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Cetacean diversity at the west coast of La Palma Island (Canary Islands)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2008

Claudia Pérez-Vallazza ,
Rosana Álvarez-Vázquez ,
Laura Cardona ,
Clara Pintado  and
Joaquín Hernández-Brito
Claudia Pérez-Vallazza*
Affiliation:
Canary Institute of Marine Sciences, Ctra. De Taliarte s/n, 35200 Telde, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Rosana Álvarez-Vázquez
Affiliation:
Canary Institute of Marine Sciences, Ctra. De Taliarte s/n, 35200 Telde, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Laura Cardona
Affiliation:
Canary Institute of Marine Sciences, Ctra. De Taliarte s/n, 35200 Telde, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Clara Pintado
Affiliation:
Canary Institute of Marine Sciences, Ctra. De Taliarte s/n, 35200 Telde, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Joaquín Hernández-Brito
Affiliation:
Canary Institute of Marine Sciences, Ctra. De Taliarte s/n, 35200 Telde, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Claudia Pérez-Vallazza, Canary Institute of Marine Sciences, Ctra. De Taliarte s/n, 35200 Telde, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain email: claudiapv@iccm.rcanaria.es
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Abstract

Little is known about cetacean communities around La Palma Island. Therefore, and in order to determine the presence and distribution of the cetacean species on its west coast, daily censuses were carried out from November 2003 to April 2005. The platform used was a whale watching vessel certified by the Canary Government. Data collected included time, position, species identity, group size and, in some cases, the presence of calves and/or any other outstanding parameter. During the study period, 570 sightings were made, with a mean sighting success of 1.7 sightings per day, showing a high cetacean presence in the area. Thirteen species and one genus (Globicephala spp.) were positively matched, three of them included in the Mysticeti suborder and the other ten in the Odontoceti one. The four most sighted species, in decreasing order, correspond to Tursiops truncatus, Steno bredanensis, Globicephala spp. and Stenella frontalis. Diversity of sighted species shows a moderate peak during spring time, which is in agreement with the presence of occasional species. Most sightings were located off the central west coast of the island, exceeding 1.5 nautical miles. This is particularly outstanding in relation to Franja Marina de Fuencaliente SCI, where 90% of all sightings were located outside its boundaries. High cetacean presence and diversity off the west coast of La Palma Island seem to be connected with oceanographic and ecological features. Results gained provide, for this region, baseline data on cetacean populations and a useful tool in conservation plans.

Keywords

cetacean diversitycetacean distributionCanary IslandsLa Palma
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 88 , Special Issue 6: Marine Mammals , September 2008 , pp. 1289 - 1296
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

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