The marine giants that visit us

Authors

  • Beatriu Tort Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC); Associació Edmaktub
  • Eduard Degollada Associació Edmaktub
  • Natàlia Amigó Associació Edmaktub
  • Francesc Peters Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC)

Keywords:

Balaenoptera physalus, Garraf coast, spring, chlorophyll, feeding.

Abstract

The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) can be sighted along the coast of Garraf (NW Mediterranean) between March and May. Sightings occur mainly in an area at the edge of the continental shelf and in the surroundings of the Foix Canyon, an area which is characterized by an elevated krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) production. In this study, we relate the sightings from 2014 to 2018 to satellite-measured chlorophyll as a system production proxy. The largest number of sightings is in April, about a month after the maximum chlorophyll peak. Annually, sightings showed a very close relationship to chlorophyll, except in 2018, which was an outlier year. Despite the variability in the sighting data, cross-correlations show a positive relationship between the number of sightings in the maximum sighting area and the chlorophyll concentration from about 24 days earlier. It would thus appear that the waters off the Garraf coast are a feeding area for fin whales on their annual migratory route.

Keywords: Balaenoptera physalus, Garraf coast, spring, chlorophyll, feeding.

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Author Biographies

Beatriu Tort, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC); Associació Edmaktub



Eduard Degollada, Associació Edmaktub



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