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Proposing a framework for monitoring demographic parameters in local cetacean populations: the case of short-finned pilot whales in Madeira

  • MOVEMENT AND SITE FIDELITY
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Abstract

Individuals from cetacean populations regularly using inshore waters can be more vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures than those living in offshore areas. The monitoring of Good Environmental Status within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires assessing demographic parameters of these local populations. Therefore, a two-step framework was developed for this monitoring and applied to a long-term photo-identification database of short-finned pilot whales in the inshore waters of Madeira. First, a standardized method to identify site fidelity structures based on K-means analysis was used to determine the local population, i.e., individuals with higher site fidelity. Then, demographic parameters were estimated over 15 years using a robust design model. Finally, the effect of increasing whale watching boats as a potential threat was tested. The results revealed no temporary emigration, showing that the site fidelity methodology could accurately identify the local population. Adult survival rates were high and abundance estimates were stable. Therefore, these results should be used as a baseline for future MSFD cycles. No negative effect of whale watching was found on demographic parameters for adult individuals. However, young animals, which could be more vulnerable to local pressures, were not fully included in the analysis, and potential effects on reproduction output were not studied. Therefore, an adverse effect of whale watching on the local population cannot be ruled out. This monitoring framework should be applied to other species and study areas to confirm its wide application to help management decisions reaching better conservation status for cetacean species.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the students and staff who contributed to this study over the years. The authors are very grateful for the contribution of the following WW companies for their pictures and sighting data: Bonita da Madeira, Gavião Madeira, H2O Madeira, Ventura do Mar, Lobosonda, Santa Maria, Scorpio, Rota dos Cetáceos, Magic Dolphin, OceanSee, Seaborn and VMT. Financial support: Machico Municipality, LIFE, FEDER/INTERREG III-B EU and FCT programs for funding the data collection throughout the projects CETACEOS MADEIRA (LIFE99 NAT/P/006432), MACETUS (MAC/42/M10), EMECETUS (05/MAC/4.2/M10), CETACEOS MADEIRA II (LIFE+ NAT/P/000646), OCEANWEBS (PTDC/MAR-PRO/0929/2014), MISTIC SEAS II (Grant Agreement No. 11.0661/2017/750679/SUB/ENV.C2) and Marine Mammal and Ecosystem: anthropogenic Threat Assessment (META; Fundo Azul Edital nº6/2017) which were carried out by the Madeira Whale Museum. Philippe Verborgh and Ruth Esteban both had scholarships (ARDITI-OOM/2017/006; ARDITI-OOM/2017/008, respectively) within the project Mistic Seas II, under which the photo-identification processing and matching was done for the years 2017 and 2018.

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Author notes

  1. Philippe Verborgh and Elza H. Janssen are sharing the first authorship.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Madeira Whale Museum, Caniçal, 9200-031, Madeira, Portugal

    Philippe Verborgh, Elza H. Janssen, Ruth Esteban, Pauline Gauffier & Luis Freitas

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  1. Philippe Verborgh
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  2. Elza H. Janssen
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  3. Ruth Esteban
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  4. Pauline Gauffier
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  5. Luis Freitas
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Contributions

All the authors contributed to the study design and data collection. Photo-ID analysis was performed by PV and EJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by EJ and PV and all the authors commented on the manuscript. PG created the R code to reproduce the methodology. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Philippe Verborgh.

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On behalf of all the authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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This article is a contribution to the special issue on “Individual Identification and Photographic Techniques in Mammalian Ecological and Behavioural Research – Part 2: Field Studies and Applications” — Editors: Leszek Karczmarski, Stephen C.Y. Chan, Scott Y.S. Chui and Elissa Z. Cameron.

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Verborgh, P., Janssen, E.H., Esteban, R. et al. Proposing a framework for monitoring demographic parameters in local cetacean populations: the case of short-finned pilot whales in Madeira. Mamm Biol 102, 1425–1444 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-022-00266-y

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