Valente, R. et al (2019): Baleen whales in Macaronesia: occurrence patterns revealed through a bibliographic review

Through a comprehensive bibliographic review of the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of baleen whales in Macaronesia, Valente et al. (2018) analyzed the data from peer reviewed articles, reports and databases.

Objectives

Occurrence data for four baleen whale species (minke whale, fin whale, blue whale, and humpback whale) in the Macaronesia region (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde) from 1990 to 2016 are compiled and analyzed.
We used distributed genetic sampling to identify spatio-temporal distribution patterns of these species and evaluate research effort gaps in the region.
The purpose of this thesis is to use these Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to model the spatial distribution and seasonality of baleen whales in Macaronesia. It serves to draw attention to under investigated regions and suggest that particular focused work is required to understand baleen whale conservation strategies for the region.

Impact

The study also found that minke whale occurrence was higher in summer and blue whale, fin whale and humpback whale were only found in spring. Areas that require further research were identified, including offshore regions and Morocco and Western Sahara.
The results emphasize that targeted efforts should be made to understand and conserve baleen whale populations in Macaronesia through increased survey effort in under surveyed regions.

Supported UN Global Goals

By collecting and analysing data on baleen whale distribution in the Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde) region, this study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 14—Life Below Water. The new findings emphasize specific data gaps in offshore regions and call for new research focused on informing conservation strategies and marine ecosystem management for migratory cetaceans.