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Welcome to the Aberdeenshire Cetacean Catalogue (ACC)

 

 

Background to the project

Dedicated boat- and land-based surveys to monitor bottlenose dolphins and other cetaceans off Aberdeenshire began in April 1999, with the establishment of the South Grampian regional group of the Sea Watch Foundation (SWF).  Boat surveys were initially carried out on an opportunistic basis, funded by paying volunteers and members of the public.  During 2000 and 2001 vessel-based surveys were funded by Shell U.K. Exploration and Production, leading to initial photo-identification work and the production of a baseline report on cetacean occurrence in the region (Weir and Stockin, 2001).  This initial work led to the Kerr McGee, Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd and Total E&P UK Plc funded Aberdeenshire Dolphin Project (ADP) boat surveys between 2002 and 2005.  A joint venture between the University of Aberdeen and the Sea Watch Foundation, the ADP aimed to study the abundance, distribution and behaviour of cetaceans along the Aberdeenshire coastline and was carried out as a dedicated PhD project (Canning, 2007).  Since the final ADP-sponsored boat survey in November 2005, vessel surveys have continued opportunistically during 2006 and into 2007 funded by a combination of paying volunteers and SWF grants.  Several scientific papers and conference proceedings have been published from the survey work to date, some of which are available to download here.

 

Cetaceans off Aberdeenshire

The coastal waters off Aberdeenshire are regularly inhabited by four species of cetacean; the harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, white-beaked dolphin and minke whale.  Other cetacean species recorded rarely in the region include humpback whale, fin whale, sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, Risso's dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin and common dolphin.

 

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Bottlenose dolphins are the most frequently reported cetacean in the coastal waters off Aberdeenshire, and their occurrence appears to have increased since the early 1990s.  While sighted throughout the year, bottlenose dolphins show peak occurrence during the winter and spring months, particularly between March and May.  During this period bottlenose dolphins can be observed almost daily in the mouth of Aberdeen Harbour, where they spend many hours foraging and feeding on salmonids between the breakwaters. Photo-identification (see below) of individual animals has shown that the bottlenose dolphins off Aberdeen belong to the 'Moray Firth population', estimated at approximately 130 animals.

 

 

White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostis)

The white-beaked dolphin is a summer visitor to Aberdeenshire waters, occurring primarily between June and September.  This is considered to be the most numerous dolphin species in North Sea waters, although its biology and ecology are not well understood.  White-beaked dolphins occur predominantly in pelagic waters, and they appear to move into Aberdeenshire coastal waters seasonally.  Groups range from three or four individuals to aggregations exceeding 30 animals, and often include calves and juveniles. White-beaked dolphins are easily distinguished from bottlenose dolphins by the white blaze along their flanks, white beak and white 'saddle' patch behind the dorsal fin.

 

Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Minke whales are the only baleen whale species to commonly occur within North Sea waters. This species can be seen from headlands along the Aberdeenshire coast, and has even been recorded from sandy beaches such as Aberdeen and Balmedie.  Minke whales are usually recorded as single animals.  Numbers appear to peak in July and August, however whales have been recorded off Aberdeenshire at most times of year including the winter months.

 

 

Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

The harbour porpoise is the smallest cetacean occurring off Aberdeenshire, reaching around 1.5 m length.  It occurs in the region throughout the year, though peak numbers are recorded in the summer between June and September.  Porpoises are typically recorded in groups of 1 to 5 animals, although aggregations of 20 or more animals may occur when feeding conditions are favourable.  This species may be seen anywhere along the coast, including Aberdeen Harbour mouth.

 

Photo-identification as a research tool

The study of bottlenose dolphins and many other cetacean species worldwide relies predominantly on photo-identification methods, where individual animals are photographed and then later identified from their unique markings.  This process can used to catalogue the movements of individual animals over space and time using a mark-recapture principle, producing information on dolphin distribution and seasonal movements, population size, site fidelity, social ecology, survival rates, and reproductive parameters such as calving intervals and length of calf dependency.  The features used to uniquely identify bottlenose dolphins are primarily the size and location of notches and cuts in the trailing edges of the dorsal fin, but also less permanent features such as body scarring and pigmentation.  For example, dolphin ABZ 5 (known as 'Sooty') is one of the most frequent individuals to be recorded during boat surveys off Aberdeenshire, having a particularly distinctive notch on the dorsal fin:

 

ABZ 5 recorded on 2 June 2006

 

ABZ 5 photographed again on 13 December 2009

 

Photo-identification of bottlenose dolphins in Aberdeenshire waters has been carried out opportunistically since 2000/01, with preliminary matches of several very distinctive animals confirming that at least some of the animals are known individuals from the Moray Firth population.  Photographing individuals over time provides an indication of how frequently particular animals are using Aberdeenshire waters, which has implications for their conservation and management. 

 

The Aberdeenshire Cetacean Catalogue (ACC)

The Aberdeenshire Cetacean Catalogue (ACC) was created to compile all images taken of bottlenose dolphins and other cetacean species off Aberdeenshire, in order to determine annual and seasonal use of the region by particular animals, and to establish the extent of the link with bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth.  Version 1 of the ACC aimed to catalogue existing images taken off the Aberdeenshire coast between 1999 and 2006, with particular focus on bottlenose dolphins.  This served as a baseline for future more comprehensive survey work.

 

Production of the ACC would not have been possible without the aid of several collaborators who have photographed bottlenose dolphins off Aberdeen over the 1999-2006 period, predominantly comprising Sarah Canning, Kevin Hepworth, Keith Ringland, Karen Stockin and Caroline Weir. Grants and support of the 1999-2006 boat surveys were variously provided by the general public, Sea Watch Foundation, Aberdeen University, Shell U.K. Exploration and Production, Kerr McGee, Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd and Total E&P UK Plc.  Production of Version 1 of the ACC was kindly supported by AMEC. 

 

 

 

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