Line of action:

Marine ecosystems

Status:

Finalizado

Execution date:

2021

End date:

2023

Total budget:

€119,134.80

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

€59,567.40

The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) launches the CaboRorcual project to improve knowledge about the presence of the fin whale on the coasts of Dénia and Xàbia, Cabo San Antonio and Cabo de la Nao, which has become an important point for its passage between the months of May and September.

The passage of these animals takes place outside the Maritime Protected Area (APM) of the Mediterranean cetacean migration corridor and the presence of other cetaceans is frequent, especially the bottlenose dolphin, a species of interest within the framework of the Natura 2000 Network.
The study area includes several marine protected areas of this Natura 2000 Network.

The aim is to study the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), the second largest animal on the planet after the blue whale, as it passes through Cabo de la Nao and Canal de Ibiza, as well as the factors that threaten its populations, whose species is classified as vulnerable.

This study, through the use of passive acoustics, satellite monitoring, visual sampling and photoidentification, aims to analyse the presence and origin of fin whale populations, habitat use, risks associated with human activities such as maritime traffic or underwater noise and to assess the suitability of the area for the proposal of a new marine protected area.

Passive acoustic monitoring campaigns will be carried out with anchoring of several acoustic detectors.
A pilot project will also be carried out to mark the animals with satellite transmitters, which will allow their trajectory to be monitored.
Likewise, the risks involved in existing maritime traffic on their routes will be analysed.

Throughout the programme, sampling campaigns will be carried out using visual detection transect and photo identification to check the presence of fin whales, bottlenose dolphins and other marine mammals.

Finally, the suitability of the area to propose it as a new marine protected area or the modification of the limits of the cetacean migration corridor in the Mediterranean will be evaluated.

The results of passive acoustic monitoring indicate that fin whale, the second largest animal in the world, is present in the study area throughout the year. The visual censuses have been carried out in the months of late spring and early summer, a time when the migratory passage of this species had been observed to have intensified. The satellite monitoring has been carried out in two phases: a first learning phase, during the first year, when several fin whale specimens were monitored with the boat in order to learn from their swimming behavior and freediving times in order to be able to carry out the subsequent marking in the most respectful and appropriate way possible for the welfare of the animal. During the second year, the approach was carried out, biopsy samples of two specimens and marking of one of them.

It has also been confirmed, for the first time, that the passage of fin whales that has been observed in the area of Cabo de la Nao involves animals that are migrating to the Atlantic.

Finally, the work carried out has made it possible to obtain data on other species of cetaceans present in the area, such as the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), which has also been photo-identified.

Dissemination days of the project have also been carried out in schools, universities and in the recreational nautical sector of the study area.

Polytechnic University of Valencia