15.04.2023 – Never give up hope
April 23, 2023
18.04.2023 – Pretty things
April 25, 2023
The Atlantic Ocean is a place full of beautiful but also sobering moments. The ocean greeted us this morning with incredible sightings of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). Madeira forms an important part of the habitat range for both speciesWe were even lucky enough to hear the vocalisations of a small calf on the Stenella, that seemed to be calling its mother or one of the other females of the group. It was a beautiful moment.
Our team managed sightings with both these species during the afternoon tour as well as with a pod of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) before slowly returning to the marina. On our way back, we suddenly got word of a cetacean entangled in a line, dragging abbey behind it. Knowing that the cetacean would certainly die with the buoy attached we attempted several approaches and soon managed to identify the species. It was a young Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), a baleen whale species that is rarely seen in Madeira and, if encountered, usually is evasive. Luckily, the Minke dove allowing our team to quickly cut the line and release it from the body. Unfortunately the fishing line still remained intact, we hope the young animal recovers fast.
Fishing lines can be a problem for a variety of cetaceans that also include common dolphins, pilot whales as well as Bottlenose Dolphins, with the latter even being observed snatching catch from long lines here in Madeira. Understanding how we could harvest our oceans in a more sustainable way would benefit cetaceans as well as many other important marine predators.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales
13:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Minke whale
Stenella
09:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales
13:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Minke whale
16:00 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales
