Basking shark breaching behaviour observations West of Shetland

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.This study reports observations of basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) sighted during an offshore geophysical survey conducted in July and August 2013, west of Shetland, UK. During the 38-day survey, trained and dedicated marine wildlife observers recorded 19 sightings of basking sharks (n=22 individuals). Of these observations, 17 were of single sharks, with one observation of two sharks and one observation of three sharks. All surface sightings occurred in water with depths between 129 and 199 m, predominantly prior to noon local time (79%), and were mostly of sharks 6-8 m in length, although a young (2 m) individual was also recorded. Breaching behaviour was observed on 14 occasions, by individuals or in small groups. Breaching has been proposed as a male-male competitive behaviour during courtship displays and female basking sharks may breach to signal their readiness for mating. Aggregations of basking sharks at frontal systems are well documented and linked to the occurrence of prey patches; however, these oceanographic features may also be of importance to courtship. The high number of sightings of sharks recorded during a relatively short time frame in addition to breaching behaviour and presence of young individuals, suggest that this area west of Shetland may be an important habitat for the basking shark

The autumn occurrence and spatial distribution of cetaceans in the waters of Mauritania during a geophysical survey in 2012

This study aimed to identify the occurrence and spatial distribution of cetaceans in Mauritanian waters (eastern Atlantic). A geophysical survey was conducted over 92 days between September and December 2012. Over 967 km was surveyed, with 1 017 h of observer effort recorded. Visual watches for marine mammals resulted in 228 cetacean sightings of 16 different  species, including 12 odontocetes and 4 mysticetes. The short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus was the most frequently encountered  odontocete, followed by the Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis. Of the mysticetes, the sei whale Balaenoptera borealis and blue whale B.  musculus were encountered most frequently. We used generalised additive models and generalised linear models to examine the relationships  between environmental factors and cetacean distribution. The results showed depth had a significant influence on presence of the short-finned pilot whale, which preferred waters deeper than 1 800 m. The model for mysticetes identified bathymetry as a significant environmental predictor, whereas slope of the ocean floor had a positive effect but was not  significant. This study contributes to our understanding of cetaceans in Mauritanian waters, using data from a platform of opportunity.Keywords: generalised additive model, generalised linear model, marine mammals, mysticetes, odontocetes, seismic data, short-finned pilotwhale, West Afric

Blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in offshore waters of Kenya

Observations of blue whales were made in Kenyan offshore waters during a seismic survey from September 2014 to January 2015. These represent the first live at-sea sightings of blue whales reported from Kenyan waters. All 30 sightings occurred between September and October in waters ranging from 2 990 to 4 705 m depth. It is unknown to which of the three possible subspecies the animals sighted belong. Based on timing and geographical location, they are likely to have been either Antarctic blue whales Balaenoptera musculus intermedia, Madagascar pygmy blue whales B. m. brevicauda or northern Indian Ocean blue whales B. m. indica.Keywords: cetacean, distribution, western Indian Ocea

Leisure boating noise as a trigger for the displacement of the bottlenose dolphins of the Cres-LoŠinj archipelago (northern Adriatic Sea, Croatia)

The waters of the Cres-LoŠinj archipelago are subject to intense boat traffic related to the high number of leisure boats frequenting this area during the summer tourist season. Boat noise dominates the acoustic environment of the local bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population. This study investigates the spatial and temporal change in the underwater noise levels due to intense boating, and its effect on the distribution of the bottlenose dolphins. In the period 2007-2009 sea ambient noise (SAN) was sampled across ten acoustic stations. During data collection the presence of leisure boats was recorded if they were within 2. km of the sampling station. Bottlenose dolphin spatial distribution was monitored in the same period. Results showed a strong positive correlation between high SAN levels and boat presence, particularly in the tourist season. Dolphin distribution indicated significant seasonal displacements from noisy areas characterized by the intense leisure boating. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd