Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T08:53:51.071Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cetacean diversity and distribution off Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2010

Manuel Carrillo ,
Claudia Pérez-Vallazza  and
Rosana Álvarez-Vázquez
Manuel Carrillo*
Affiliation:
Tenerife Conservación, C/Maya No. 8, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Claudia Pérez-Vallazza
Affiliation:
Elittoral S.L.N.E. (Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering Studies), Edificio Polivalente II, Parque científico tecnológico, Planta baja, oficina 19, Campus de Tafira, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Rosana Álvarez-Vázquez
Affiliation:
Elittoral S.L.N.E. (Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering Studies), Edificio Polivalente II, Parque científico tecnológico, Planta baja, oficina 19, Campus de Tafira, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Manuel Carrillo, Tenerife Conservación, C/Maya nº8, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain email: canariasconservacion@yahoo.es
Get access

Abstract

Dedicated surveys were conducted along the south-west and north-east coasts of Tenerife (Canary Islands), between 1997 and 2006, to gather baseline information on cetacean diversity, abundance, spatial and temporal distribution. A total of 1016 sightings of sixteen cetacean species was recorded during the study period. Sightings were recorded throughout the year although the period in which the highest number of species were sighted was in spring and summer (from May through to August). The most frequently sighted species were bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), which together comprised 82% of the total sightings. These were followed by common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) and dense beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) which represented 9% of the total sightings. Most sightings were recorded along the south-west coast of Tenerife, where the distribution of the different species seemed to be influenced by water depth. Calves were present during sightings of almost every recorded species, especially in toothed whales. Two mother–calf pairs of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were also observed. This suggests that the surveyed area, or at least the south-west sub-area, might play an important role as a calving ground for the four most frequently sighted species. The information acquired in this study indicates that the waters around Tenerife constitute an important habitat for cetaceans.

Keywords

cetaceandiversityabundancedistributioncalvesCanary IslandsTenerife
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 3 , June 2010 , e97
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aguilar Soto, N. (1999) The Canary Islands Cetacean Sighting Net, II. In Evans, P.G.H., Cruz, J. and Raga, J.A. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 13. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Valencia, Spain. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society.Google Scholar
Aguilar Soto, N. (2006) Acoustic and diving behaviour of short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) in the Canary Islands. Implications for human impacts. PhD thesis. La Laguna University, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.Google Scholar
Aguilar Soto, N., Díaz, F., Carrillo, M., Brito, A., Barquín, J., Alayón, P., Falcón, J. and González, G. (2001) Evidence of disturbance of protected cetacean populations in the Canary Islands. IWC SC/53/WW1. London.Google Scholar
André, M. (2000) El cachalote, Physeter macrocephalus en las Islas Canarias. PhD thesis. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.Google Scholar
Anguita, F. and Hernán, F. (2000) The Canary Islands origin: a unifying model. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103, 1–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aparicio, C., Aguilar Soto, N. and Crespo, A. (2009) Should beaked whales be protected or data defficient? A population approach to their status of conservation. European Research on Cetaceans 23. Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Turkey. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society.Google Scholar
Arbelo, M.A. (2007) Patología y causas de la muerte de los cetáceos varados en las Islas Canarias. PhD thesis. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.Google Scholar
Arístegui, J., Sangrá, P., Hernández-León, S., Hernández-Guerra, A. and Kerling, J.L. (1994) Island-induced eddies in the Canary Islands. Deep-Sea Research I 41, 1509–1525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arranz, P., Aguilar Soto, N. and Johnson, M. (2008) Coastal habitat use by Cuvier's and Blainville's beaked whales off El Hierro, Canary Islands. Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Holland. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society.Google Scholar
Buckland, S.T., Anderson, D.R., Burnham, K.P. and Laake, J.L. (1993) Distance sampling: estimating abundance of biological populations. London: Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
Carrillo, M. (1996) Cetáceos varados en las Islas Canarias: 1992–95. Informe Técnico Adeje, Tenerife: Delfinario Aqua Park Octopus.Google Scholar
Carrillo, M. (2003) Presence and distribution of the Ziphiidae Family in the South West coast of Tenerife. Canary Islands. In Evans, P.G.H. et al. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 17. Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society.Google Scholar
Carrillo, M. and Martín, V. (1999) First sighting of Gervais Beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus Gervais, 1855; Cetacea; Ziphiidae) from the nor oriental Atlantic Coast. In Evans, P.G.H., Cruz, J. and Raga, J.A. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 13. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Valencia, Spain. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society, pp. xx–xx.Google Scholar
Carrillo, M., López, P. and López-Jurado, L.F. (1998) Occurrence, group structure and behaviour of the Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris (de Blainville, 1817) off Tenerife, Canary Islands. World Marine Mammal Science Conference, Monaco, 20–24 January, 1998.Google Scholar
Carrillo, M., Tejedor, M., Peña, A. and González, G. (2002) Estudios Aplicados a la Conservación de las Poblaciones Cetáceos: Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Informe Técnico. Dirección General de Política Ambiental. Gobierno de Canarias, 254 pp.Google Scholar
Carrillo, M., Tejedor, M. and Ramos, J.J. (2006). Análisis del estado de conservación de las costas y áreas marinas de la isla de Tenerife. Proyecto de Voluntariado Ambiental Monachus. Resultados-2006. Fundación Global Nature–Tenerife Conservación. Área de Medio Ambiente y Paisaje. Cabildo Insular de Tenerife. Informe no publicado, 80 pp.Google Scholar
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.Google Scholar
Dudzinski, K.M. (1999) An investigation of intraspecific behavior in bottlenose dolphins around Mikura Island. Final JSPS Fellowship Report.Google Scholar
Escorza, S., Heimlich-Boran, S. and Heimlich-Boran, J. (1992) Bottlenose dolphins off the Canary Islands. In Evans, P.G.H., Vella, A. and Stockin, K. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 6. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, San Remo, Italy. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society, pp. 117–120.Google Scholar
Evans, P.G.H. and Hammond, P.S. (2004) Monitoring cetaceans in European waters. Mammal Society, Mammal Review 34, 131–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heimlich-Boran, J.R. (1993) Social organisation of the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), with a special reference to the social ecology of delphinids. PhD thesis. Cambridge University.Google Scholar
Heimlich-Boran, J.R. and Heimlich-Boran, S.L. (1992) Social structure of short-finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus, off Tenerife, Canary Islands. In Evans, P.G.H. et al. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 6. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, San Remo, Italy. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society, pp. 154–157.Google Scholar
Hernández-León, S. (1986) Efecto de masa de Isla en Aguas del Archipiélago Canario según estudios de Biomassa y Actividad de Sistema de Transporte de Electrones en el Mesozooplancton. PhD Thesis. University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.Google Scholar
Hoyt, E. (2001) Whale watching 2001: worldwide tourism numbers, expenditures, and expanding socioeconomic benefits. Yarmouth Port, MA, USA: International Fund for Animal Welfare.Google Scholar
Hoyt, E. (2005) Sustainable ecotourism on Atlantic Islands, with special reference to whale watching, marine protected areas and sanctuaries for cetaceans. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 105B, 141–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
López, A., Pierce, G.J., Valeiras, X., Santos, M.B. and Guerra, A. (2004) Distribution patterns of small cetaceans in Galician waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84, 283–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martín, V., Montero, R., Heimlich-Boran, J. and Heimlich-Boran, S. (1992) Preliminary observations on the cetacean fauna of the Canary Islands. In Evans, P.G.H. et al. (ed.) European Research on Cetaceans 6. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, San Remo, Italy. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society, pp. 61–65.Google Scholar
Martín, V., Iani, V. and Schweikert, F. (1998) Cetacean sighted in the Canary Islands during the Caremex Expedition (January–April 1997). World Marine Mammal Science Conference, Monaco, 20–24 January, 1998.Google Scholar
Montero, R. and Arechavaleta, M. (1996) Distribution patterns: relationships between depths, sea surface temperature, and habitat use of short-finned pilot whales south-west of Tenerife. In Evans, P.G.H., Vella, A. and Stockin, K. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 10. Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Lisboa, Portugal. Oxford: European Cetacean Society, pp. 193–198.Google Scholar
Pérez-Vallazza, C. and Haroun, R. (2005) Estudio de comunidades de cetáceos y tortugas marinas en los LIC Franja Marina de Mogán y Sebadales de Playa del Inglés. Caracterización, ordenación y gestión de Áreas Marinas Protegidas de la Macaronesia. PARQMAR 03/MAC/4.2/M9, 107 pp.Google Scholar
Pérez-Vallazza, C., Álvarez-Vázquez, R., Cardona, L. and Hernández-Brito, J. (2008) Cetacean diversity at the west coast of La Palma Island (Canary Islands). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 88, 1289–1296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plasencia, M., Rodríguez, J.L., Herrera, R. and Delgado, A. (2001) Observación de cetáceos en Canarias; apuntes para una nueva reglamentación. (Whale watching in the Canary Islands; revision for a new regulation.), Galemys 13 (número especial), 107–118.Google Scholar
Politi, E., Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. and Mazzanti, C. (1997) Cetaceans found in the waters surrounding Lanzarote, Canary Islands. European Research on Cetaceans. Oxford: European Cetacean Society, pp. 107–112.Google Scholar
Reeves, R., Stewart, B., Clapham, P. and Powell, J. (2005) Guía de los mamíferos marinos del mundo (Guide to Marine Mammals of the world). National Audubon Society. Ed. Omega.Google Scholar
Ritter, F. (2001) 21 cetacean species off La Gomera (Canary Islands): possible reasons for an extraordinary species diversity. In Evans, P.G.H., Vella, A. and Stockin, K. (eds) European Research on Cetaceans 15. Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Rome, Italy, 2001. European Cetacean Society, pp. xx–xx.Google Scholar
Ritter, F. and Brederlau, B. (1998) First report of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) frequenting the Canary Islands waters. World Marine Mammal Science Conference, Monaco, 20–24 January, 1998.Google Scholar
Schwarz, C. and Seber, G. (1999) Estimating animal abundance: review III. Statistical Science 14, 427–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silva, M.A., Prieto, R., Magalhães, S., Cabecinhas, R., Cruz, A., Gonçalves, J.M. and Santos, R.S. (2003) Occurrence and distribution of cetaceans in the waters around the Azores (Portugal), summer and autumn 1999–2000. Aquatic Mammals 29, 77–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stergiou, K.I. (2002) Overfishing, tropicalization of fish stocks, uncertainty and ecosystem management: resharpening Ockham's razor. Fisheries Research 55, 1–9.Google Scholar
Urquiola, E. (1998) Observación de cetáceos en Canarias: conservación, problemática y evolución. Medio Ambiente Canarias. Revista de la Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente. Revista 11.Google Scholar
Urquiola, E., Sevilla, J.A. and Iani, V. (1998) The development of whale watching in the Canaries after the regulations of 1995: a year of study. In European Research on Cetaceans 11. Proceedings of the eleventh annual conference of the ECS, Stralsund, Germany, 1997. European Cetacean Society, pp. 62–66.Google Scholar
Violette, P.E. (1974) A satellite-aircraft thermal study of the upwelled waters off Spanish Sahara. Journal of Physical Oceanography 4, 676–684.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vonk, R. and Martín, V. (1988) Goose-beaked whales Ziphius cavirostris mass strandings in the Canary Islands. In Evans, P.G.H. (ed.) European Research on Cetaceans 2. Proceedings of the second annual conference of the ECS, Lisboa, Portugal. European Cetacean Society, pp. 73–77.Google Scholar