25.09.2025 – Fishermen vs Dolphins

Today on our first trip with Stenella we could encounter the interaction between fishermen and dolphins in the waters around the island. The dolphins were Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). This is a common dolphins species here around Madeira and are known to be highly intelligent. In our case they have learned to steal fish from the Black scabbard (Aphanopus carbo) fishing vessels. These fish are cought with longlines in a depth of 800 to 1000 meters. That is a depth which the dolphins can’t reach, but they wait that the fishermen reel the longlines in and during that process they then steal the fish from the hooks. Doing so they are able to steal or destroy up to 40% of the catch. The fishermen know that and that is why they stop reeling in when they notice that dolphins are around. Now it is a battle on who has more patience, humans or dolphins. The fishermen can’t wait that long though because if they wait to long the fish are stolen by sharks in the deep sea.

Apart from this on the trips of both vessels we encountered some Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). This large dolphin species stays around Madeira the whole year and is one of the main species sighted.

By Horst Schulte

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-finned pilot whale

13:00 Bottlenose dolphin 

16:30 Short-finned pilot whale

Stenella

09:30 Short-finned pilot whale, Bottlenose dolphin

13:30 Short-finned pilot whale, Bottlenose dolphin

16:30 Short-finned pilot whale