SECAC survey

Between 4 and 17 September, with the exception of a day here and there, we spent every day at sea with Silvana, Monica and Vidal of SECAC [see also www.cetaceos.org], filming them at work. These are the days that we most enjoy – whole days at sea, searching for cetaceans (dolphins and whales), watching and filming the researchers at work, and learning a great deal.

We had at least one sighting every day, and most days three or four. The Canary Islands are a hotspot for cetaceans, and in all we saw five species: three dolphins (Bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Striped dolphin) and two whales (Short-finned pilot whales, Cuvier’s beaked whale). To everyone’s great excitement we even spotted the elusive Cuvier’s Beaked whale. I have to say that they are very shy and kept well away from the Morgan. It was extremely hard to take any photos. Despite seeing them on three different occasions, this photo is the best one we could get!

The gregarious Atlantic spotted dolphins

However, we were able to film and photograph the gregarious Atlantic Spotted dolphins underwater from the dinghy. At least in the Canary Islands, if dolphins come to bow ride your boat, it’s mostly this species. They seem to have no fear of boats at all, and are highly inquisitive. Despite their name, the Atlantic spotted dolphin is born a pale grey with a cream underside. They only get their spots as they get older. To film in the dinghy, I steer the dinghy and try to approach the dolphins and follow them while Ernie hangs over the front with the film camera in its special underwater housing. This is easier said than done as the camera and housing together weigh about 20 kgs. To hold it is hard enough, but to hold it steady while banging against waves and moving up and down in the dinghy is another question. Nevertheless, he managed to get some good images. To get photos from the dolphins under water we reverse the process and Ernie steers while I hang over the bow. Luckily the under water photo camera and housing are much smaller and lighter!

We saw a lot of young among all the species of dolphins and whales. There was even a mother-calf pair of Cuvier’s beaked whale. And, as always, we learned a lot from our SECAC partners. Apparently among the species commonly found in the Canary Islands, the Atlantic spotted dolphin calves are most often spotted with barnacles attached to their flukes and fins.

Dangerous games

While it is always wonderful to see animals breeding, and a delight to watch the curious calves explore their ocean world, their very curiosity can lead them into trouble. On a number of occasions during these days at sea, we saw dolphins and whales playing with objects discarded in the sea. The vast majority of these objects were plastic bags, but they also included nets, pallets, rope, bottles, paint tubs. While photographing a small pod of Pilot whales, we saw a juvenile play with a small buoy floating on the water. It butted the buoy with its head, dragged it along by its rope, and finally to our dismay dragged it under water. We stopped the boat and waited for it to reappear, holding our breaths. But it did not reappear. We can only hope that the curious whale did not accidentally eat the buoy.

On many other occasions we saw plastic bags attached to fins and flukes. Luckily, these were quickly shaken off the animals. Silvana told us about a necropsy of a dolphin which she had witnessed in which two metres of plastic had been removed from the stomach. Ironically, the dolphin had not died of obstruction – though that was only a matter of time – but had died of poisoning from the paints on the plastic. The amount of rubbish in the water was the one thing that spoilt an otherwise positive experience. Every day, whenever we could, we removed all sorts of rubbish from the water.

The survey had been a wonderful experience. Our SECAC partners had been able to carry out their research, and we had been able to film and photograph their activities for a film about whale watching and research. After spending so much time together on board we were sad to see Silvana and Monica go.

Photo 4: courtesy of Silvana Meira das Neves/SECAC.
Photo 8: © SECAC