Line of action:

Knowledge generation and management

Status:

Finalizado

Spatial scale of work:

Local-provincial

Line of research:

Energy transition and terrestrial and marine biodiversity

Execution date:

2022

Duration:

01/11/22-30/04/2024

Total budget:

€299,241.84

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

€283,931.00 (94.88%)

The project aims to expand knowledge about the species of cetaceans and turtles present in the northern area of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor, as well as floating litter and other species, so that it can be used both in future management plans of both this Marine Protected Area and conservation plans for the different species.
Within the framework of CETAMED NORTE, aerial and maritime sampling campaigns will be carried out for cetaceans, turtles, floating litter and other species in the northern area of the Corridor (32,652km2). The abundance will be estimated and the distribution of the main species sighted will be modelled.
This information will be essential to work on future conservation plans for the area and the different species of cetaceans and turtles that inhabit it.

The CETAMED NORTE project has significantly improved knowledge about the distribution and abundance of cetaceans, sea turtles and floating debris in the north of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor Marine Protected Area. In this sense, CETAMED NORTE has provided the first estimates of abundance and density of the main species of cetaceans and loggerhead turtles present in this marine protected area. These data allow establishing base values for future studies, which will allow the status of the populations to be monitored, since to date there was not enough and updated data on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans and turtles in the area.

Aerial, maritime and acoustic transects were carried out to cover a total area of 32,700 km2, extending from the north of the Marine Protected Area (MPA), at the height of Cap de Creus, to an imaginary line linking the Ebro Delta with the south of Mallorca, revealing high densities of cetaceans and sea turtles. positioning the northern sector of the Corridor as an area of high importance for marine mammals and sea turtles. On the one hand, in the air campaign, 115 sightings of up to 6 different species of cetaceans (striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, pilot whale, fin whale, sperm whale and Cuvier’s beaked whale) and 89 sea turtles were recorded. On the other hand, in the maritime campaign, 244 whale sightings were made, with the most sighted species being the striped dolphin, the fin whale, the sperm whale, the Cuvier’s beaked whale and the pilot whale.

The results show that the distribution of epipelagic species (striped dolphins, sea turtles and fin whales) within the Cetacean Migratory Corridor is largely determined by the position of the salinity front associated with the North Current, while the distribution of deep divers or mesopelagic and bathypelagic species (pilot whales, pilot whales, turtles Cuvier’s beaked whales and sperm whales) is mainly determined by mesoscale and bathymetric variables. Habitat use models have made it possible to identify the areas preferred by the different species, highlighting the predilection for underwater canyons in Catalonia, areas that currently do not have protection.

In addition, a risk prediction has been made for fin whales and sperm whales in the area to determine the areas with the highest potential risk of collision, with the west and northeast of the corridor being the critical areas for fin whales, during the spring months and the margins of the continental slope of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands for the sperm whale also in spring and the area of Catalonia in autumn.

The project also reveals worrying values of the presence of waste in the area. Its distribution is homogeneous throughout the marine protected area, with a greater concentration in areas where sea turtles are also found.