Every July 23, World Whale and Dolphin Day is celebrated, an event promoted in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) with the aim of stopping their indiscriminate hunting and raising awareness of their crucial role in the health of the ocean and the planet.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, commercial whaling has led to the disappearance of nearly three million whales, leaving them on the brink of extinction. Despite the moratorium decreed in 1982 and in force since 1986, countries such as Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to hunt these cetaceans through programs that present themselves as scientific or under commercial quotas. Dolphins are also threatened, both by direct hunting in places such as Taiji (Japan), and by accidental capture in industrial fishing nets.

Whales and dolphins are essential to the balance of marine ecosystems. According to the United Nations, these mammals act as “climate allies” as they store large amounts of carbon in their bodies during their lives and, when they die, that carbon is sequestered on the seafloor for centuries, helping to mitigate climate change. In addition, their nutrient-rich feces stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, the base of the oceanic food chain and responsible for at least 50% of the oxygen we breathe.

However, they face multiple threats derived from human activities: noise and chemical pollution, collisions with boats, reduction of their prey due to overfishing, destruction of habitats and the impact of the climate crisis on their food and reproduction.

To protect them, there are initiatives such as the Agreement on the International Programme for the Conservation of Dolphins, which limits their incidental mortality in tuna fishing and promotes more sustainable harvesting techniques. Marine sanctuaries and protected areas are also promoted to guarantee their survival and that of the biodiversity they support.

PROJECTS WE PROMOTE FOR THE CONSERVATION OF CETACEANS AND THEIR HABITAT

The Biodiversity Foundation promotes various projects and initiatives to protect cetaceans and conserve their marine habitat, contributing to the health of the oceans and the well-being of the planet.

Within the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, we support dolphin research and conservation projects.

One of them is COSTtERA 2: Fishing interaction and behavior of bottlenose dolphins in trawl nets in Catalonia, whose objective is to study the behavior of bottlenose dolphins during their interaction with the fishing nets of trawlers and determine the degree and type of interaction, seeking to ensure the protection of this vulnerable species and the sustainability of fishing activity.

We also have EcoCerco which is evaluating the interaction of the purse seine fleet with cetaceans present in fishing grounds in Galicia and the Basque Country using multi-frequency acoustic deterrent devices to minimise negative interactions. Its objective is to improve the sustainability of gear and continue advancing in the fishing sector’s commitment to the conservation of marine resources and the reduction of impacts on the natural environment.

On the other hand, within the INTEMARES project, and through the actions promoted by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, work has been done to improve knowledge about these species, with the aim of identifying their distribution in our waters, analysing their migration routes, knowing the pressures they face and trying to minimise them through the design of conservation measures.

In this sense, satellite tagging of different species, such as the sperm whale, the fin whale or the pilot whale, is being carried out. In addition, conservation plans are being drawn up for the different groups of cetaceans (mysticetes, deep-diving cetaceans and small dolphins), as strategic instruments aimed at improving their conservation status.

Likewise, within the framework of the project, the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor was declared, an emblematic figure for the protection of these species in our waters. The Ministry is currently working on the preparation of its corresponding management plan.

On the other hand, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, the Foundation has promoted various actions aimed at improving the assistance and rescue of cetaceans stranded on the Spanish coasts thanks to the call for grants for the reinforcement of stranding networks in 2021. Through these initiatives, it has been possible to provide adequate attention to different species of marine mammals located in coastal regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Cantabria or Galicia for their recovery and subsequent release, as well as their maintenance in suitable centres to ensure their survival.

Likewise, in the field of marine conservation, the CETAMED NORTE project stands out, beneficiary of the 2021 call for grants to promote research on biodiversity, which carries out aerial and maritime campaigns to sample marine fauna in the northern area of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor with the aim of expanding knowledge about the populations of whales and dolphins that inhabit or migrate through this area.

Specifically, within the framework of this call, the REVARGAL project stands out, whose objective is to strengthen the Galician Stranding Network, which has cared for more than 9,000 cetaceans in the last 30 years. This initiative not only seeks to pay attention to stranded animals, but also aims to study this problem by taking samples and carrying out analyses in order to provide reliable data that allow a better knowledge of the health of the population and the threats suffered by these animals.