Factors driving patterns and trends in strandings of small cetaceans

• Published in: Marine Biology
• Main Authors: Saavedra, Camilo, Pierce, Graham John, Gago, Jesús, Jusufovski, Dunja, Cabrero, Águeda, Cerviño, Santiago, López, Alfredo, Martínez‑Cedeira, José, Santos, María Begoña
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Strandings; Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo; Medio Marino; Cetaceans; Marine mammals; Oceanography; meteorology; winds; North Atlantic; Phocoena phocoena
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10508/12244; http://hdl.handle.net/10261/321717; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3200-3

The incidence of cetacean strandings is expected to depend on a combination of factors, including the dis- tribution and abundance of the cetaceans, their prey, and causes of mortality (e.g. natural, fishery bycatch), as well as currents and winds which affect whether carcasses reach the shore. We investigated spatiotemporal patterns and trends in the numbers of strandings of three species of small cetacean in Galicia (NW Spain) and their relationships with meteoro- logical, oceanographic, prey abundance and fishing-related variables, aiming to disentangle the relationship that may exist between these factors, cetacean abundance and mor- tality off the coast. Strandings of 1166 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), 118 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and 90 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) during 2000–2013 were analysed. Generalised additive and generalised additive-mixed model results showed that the variables which best explained the pattern of strandings of the three cetacean species were those related with local ocean meteorology (strength and direction of the North– South component of the winds and the number of days with South-West winds) and the winter North Atlantic Oscil- lation Index. There were no significant relationships with indices of fishing effort or landings. Only bottlenose dolphin showed possible fluctuations in local abundance over the study period. There was no evidence of long-term trends in number of strandings in any of the species and their abun- dances were, therefore, considered to have been relatively stable during the study period. SI