual research of fin whales frequenting the nutrient rich area of the Garraf coastal waters in the spring season. Using the sightings data that was acquired over the years it was possible to gain insight into the distribution pattern of the whales in the research area, as well as attain data of shipping tracks from cargo vessels that pass through the research area. In addition, local fishermen shared the location of several whale bones from carcasses that they fished out, suggesting possible collision events. By mapping fin whale distribution in the Garraf coastal area against the marine traffic data, this study proves a considerable spatial overlap within this fin whale feeding ground and the marine traffic, exposing that the discussed area is one with a high probability of ship strikes and also locates the most problematic hotspots in the area. Furthermore, the bones found in the area by the fishermen contribute to the notion that ship strikes do happen, but are largely unreported. The presented study serves as a warning and hopefully an instigator for stakeholders to take action towards mitigation policies, as well as a benchmark when those policies begin implementation.

Detecting weak population structure based on estimates of allele/haplotype frequency divergence alone depends on the degree of divergence, statistical power and genetic markers, but holds low power at “ecological” dispersal rates. Kinship-based methods, on the other hand, are better suited at “ecological” rates and complementing traditional population genetic approaches. We combined conventional F-statistics and coalescence methods with kinship-based approaches to assess the population structure of the North Atlantic (NA) and Mediterranean Sea (MED) fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). An analysis based upon 20 microsatellite loci and 450 base pair mitochondrial DNA control region sequences from ~1,600 individuals identified a break in gene flow between the NA and MED (FST = 0.005, P < 0.001 and FST = 0.17, P < 0.001 for nuclear and mitochondrial markers, respectively), connected by asymmetric gene flow. Among NA sampling areas, a low degree of isolation-bydistance was detected between the western and eastern NA at both nuclear (r = 0.30, P = 0.018) and mitochondrial (r = 0.32, P = 0.016) markers. Average pairwise relatedness among individuals was higher within compared to between regions (t = -10.62, d.f. = 911.83, P < 0.001). We identified 140 parent-offspring dyads among which were 125 dyads with both individuals sampled in the same area and 15 dyads where members were sampled in different areas, ranging up to 3,300 km apart. In the western NA, evidence of weak, fine-scale structuring was detected between the Gulf of Maine and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The high within-area relatedness coupled with substantial connectivity among areas suggests that fin whale migratory behaviour differs from species with wellcharacterised seasonal migratory patterns, such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). While fin whales have the capacity of wide-ranging movements, the low heterogeneity among areas was consistent with maternally-directed sitefidelity and short-range seasonal movements.

Heteroplasmy is defined as the presence of two or more different mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes in one individual. Heteroplasmy can arise from insertions or deletions (length heteroplasmy) or single nucleotide substitutions (point heteroplasmy). The phenomenon has been widely studied in humans and model species; however, reports from non-model species are rare, possibly because heteroplasmy was undetected or ignored during sequencing. Among cetaceans, a few studies have reported heteroplasmy and speculated on its possible effects, suggesting that heteroplasmy could be rare or simply ignored. The aim of the present study was to assess and confirm point heteroplasmies, as well as to determine their frequency in five baleen whale species. We analyzed 10,748 mtDNA sequence electropherograms of the mitochondrial control region obtained by Sanger sequencing. A pipeline was developed to detect potential heteroplasmy by analyzing chromatogram peak heights. Potential heteroplasmies were subsequently verified experimentally. A total of 7,882 samples were assessed, among which 326 (4,1%) presented potential point heteroplasmy at more than 35 different nucleotide positions. These results indicated that heteroplasmy is more frequent than previously reported. Several heteroplasmies were tracked across multiple generations, providing insights into the introduction of new mtDNA haplotypes. Ignoring heteroplasmy might bias relatedness analyses as well as estimates of genetic diversity and mtDNA mutation rates. Thus, it is extremely important to develop efficient ways to detect and verify heteroplasmy.

The Garraf coast, situated between Barcelona and Tarragona, is recognised to be of ecological importance as part of the Natura 2000 network and Plan for Areas of Natural Interest (PEIN – Plan de Espacios de Interés Natural). It has been declared both Site of Community Importance (SCI) and Special Protection Area (SPA) for the conservation of wild birds. In the scope of the Fin whale Project, the EDMAKTUB Association has studied the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) presence in the area since 2011. The research includes almost daily random transect surveys with visual detection, and acoustic surveying on-board and from a stationary buoy. The Garraf Marine Area comprises specific geographical and environmental conditions that favour the growth of northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica), and when present, the whales often show feeding and defecating behaviour. There is no obvious unidirectional migratory movement through this feeding ground, but the findings point to a complex opportunistic feeding behaviour with intra-seasonal and inter-annual reoccurrence of individuals. Every spring, and particularly from March to May, the area serves as a foraging hotspot for fin whales, and site fidelity of individuals across years indicates its importance. Remarkably, the acoustic survey of 2015 and 2016 showed no typical 20 Hz pulses, and only very rare higher frequency downsweeps that could have been produced by fin whales. This could concur with other studies in that the whales hardly vocalize during feeding. However, the signals might have been masked by fish sounds with high SNR, at least in 2016. This study contributes to the knowledge on the abundance and population trends of several cetacean and other marine species, and depicts the importance of the Garraf Marine Area as a feeding ground for the Mediterranean fin whale.

Recent studies conducted by EDMAKTUB Association have proved that fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) visit the area of the Garraf coast (North-eastern Iberian Peninsula) every year during spring season, displaying travelling, foraging and feeding behaviours. The Garraf coastline is composed of shallow waters situated between the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona (North-western Mediterranean). After two years of initial research (2011-2013) followed by a two-year of rigorous study (2014-2015), important changes have been seen both in abundance of fin whales and the timing of their appearance. From February to June, visual maritime surveys consisting of random transects were conducted with a 14m catamaran as a research platform. Moreover, local fishermen and sailors have reinforced the results by contributing data. A total of 4820km were travelled while surveying the area over 112 days (over a two-year period) resulting in 84 fin whale sightings. All the animals were found at a distance of 8 to 20km from the coast (at a depth of 50-200m). However, despite the high encounter rate (0.0144sightings/km), an important decrease in the sightings has been noticed during 2015, reducing the annual encounter rate from 0.0201 in 2014 to 0.0087sightings/km. Therefore, the main environmental parameters related to their distribution have been studied: chlorophyll concentration (Chla), Sea Surface Temperature (SST), bathymetry, and even droughts during the winter and spring seasons. The results showed that the Chla concentration decrease and therefore, food availability, seems to be the main cause of the variation in abundance and distribution of the animals observed in the zone during 2015. These results would reaffirm the Catalan waters as a feeding ground for whales during its migration. We stress the need for a long-term monitoring program to take place in order to clarify the factors that define the presence of fin whales and their behaviour in this region.

In the present study we have taken advantage of a generalized logistic regression model (GLM) to explain the functionality of the distribution of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in Catalonian Coasts. The GLM is the best possible choice due to the need of fitting data of presence/absence (1/0) with a non-normal distribution of errors. The significant parameters of GLM model were Surface Sea Temperature (SST in Celsius degrees), Chlorophyll content (CL in mg/m3) and Bathymetry (BT in meters). The final model correlated the Probability of fin whales (PFW) with SST, CL and BT using the following equation:
PFW = -0.57*CL – 1.4*SST – 0.04*BT + 4.34*CL*SST + 0.03*CL*BT + 0.002*SST*BT + 16.42
A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated to illustrate the performance of a binary classifier system as a function of the discrimination threshold. A value of 0.924 has been obtained for the C-index, a generalization of the area under the ROC curve (AUC), a parameter that measures the correlation between the predicted (continuous variable) and the observed presence (binary variable) of fin whales. Our model yields results in good agreement with observations based in the use of drones to investigate the feeding behavior of fin whales, likely using surface plankton as the main food in the area counteracting the seasonal eutrophication. Therefore, our methodological approach can be useful for the identification of the main factors that affect theseasonal distribution of fin whales in Catalonian Coasts.

New technologies implementation in marine mammal research is a need. The recent use of radio-controlled airmodels, drones or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) in this field has led to broaden the study techniques and thus to improve the knowledge about these species. The development of a wide variety of commercial hobby or recreational models, with a consequent cost reduction and constant upgrading, allows currently to raise its application in a larger range of circumstances. In this study a drone model DJI Phantom 2 with a GOPRO Hero 3+ has been used. The flights were performed from the 47ft catamaran research platform of the EDMAKTUB Association. During 2015 surveys, high definition aerial video recordings were obtained of several cetacean species, particularly fin whale (Baleanoptera physalus) and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). The images filmed show a zenital vision providing not only the sight of surfacing animals but also diving ones reaching some meters of depth depending on water transparency. Thus, many information is obtained regarding behaviour, activity, group size and structure. At the same time, the approach without or with minimal disturbance allows to develop novel techniques, as blow sampling and gathering data from captured pictures. Images analysis of pigmentation patterns or characteristic details offer new tools for photo-identification. The large possibilities of these modern technologies will depend on the objective and the species to be studied. Anyway, drones have been proven to be a valuable intrument for cetacean observation from a perspective unachievable from any other research platform.

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) visit the Catalan coast (between Barcelona and Tarragona) every year. Our study focuses mainly on the Garraf coast (central-south Catalonia), covering an area of 840 km2, where these animals are found between February and June, from 4 miles offshore. Since 2011, EDMAKTUB is witnessing the presence of these marine mammals, but the Fin Whale Project began in 2013. This is a long-term study focused on increasing the knowledge of these animals, investigating the reasons for their annual presence and developing a photo-identification catalogue. Up to date, a total of 111 animals were sighted, of which 58 individuals have been catalogued. These were classified visually, following the methodology of dorsal fin profile presented by Agler et al. (1990) and determining the presence/absence of notches within the fin. The chevron and the different marks and scars occurring in the skin were also analysed and took into account. 7 animals were observed on successive days during the same year and 5 were recaptured in subsequent years, sighting one of these specimens during three different years (2011, 2014 and 2015). Moreover, EDMAKTUB Association is developing a new fin whale photo-identification methodology through the analysis of aerial images taken with a drone. It is necessary to continue and strengthen the research through a monitoring program in collaboration with other organizations, in order to compare photo-identification catalogues and identify the fin whale migration along the Mediterranean Sea.

Since 2013 the EDMAKTUB association develops the ‘Fin whale Project’, a long-term study on the fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) presence during their migration along the Garraf coast (South of Barcelona coast) from February to June. One of the main objectives is a two-way collaboration, making known this situation to stakeholders operating along the entire Catalonian coast and receiving their practical information about the area. As a consequence, a network of contacts with sailors, recreational and commercial fishermen (Vilanova i la Geltrú, Tarragona and Barcelona guilds) has been established. Supplying information to Edmaktub activates the involvement of a part of the seamen community in a scientific investigation project. Constant communication with these opportunistic platforms, which interact with different cetacean species, offers a more extended study area for obtaining data. They provide fin whales’ sightings and their GPS position, with photos and/or videos via mobile phone or via VHF radio in real time, a posteriori and also outside the project’s principal study period. This network has been expanding and getting stronger during the two-year research. As a result, the percentage of sightings provided by the contacts network increased from 28% of the total sightings in 2014 to almost 50% next year. During the study period more than 40 sightings were reported by fishermen and sailors, highlighting the value of their participation. The cooperation and the involvement of stakeholders are fundamental for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, maintaining and expanding this dynamic collaboration with the opportunistic platforms as a form of citizen science is of high importance.

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are known to migrate every spring along the Catalonian coast (North-Western Mediterranean) towards the Ligurian-Corsican-Provençal Basin. However, there is a specific small area within Catalonian shallow waters which fin whales visit every year from February to June. Despite being a remarkable location for their distribution, no studies have previously been carried out in this area. The ‘Fin whale project’ performed by EDMAKTUB Association is the first study conducted in the area. During 2014, visual maritime surveys consisting of random transects were conducted with a 47 ft. catamaran as research platform. After 4 months of study, 51 single-day surveys have been conducted with a total of 2300km travelled within the 840 km2 study area. Furthermore, 62 fin whale individuals were sighted at a distance of between 8km to 25km from the coast (50 to 200m depth), of which 48 individuals have been identified by photo-ID. Additionally, there were re-sightings of some individuals over several days. Sightings consisted of single individuals and groups of up to 4 individuals. We observed mainly foraging and resting behaviours, as well as travelling and feeding behaviours (red-stained faeces evidence). The results highlight the importance of this area since it is a small region of shallow waters close to the coast with a high rate of fin whale encounters and where unexpected foraging and feeding behaviours are observed (denoting a potential feeding ground). Since no similar situation has been described before in the NW-Mediterranean, except for the Ligurian Sea, this new data could contribute to a better understanding of fin whales’ distribution. We stress the need for a long-term monitoring program in order to define the factors that explain fin whales’ high presence and behaviour in this region, as well as to determine their identity using blow sampling techniques for genetic studies.

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) migrate every year along the Catalan coast, across the Balearic Sea (north-western Mediterranean basin). Despite being previously unknown by the scientific community, sightings are common in the Garraf area (central-south Catalonia) wherein local fishermen have reported to have seen them for decades. However, fin whales’ migration movements within the Mediterranean are still poorly understood. Edmaktub association has conducted the first dedicated systematic study of fin whales (part of our long-term ‘Fin whale project’), in order to investigate their presence within the Garraf area. Visual surveys were conducted through random transects on our dedicated research boat (a 47ft catamaran); with a total of 2,300 km sailed throughout the four-month study period (March-June 2014). 1,188 photographs were obtained. These were then classified according to the quality and distinctiveness of individuals based on their dorsal fin and “chevron” patterns, resulting in a photographic efficiency ratio (valid photographs divided by all pictures taken) of 59.68% and a photo-identification efficiency ratio (photo-identified specimens divided by the total observed) of 77.42%. We registered a total of 62 sightings, from which 48 individuals have been identified to date following photo-ID standardized methodology. Feeding activity was detected (red-stained faeces observed provided evidence), a behaviour never described before in the area but which actually enabled us to obtain decent photo-ID data. We hereby present new evidence for a potential strategic foraging habitat for fin whales during their migrations, which is in turn an area of recognized ecological importance (a ‘Natura 2000 Network’ marine protected area and Site of Community Importance). We therefore stress the need for further research through a basin-wide monitoring program through which we can compare all existing photo-identification catalogues, in order to identify each individual’s population origin and study fin whales’ migration movements within the Mediterranean (necessary to provide proper conservation measures).

Collaboration between local fishermen and scientists has contributed to a better understanding of marine species in many cases. EDMAKTUB association carried out a study on the annual presence of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Garraf coast (central-south Catalonia) from February to June 2014, as part of the long-term ‘Fin whale Project’. One of the most important aims of this project is to establish a network of contacts with local fishermen from three different guilds within the study area (Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona and Tarragona). In order to confirm fin whale presence in the Garraf coast, EDMAKTUB first conducted interviews with fishermen who used different fishing gears and who have more than 20 years of fishing experience. All interviewees confirmed fin whales’ annual presence within the Garraf area and reported that every year they have been able to see them most frequently during spring season. They usually encountered single fin whale individuals, although some stated to have seen two individuals, at about 5-6 miles from the coast (the same was observed throughout our dedicated study this year). Among the fishermen interviewed, 43% contributed actively as a citizen scientist by providing us with fin whales’ sightings and their exact GPS position. After our dedicated study in the area, we have now been able to confirm a previously unknown presence of fin whales within the Garraf coast. These findings together with the interviewees’ accounts highlight the importance of the study area for fin whales in the Mediterranean. Interviews constitute therefore an important management tool, contributing to an improved knowledge of cetacean species and consequently their conservation. The network created by the collaboration between scientists and the fishing industry could also constitute a marine stewardship that would allow for an appropriate conservation management plan to be applied within the Garraf area.

Coming soon

Coming soon

El patrón de distribución y migración del rorcual común (Balaenoptera physalus) en el Mar Mediterráneo es aún poco conocido. El Proyecto Rorcual, desarrollado por la Asociación Edmaktub, estudia la presencia estacional de ésta especie a lo largo de la costa catalana desde el 2014 y elabora un catálogo que asciende a 117 individuos, incluyendo 29 de la temporada de 2017. Gracias a la fotoidentificación se ha constatado que 11 individuos catalogados fueron vistos de nuevo en años posteriores. Destacan casos como el de “Bp_001”, con seis años de distancia entre avistamientos, y “Bp_005”, visto desde que se inició el catálogo, en 16 ocasiones y 4 años consecutivos. 21 individuos han sido avistados más de una vez el mismo año, siendo común los encuentros en días consecutivos (de 2 a 6 días). Es de especial interés la distancia entre recapturas en días no consecutivos, habiendo hasta 48 días entre el primer y último avistamiento. Este año se ha podido observar una madre con su cría en dos ocasiones con 15 días de diferencia. El retorno a la zona del Garraf año tras año, y la distancia entre avistamientos de un individuo en un mismo año, indican cierta fidelidad y permanencia de estos animales en las Costas Catalanas. Estos datos sugieren que la región no se trata sólo de una zona de paso sino también de alimentación, puesto que los individuos permanecen varios días en ésta área. Cabe decir, que el uso del dron ha facilitado la identificación de los individuos, ya que el patrón del chevron es más fácilmente reconocible desde una perspectiva perpendicular. 29 de los 35 individuos identificados esta temporada se han registrado con el dron. Proponemos su uso como nueva metodología para la identificación de esta especie.

El rorcual común (Balaenoptera physalus) transita cada primavera el noroeste de la cuenca Mediterránea del mar Balear. La zona de las costas del Garraf ha sido el área estudiada por la asociación EDMAKTUB desde el año 2014 anualmente de marzo a junio. Durante el mismo se realizan transectos aleatorios en un área total de 840 km2 en los cuales se registra el máximo de información de los ejemplares avistados. Durante la campaña del Proyecto Rorcual 2017 se ha ampliado el seguimiento a alta mar y la costa valenciana de Denia; incorporando el estudio del comportamiento de esta especie. Se ha combinado la observación del comportamiento desde un catamarán de 14m de eslora como plataforma de investigación con las grabaciones de los animales realizadas desde un dron. El seguimiento de los distintos rorcuales avistados ha permitido registrar los patrones de respiración de cada individuo junto a los siguientes datos: coordenadas, ángulo y distancia respecto al barco y posición que adopta el animal. Se ha extraído la trayectoria de los rorcuales construyendo un mapa de comportamiento para cada individuo. La mayoría de individuos observados realizaban recorridos no-lineales (circular, zig-zag, etc) relacionados con comportamientos de búsqueda de alimento o alimentación. El comportamiento descrito es distinto al observado también al finalizar la temporada en el Garraf y en Denia. En un período de dos semanas a principios de junio, los ejemplares avistados han sido registrados de la misma manera, observando una clara trayectoria lineal y una velocidad constante, sin observar en ningún momento, comportamiento de alimentación. Estos datos junto con la grabación simultánea del dron nos han permitido confirmar y concluir que el rorcual común presenta un comportamiento de alimentación en el Mar Balear y especialmente en las costas del Garraf a finales de invierno y principio de primavera. Desplazandose posteriormennte a otras zonas.

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