ObSERVE-Acoustic deployments during WESPAS 2016

Also on-board WESPAS 2016 are some of the ObSERVE-Acoustic team from GMIT and Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Project website www.observe-acoustic.ie 

In this blog post, Dr Joanne O'Brien (GMIT/IWDG) tells us more about the project...

ObSERVE-Acoustic is a project funded by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht aimed at providing robust data to inform conservation and management by assessing the importance of shelf edge habitats for whales and dolphins. 

The ObSERVE-Acoustic team’s aim on this survey was to retrieve acoustic monitoring equipment deployed offshore since March of this year and redeploy more devices in their place which will be retrieved in November. The acoustic devices are deployed on acoustic release systems at a depth of approximately 1800m. When the ship arrives at the location of the mooring, the team send a unique signal to the acoustic release system located on the bottom of the mooring, once this release system detects this unique signal it will then detach itself from the mooring weight and the array will slowly come to the surface with the aid of a number of buoys for buoyancy. Once on the surface, the array can be easily seen due to the number of orange and yellow buoys but also a light to enable recovery at night.

Static Acoustic Monitoring (SAM) sites for 2015 and 2016 (c) ObSERVE-Acoustic

An acoustic array reaches the surface after release (c) Joanne O'Brien

Autonomous Multi-Channel Acoustic Recorders (AMARs) supplied by JASCO Applied Sciences in Canada are deployed on each mooring as well as Deep C-PODs from Chelonic LTD in the UK. These devices will give us information on the species of whales and dolphins present at these locations and over what timeframe they are using these areas. This is achieved by analysing the recordings made by the devices which detect the vocalisations of whales and dolphins. 

Autonomous Multi-Channel Acoustic Recorder (AMAR) (c) Joanne O'Brien

CPOD ready for deployment (c) Joanne O'Brien

So there was some anxious waiting at these sites while communicating with the release units, waiting for the mooring to come to the surface and getting the kit safely on-board, but thanks to the experienced crew of the RV Celtic Explorer, this was a manageable feat. 

The crew of RV Celtic Explorer getting an AMAR ready for deployment (c) Joanne O'Brien and Mick Marrinan

WESPAS Days 7 to 9: Porcupine Bank Part Two

Days 7 to 9 sightings: 10th, 11th and 12th July 2016

A low pressure system swept up from the southwest and across our tracklines over the Porcupine Bank through Saturday evening and the first half of Sunday, making conditions unsuitable for on deck surveys. We still powered on by watching from inside the bridge of RV Celtic Explorer until a break in the weather and reduction in swell height allowed us back out once more on Sunday evening. 

Choppy seas with cresting waves and large white caps are not ideal for detecting cetaceans but true to form, a couple of groups of long-finned pilot whales came in close to the ship for a look-see, meaning our efforts didn't draw a blank. Pilot whales are often the only species you can count on seeing on such rough days.

Long-finned pilot whale (c) Niall T. Keogh

Long-finned pilot whales (c) Niall T. Keogh

Through Sunday evening and Monday, we steamed over the steeper western slopes of the Porcupine Bank in order to retrieve three Static Acoustic Monitoring (SAM) devices deployed here in March to record cetacean vocalisations (more on this in an upcoming blog post). The route between each of the SAM sites brought us over some great habitat which didn't disappoint.

Conditions were much improved at this stage and allowed us to spot the blow of a large baleen whale dead ahead at about 3km range. As we got closer and closer it became clear that it was a fin whale, the second largest animal on earth (only blue whale is larger). Fin whale is the most abundant large whale in Irish waters so we were expecting to record this species soon enough but still always a pleasure seeing them!

Fin whale (c) John Power

On Monday evening we were treated to an amazing flurry of activity as we headed up and over the shelf edge from deep to shallow waters. While over the 600m contour line we started picking up several small groups of pilot whales and common dolphins in loose association making their way past the ship. It soon became apparent that these were part of an overall widespread aggregation which was topped off by a sighting of 10 or so striped dolphins in full corkscrew-style breaching mode! 

Striped dolphins are typically associated with warmer sub-tropical waters, being common in the Bay of Biscay and Mediterranean Sea but less frequently recorded in Irish waters and usually in the deeper parts of the southwest section of our offshore territory in the summer/autumn. That being said, members of the current survey team were out here in March during the Blue Whiting Acoustic Survey on RV Celtic Explorer and recorded striped dolphins in much the same area. Perhaps there is more to learn about their occurrence here yet.

Striped dolphin (c) John Power

Striped dolphins (c) John Power

The highlight of the past couple of days relates to two sightings of animals from the poorly understood group known as beaked whales. These cetaceans live in deep offshore waters where they favour underwater canyons and seamounts as foraging grounds, searching for squid. They are deep diving specialists, small, sleek and not often observed at the surface, especially from large ships. Identification of beaked whales at sea is fraught with uncertainty and good photographs of the head are often required to check for the diagnostic positioning of erupting teeth along the lower jaw on males in particular. 

We had good views of a group of three animals surfacing on multiple occasions alongside the ship at 250m range on Sunday evening, well enough to see the heads of the two adult type animals (the third was a smaller juvenile). The views of the head shape and overall colouration of the animals would suggest that Sowerby's beaked whale was the species in question. These are thought to be the most abundant Mesoplodon beaked whales in Irish waters but there is still a lot to learn here.

We were inside the bridge when we spotted the group of three beaked whales so between the ensuing excitement (...panic!) and the fact that we were looking through glass windows, the only pics we managed to get were very much of a 'for the record' quality but we are still chuffed with the sighting!

On Monday afternoon we encountered a Mesoplodon type beaked whale which breached fully out of the water four times in a row, albeit at a distance of about 700m. No matter how many times you get to see beaked whales (if you're that lucky), they always leave you wanting more! 

Beaked whale (presumed Sowerby's) (c) John Power

Monday ended with a respectable total of 18 sightings of cetaceans logged for the day.

We said goodbye to the Porcupine Bank this morning but not before we encountered yet more long-finned pilot whales and a small group of offshore bottlenose dolphins (a new species for the survey list).

Now making our way towards the next set of transect lines closer inshore off the west coast, common dolphins following us as we go.

Common dolphin (c) Mick Marrinan

The seabird team have had a less hectic time of it with low numbers of birds present along the western side of the Porcupine Bank, which has been a bit of a surprise given the time of year that is in it. The inclement weather may have had something to do with it as the low pressure which advanced from the southwest while we were out there could have moved birds on to another area ahead of us. 

As an example of how quiet it was, the seabird team set a new personal record of a full 90 blank minutes between sightings of different individual birds during a survey period on one of the days! A record they hope ever to break again!

That being said, many of the species present over the bank were of interest: Cory's shearwaters, great shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, pomarine skua and the first Leach's storm-petrels of the trip bringing the species total to 20. 

In other news, the first migrant landbird of the survey was seen yesterday in the form of a turnstone which circled the ship some 300km offshore. It was presumably heading south for the autumn from breeding grounds in Greenland (yes... for some birds autumn has begun!).

Cory's shearwater (c) John Power

Fulmars (note the 'blue' fulmar, top left) (c) Niall T. Keogh

Leach's storm-petrel (c) Niall T. Keogh

WESPAS Days 4 to 6: Porcupine Bank

Day 4 to 6 sightings: 7th, 8th and 9th July 2016

After leaving the coast of Mayo behind us, we steamed west and made way for the offshore section of our survey tracklines, over the Porcupine Bank (location marked on map at the bottom of the blog post).

The weather has been mixed, switching between nice enough sea states of 3 but interrupted by bouts of increased wind speed and swell height, reaching sea state 5 or even 6. Saying that, we've managed some good survey time out on deck and made the most of it.

Cetacean sightings have been at a premium, with a single sighting of c10 common dolphins coming in to bow ride the ship the best on offer. The views were super however and the group included two calves, one of which displayed some birth lines still present along its side. See if you can spot these in the pics below.

Common dolphins (c) Niall T. Keogh

Further records of marine mammals were logged by the PAM team in the form of vocalisations detected on the hydrophone. Among the various whistles and clicks that were heard, some were attributed to pilot whales. We hope to get some sightings of pilot whales in the deeper parts of the survey route. Other marine fauna noted included two ocean sunfish, an Atlantic grey seal and a load of goose barnacles. 

The sunfish were seen just below the observers platform as we steamed past at close range. Ocean sunfish (often referred to by their scientific name, Mola mola) can grow to impressive sizes and reach a grand old age but the ones we spotted were small enough, as in just less then a metre long! They are relatively abundant in Irish waters during high summer and early autumn with the bays of Clare and Kerry particularly good places to see smaller, younger individuals like the one pictured below.

Ocean sunfish (c) Niall T. Keogh

The Atlantic grey seal was first detected while watching a Cory's shearwater. The seas were quite rough at the time and not much activity was being noted so we took the time to enjoy views of the shearwater when all of a sudden it stopped, circled back and begun pottering about where the seal surfaced! Nice example of the links between top marine predators, which often work with each other (both directly and indirectly) in order to make the most of food resources. It may come as a surprise to some blog readers that we saw a grey seal out here on the Porcupine Bank some 200km west of Galway but there impressive offshore foraging trips have been detailed before in tracking studies undertaken in Ireland.

Cory's shearwater investigating an Atlantic grey seal (c) Niall T. Keogh

Aside from marine megafauna, we have also been recording various bits of marine litter and debris which we encounter on our survey track lines. One such item was a log covered in goose barnacles!

Goose barnacles growing on a log (c) Niall T. Keogh

The seabird team have added four new species to the list (which now stands at 19): Arctic skua, Cory's shearwater, great shearwater and Wilson's storm-petrel.

Small numbers of Cory's, great, sooty and Manx shearwaters have been recorded over the bank along with a good scattering of European storm-petrels and a few skuas (great, Arctic and pomarine). Numbers of gannets, fulmars and kittiwakes have been quite low but they are our constant companions, following the RV Celtic Explorer along with a lesser black-backed gull.

Cory's shearwaters breed on the Atlantic islands of Madeira, Azores and the Canaries. Their post-breeding migration route takes them to the waters off Brazil, the east coast of North America and around via Southwest Ireland by late summer/early autumn.

Great shearwaters, sooty shearwaters and Wilson's storm-petrels all hail from breeding grounds in the Subantarctic (islands off the tip of South America, Tristan da Cunha etc). Their migration routes mirror that of Cory's shearwater in many respects when they are in the North Atlantic but they do have to travel up from a different hemisphere to get there in the first place!

This feat is particularly impressive for Wilson's storm-petrel, which weighs in at just 40 grams or so! Wilson's were once considered quite a rarity in Northwest Europe but we now know they are to be expected year each as regular visitors in Irish offshore waters but in varying numbers between years. In their core range they are incredibly abundant and are thought to be the most numerous seabird on the planet. Despite this, for an Irish seabirder they still 'feel' like a rarity so it was a pleasure to see two different birds between yesterday and today. More to come hopefully! 

Wilson's storm-petrel (c) Niall T. Keogh

From left to right: Cory's, great and sooty shearwater (c) Niall T. Keogh and Mick Marrinan

WESPAS Day 2 and 3: Mayo

Day 2 sightings: Tuesday 5th July 2016

We started the day off Rathlin O'Birne island, Co. Donegal and then headed south across Donegal Bay before continuing west just off the North Mayo coastline for the rest of the day.

Survey conditions were fantastic but despite all our best efforts, we still didn't manage to see any marine mammals. The coast of North Mayo can be quite good for dolphins so we were hoping for sightings of Risso's dolphins or bottlenose dolphins but unfortunately no such luck. The closest we got was a large floating log which gave brief hope we would get our first sighting of the trip!

Excellent survey conditions (c) Niall T. Keogh

The survey route brought us alongside some of main breeding seabird colonies in the area such as Downpatrick Head and The Stags of Broadhaven. The Stags are notable in that they hold the (currently) only known breeding colony of Leach's storm-petrel in Ireland where some 300+ pairs are thought to nest. Other sites around the country are also suspected of holding some breeding birds. Leach's storm-petrels like to feed over deep water habitats so The Stags provide a perfect location for a breeding colony from where they can nip out to the deep waters of the Rockall Trough just off the shelf edge which isn't too far away from here (for a seabird!). They tend to return to their burrows at night (to avoid being eaten by gulls) so despite being close to a breeding colony, no Leach's storm-petrels were seen today.

The Stags of Broadhaven (c) Niall T. Keogh

We did see plenty of European storm-petrels however, their smaller and more abundant breeding relative here in Ireland. Also lots of Manx shearwaters and puffins about too. One things all these seabirds have in common is that they nest in underground burrows on steep grassy slopes or crevices in boulders fields and scree, something which there is plenty of along the North Mayo coast.

A recently fledged juvenile puffin... aka a puffling! (c) Niall T. Keogh

Two new species were added to the seabird survey list today: Herring gull and great skua.

Great skuas (also known as 'Bonxies') are a relatively recent addition to the list of Irish breeding avifauna, having spread south from their core range which spans across Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Scotland and Arctic Norway. Just a handful of pairs currently breed between Galway and Antrim and several of these can be found along North Mayo.

It was nice to see a single Bonxie which came over to inspect RV Celtic Explorer while in this area!

Great skua (c) Niall T. Keogh

A first year gannet (c) Niall T. Keogh

Day 3 sightings: Wednesday 6th July 2016

Sighting! A minke whale showed well this morning, surfacing close to the bow while we were stationed just west of Inishturk. Our first whale of the trip was spotted by Mick Marrinan (IWDG Marine Mammal Observer) from his perch in the crow's nest. Several rafts of Manx shearwaters (up to 500 birds strong) plus a scattering of sooty shearwaters (c20 birds) also present in the area at the time.

Conditions deteriorated rapidly through the afternoon with a sea state of 6, misty rain and often poor visibility taking hold but not before John Collins (IWDG MMO) got a glimpse of some unidentified dolphins over 1km ahead of the ship.

The evening cleared up nicely however and we were treated to a stunning sunset, a dark morph Arctic skua in hot pursuit of a kittiwake and John was lucky enough to catch a view of a breaching minke whale! What a sight!

We are now heading steadily west for the Porcupine Bank.

European storm-petrels (c) Mick Marrinan

European storm-petrel with kittiwake and fulmar in the foreground (c) Niall T. Keogh

Arctic tern (c) Niall T. Keogh
A recent tracking study has found that Arctic terns breeding on the Farne Islands clock up 96,000km during their annual migration route to the Weddell Sea in Antarctica and back again! See here for more info.

Western European Shelf Pelagic Acoustic Survey 2016

Introduction (from the Scientists@Sea blog, follow link here for more information)

"The Western European Shelf Pelagic Acoustic Survey (WESPAS) is a new multidisciplinary research survey representing the largest single vessel acoustic survey program in Europe. WESPAS is the consolidation of two existing acoustic surveys (the Malin Shelf herring and the boarfish acoustic surveys) into one. This new survey will be undertaken onboard the RV Celtic Explorer over the coming six weeks covering shelf waters from Northern Scotland to northern Biscay. The primary aim of the survey is to determine the acoustic abundance of small pelagic fish, namely herring, boarfish and horse mackerel for use in stock assessment. The survey grid provides an opportunity for complimentary research to enhance the overall program providing important metrics on the drivers that influence pelagic fish distribution. As well as investigating fisheries, scientists onboard are also investigating marine water chemistry, sampling for plankton, undertaking visual surveys for marine mammals and seabirds and also surveying for whales and dolphins using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). The survey will also be retrieving acoustic moorings deployed during the blue whiting acoustic survey in March as part of the ObSERVE-Acoustic program. All in all, an action packed survey ahead!"

During the first leg of WESPAS in late mid-late June, surveying for marine mammals and sharks was conducted by Hannah Keogh (Irish Whale and Dolphin Group) around the Hebridean shelf waters off West Scotland and Northwest Ireland. Below is a summary map of her observations during that period which included a sighting of the male killer whale known as 'John Coe' on 18th June near the island of Coll. This animal was seen near The Blaskets, Co. Kerry just nine days later (see here for more info).

WESPAS leg 1 sightings June 2016 (c) Hannah Keogh (IWDG)

(white-beaked dolphin, common dolphin, Risso's dolphin, killer whale, minke whale, humpback whale, grey seal and basking shark)

The second and third legs of the WESPAS survey will take in the waters off West Ireland including the Porcupine Bank and Celtic Sea as well as heading to the canyon systems west of Scilly/Brittany. During this survey period in July, a full team of marine mammal and seabird surveyors will be present from ObSERVE-Acoustic, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Marine and Freshwater Research Centre GMIT and MaREI/University College Cork.

Survey route for the second and third legs of WESPAS in July 2016 within the red box

This diverse group of seasoned surveyors includes several members of the Cetaceans on the Frontier team, hence why we will be hijacking the COTF blog here to bring you sightings updates from the WESPAS survey this July!

Day 1 sightings: Monday 4th July 2016

The RV Celtic Explorer left Galway docks at 03:30 this morning and began making its way north off the coast of Connemara and Mayo towards the start of the survey transect lines

Black Rock lighthouse and Achill Island (c) Niall T. Keogh

Strong northerly headwinds and a sea state of 5 made survey conditions challenging and no marine mammals were observed. Some dolphin whistles were picked up on the hydrophone however so the honour of 'first blubber' goes to the passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) operators!

The seabird team had a good day for 'getting the eye in' with 13 species recorded: gannet, fulmar, manx shearwater, sooty shearwater, European storm-petrel, pomarine skua, kittiwake, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, Arctic tern, puffin, razorbill and common guillemot.

 Manx shearwater, one of the most abundant species seen today as we passed by several of their west coast breeding sites (c) Niall T. Keogh

A juvenile and adult razorbill (c) Niall T. Keogh

Sighting of the day however was "RESCUE118" the Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky-S92 duty helicopter, operating out of Sligo, which came over to RV Celtic Explorer in order to carry out some training exercises while we were well to the northwest of The Mullet Peninsula.

"RESCUE118" in action (c) Niall T. Keogh

The Humpback Whales of Cape Verde - documentary tour

A packed audience attended the launch of the new Canola Film Productions/Irish Whale & Dolphin Group (IWDG) documentary on The Humpback Whales of Cape Verde at the LexIcon in Dun Laoghaire on Tuesday 12th January 2016. 

This film documents the most recent IWDG expedition to Cape Verde in search of humpbacks in September 2014. IWDG have been visiting the island archipelago in an attempt to discover the breeding grounds of humpback whales visiting Ireland in the summer and winter periods.

The next showing of the film will be in Killarney Library, Co. Kerry on 23rd January 2016 with Sean O'Callaghan at 2:30pm.

Other confirmed dates are:

Clonakilty Library, West Cork on 27th January 2016 @ 7:30pm with Padraig Whooley (booking essential by email: padraig.whooley@iwdg.ie or moblie: 086-3850568)

Kilkee Library, Co. Clare on 10th February 2016 with Simon Berrow

Youghal Library, Co. Cork on 25th February 2016 with Andrew Malcolm

Further information is available from Isabelle Courtney of Canola Pictures

mobile: 087-2366878

e-mail: isabelle@canolapictures.com

A trailer for the documentary can be viewed by clicking on the image below

Evening talk: seabirds and cetaceans in Irish offshore waters by Niall Keogh

"Bring me that Horizon: seabirds and cetaceans in Irish offshore waters" - an illustrated talk on surveying for marine wildlife from the R.V. Celtic Explorer and R.V. Celtic Voyager by Niall Keogh (offshore surveyor).

Thursday 21st January 2016 at 7:30pm, GMIT Castlebar campus (Room P004), Co. Mayo.

In association with the BirdWatch Ireland Mayo Branch. All welcome!