Associació Cetàcea is pleased to present the technical report in which we analyse the results of the Project Photo-Identification: Whales and dolphins along the Catalan coast. The project, which began in 2014, aims to deepen the knowledge of the cetacean communities that frequent the central Catalan coast, either temporarily or seasonally, as more or less permanently. During the year 2018 we made a total of 21 sighting trips, covering 817 nautical miles and we made a total of 32 sightings in which we could observe up to five species of different cetaceans, the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).

The obtained results confirm once again that, as has been seen in other Mediterranean areas, the different species observed have a differential distribution within the study area marked by depth. In this way, the striped dolphin, the sperm whale and the risso’s dolphin whale would have a distribution farther from the coast. The sightings of both species usually occur in waters deeper than 400 meters, often located on the continental slope or underwater canyons. On the other hand, the bottlenose dolphin would have a much more coastal distribution, in less deep waters of 200 meters, located on the continental shelf. Finally, the common whale would have an intermediate distribution, with depths varying between 117 and 1233 meters.

You can access the full content of the report through this link.