Iris Publishers-Open access Journal of Oceanography & Marine Biology| Characterization of Short-Finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala Macrorhynchus) Population along the Caribbean Coast of Martinique

Authored by De Montgolfier B

 

The Caribbean coast of Martinique has a great wealth of marine mammals, with almost twenty species observed, including the short-finned pilot whale Globicephala Macrorhynchus. Little is known about this specie in Martinique. Boat surveys between “le rocher du Diamant” and “l’îlet la Perle” allow gathering data and pictures. Statistical analysis, SIG and photo identification provide first information on the pilot-whale population. Results indicate there is a rather small but healthy population of G. macrorhynchus in Martinique. It is composed of both resident and migrant groups and no seasonality was observed. Correlation between the percentage of teenagers and the number of boats might imply an effect of whale-watching on individuals. Martinique Island, located in the Lesser Antilles, is surrounded to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by the Caribbean Sea. It is located in the middle of Agoa sanctuary, an MPA established in October 2010 by the French Government, that includes all Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of French Antilles (143 256 km² [1]. This sanctuary, currently managed by the “Agence des aires marines protégées”, implements measures for the protection of cetaceans. Over the last few years, coastal regions of Martinique were exposed to demographic growth and tourism [2,3]. Whalewatching is booming on the Caribbean coast of Martinique [4]. Tourism can bring some advantages such as revenue for local communities or an improvement of people’s attitude toward the environment [5]. However, anthropogenic activities can impact marine mammals through environmental pollution, prey depletion or physical disturbances, especially in coastal areas. In Martinique, whale-watching has been rapidly increasing over the past decade due to a stronger demand. Almost twenty species of marine mammals have been recorded in the Caribbean Sea [1]. For example, humpbacks whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera bryde), toothed whales such as sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and various species of dolphins (Stenella attenuata, Lagenodelphis hosei, Tursiops truncatus) are observed. Many of them, like the pantropical spotted dolphin (Lange et al., in prep) or the sperm whale [7], are increasingly studied.

 

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