The Fin Whale Project is a study approved by the (Servei de Biodiversitat i Protecció dels Animals of the Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural of the Generalitat de Catalunya). With this project we expect to expand our knowledge about the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean Sea.
EL RORQUAL COMÚ
The Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)is the second largest animal of the planet, after the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Adults can reach a body length of 22 meters, but the mean length in the Mediterranean Sea is 19 meters. The fin whale was a really abundant whale in the past, but its population depleted seriously during the first decades of the 20th century due to the commercial exploitation of the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The fin whale of the Mediterranean is listed on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature under ([IUCN])(http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/16208224/0)) as a vulnerable species. The Mediterranean subpopulation of the fin whale is estimated around 5000 individuals and its distribution has not been totally described yet. Therefore it is essential to expand our knowledge on this species to be able to develop more effective conservation measures.
There have been several fin whale sightings off the central Catalan coast during the past years, but the reasons why this individuals have been spotted there, specially during spring -but also autumn- are still unknown. It is well known that many fin whale individuals are gathered in the Ligurian Sea during the summer and have a much more spread distribution in winter. Some areas like the Alboran Sea are especially important during the winter for this species. Other individuals migrate every year from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ligurian Sea to feed during summer and then go back to the Atlantic. Even though we know many aspects of the fin whale biology, ecology and distribution in the Mediterranean sea, there are still some questions to be answered: Could the Catalan Sea be a migratory route for the fin whale? Could it be a secondary feeding region, like the area that surround the isle of Lampedusa? What’s the magnitude of this region of the Mediterranean in the distribution, ecology and migration patterns of the fin whale? How big is the impact of the recreational and merchant vessels, the fishing gears and the pollution on this species?
MAIN GOALS OF THE PROJECT
This project represents a great opportunity to collect data and information about the fin whale of the Mediterranean Sea, which will contribute to have a much better view of the biology, ecology, behaviour and distribution of this species.
The fin whale subpopulation of the Mediterranean sea is small and its distribution is partially unknown during the major part of the year. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to mark out the areas where these species is frequently sighted. During the first stage of the project we are going to focus our research on obtaining specific coordinates of the fin whale sightings off the Catalan coast. Our goal is to have actual geographical positions that allow us to mark out the passing area of the fin whale and then, examine the activity of this animal in this area.
It is also relevant to take into account that the area of study is really close to two of the most important harbours in the Mediterranean sea: Barcelona and Tarragona. Collisions between fin whales and maritime traffic have been described as one of the major issues of concern for the conservation of the Mediterranean subpopulation of the species. Accordingly, this study wants to be a good tool in order to develop better conservation measures, useful to prevent whale ship strikes, bearing in mind the great volume of maritime traffic surrounding these two harbours.
METHODS
The Fin Whale Project is a non-invasive study. Its main goal is to get photographical data of the individuals and numerical, geographical and behavioural data during the fin whale sightings in the studied area.
We will focus our research on the waters off Catalan coast delimited between the villages of Castelldefels (Barcelona) and Cunit (Tarragona).
The research platforms that we will use to register the fin whale sightings are recreational vessels (motor or sail vessels). We will always follow the regulations about closeness and navigation around cetaceans. During the surveys we will do pre-established transects that will allow us to investigate in a more systematic and rigorous way a large part of the area of study.
CALENDAR
The western part of the Mediterranean Sea is the most important area for the fin whale subpopulation because it includes specific zones where this species gathers to feed. The Ligurian Sea, located between the north coast of Corsica and the coast of the Italian Toscana, is one of the most important. The distribution of the species is less known during winter, but several authors think that it would be more spread out over the whole basin. Some of the southern parts of the Mediterranean Sea are believed to be important for the fin whale during winter. There are also some individuals that come from the Atlantic Ocean to feed here and go back after the summer. These stationary movements make the Catalan sea a migratory zone for the species, especially during spring and autumn. The first stage of the Fin Whale Project was conducted during the spring of 2013, and the second stage will be conducted during the autumn of 2013, between the months of September and December.
WHAT WILL YOUR DONATIONS BE USED FOR
The money collected is going to be used to fund part of the next campaign of surveys. It is worth stressing that we do not receive any kind of subsidy or financial aid of the public administration. Our current main line of finance is, and it will continue being, the regular payments of the founding partners of Cetàcea. We will also offer the possibility to enjoy a sailing and research day offshore by joining our research team in one of our surveys. On the list of rewards for our sponsors we also consider the possibility that they join us during one of our research surveys. There is a high chance to see many different species of sea birds during our surveys, as well as dolphin schools, from which we also take photographs and record information.
The rewards will be handed in a public event open to all our contributors. It is going to take place once the second stage of the project is finished. All the rewards that can be sent per internet are going to be sent in the course of the project. Other rewards like the one-day trips on the research vessels, will be handed before the start of the study.
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Associació Cetàcea
Author
Totes les iniciatives de Verkami tenen el límit de temps de 40 dies. Transcorreguts aquests dies, no creiem que Verkami concedeixi pròrrogues a cap projecte, encara que s'ho valgui. Dit això, nosaltres estem buscant fonts alternatives de finançament, ja que també considerem que el projecte és prou interessant com per ser dut a terme. Us recomanem a tots que visiteu la nostra pàgina web www.associaciocetacea.org, o ens envieu un mail a [email protected] si voleu més informació sobre l'estat d'aquest i altres projectes de l'associació.
Jordi
Creieu que verkami us concediria una nova pròrroga? Crec que el projecte s'ho val.
Associació Cetàcea
Author
Les diferents espècies de balenes d'arreu del món estan exposades a diverses amenaces que han fet disminuir les seves poblacions al llarg de la història. Si bé en el passat hi havia molts països que caçaven aquests animals, actualment són molt pocs els que, per desgràcia, ho continuen fent, regulats per la Comissió Balenera Internacional. Tot i això, hi ha moltes altres amenaces que posen en perill aquests animals: les col·lisions amb embarcacions, la contaminació ambiental i acústica, el canvi climàtic, la pèrdua d'hàbitat, etc. Per sort, cada vegada són més les mesures que es duen a terme per a poder disminuir el nombre de morts, ja sigui per accident o per mort directe, i per a poder promoure mesures de protecció.
A nivell global, fa temps que s'han iniciat diverses iniciatives per entendre millor aquests animals, poder designar àrees protegides en aquelles zones més importants per a les balenes, com ara les àrees de cria, les rutes migratòries, les àrees d’alimentació. També s'han anat estudiant les rutes migratòries de les diferents espècies per intentar tenir-les en compte a l’hora de planificar noves rutes marítimes. En les últimes dècades, s’han anat definint diferents convenis per a la seva conservació en les diferents regions del món, des de més globals com CITES (Conveni sobre el Comerç Internacional d’Espècies Amenaçades de Fauna i Flora Silvestre), fins a més específics com ara ACCOBAMS (Acord sobre la Conservació dels Cetacis del mar Negre, mar Mediterrani i àrea atlàntica contigua). Tots aquests convenis intenten establir mesures globals, però també concretes, que ajudin a la conservació i protecció de les balenes i altres espècies.
A nivell individual també podem dur a terme accions que contribueixin a la protecció d’aquests animals. Per exemple, algunes empreses de transport de mercaderies o passatgers per mar situen observadors de cetacis a bord de les seves embarcacions, per poder fer un millor seguiment de les diferents espècies que es troben en les seves rutes comercials. Si sortim a navegar i ens trobem una balena, és imprescindible mostrar un respecte total a aquests animals i seguir les directrius legals marcades pels diferents estats en tot allò que fa referència a la navegació amb cetacis. És importantíssim evitar qualsevol tipus d’interacció entre la embarcació i l’animal , ja que això podria comportar col·lisions i ferides que podrien provocar la mort d l’animal a curt termini. També hem de pensar que hi ha moltes accions que podem dur a terme diàriament i que poden contribuir de forma indirecta a evitar la mort de les balenes i altres animals: tot allò que contribueixi a la millora del medi ambient, recolzar aquelles iniciatives que aposten per a la conservació, informar-nos sobre el peix que comprem al mercat (quin ha sigut el mètode de captura, saber si són mètodes sostenibles o no...), etc.
El que és necessari, és seguir estudiant aquests animals, la seva biologia, la seva distribució, les seves rutes migratòries, etc, per a poder establir mesures de conservació cada vegada més efectives. En aquest sentit, un dels objectius principals del Projecte Rorqual, dut a terme per l’Associació Cetàcea, és precisament el de saber quina és la importància de les aigües del davant de la costa catalana per aquesta espècie en concret.
Raquel Lacuesta
Quines mesures de protecció es poden prendre per no matar les balenes ni que sigui per accident?