05.03.2022 – Blue skies

The magnificent blue sky above Calheta set the stage for two lovely encounters at sea aboard our Stenella this afternoon. After scanning the ocean for some time our spotter soon saw some splashes around 4 miles offshore, announcing that these may be Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). He was right! A pod of around 40-50 Striped dolphins leapt high above the waves when we arrived at the scene, their white/blue flank pattern almost camouflaging them against the blue ocean and sky. These dolphins are notorious for forming super pods in the open ocean, groups that may contain well beyond 500 animals, and are considered one of the most abundantly studied dolphin species. Striped dolphins in the Atlantic are unfortunately also notorious by-catch victims of the enormous super trawlers emptying the north Atlantic, which was demonstrated by unprecedented amounts of dolphins carcasses washing up on the beaches of France and the United Kingdom.

All dolphins are potential victims of fishing activity and the one species that is most often seen approaching fishing vessels or fishing gear is the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). This sad fact is proof of the opportunistic nature of these strong predators, who will use their intelligence and wit to land a meal if necessary. Today many fishing boats were at sea but the group of Bottlenose dolphins we encountered, showed little interest in those vessels…or showed little interest in any boat for that matter! The rather evasive group was speeding east and seemed to be on the pursuit but a few young animals curiously approached us as we drove alongside the pod. It was a great way to end the week!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Striped dolphins