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Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters - Behaviour, Distribution and Habitat Use- WP1 Monitoring Spatial and Temporal Habitat Use and Abundance of Cetaceans.
All cetaceans and their habitats are protected under Irish and international law. The research termed Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters – behaviour, distribution and habitat use was delivered under six Work Packages. Cetacean line transect surveys were conducted under Work Package 1 with the following goals:
1. Providing a baseline cetacean distribution and relative abundance data set for the Irish EEZ;
2. Filling spatial and temporal gaps identified in cetacean survey effort within the EEZ;
3. Preparing an Atlas of cetacean distribution and relative abundance for Irish waters;
4. Assessing the temporal use of marine habitats by cetaceans in Irish waters.
Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters - Behaviour, Distribution and Habitat Use- WP3 Biotelemetry of Marine Megafauna in Irish Waters
Biotelemetry is the transmission of information from biological organisms through the atmosphere by radio waves. It encompasses a wide range of devices that can record environmental variables while attached to an animal, such as depth, salinity and temperature, while permitting the recording and transmitting of the position of an animal, commonly referred to as tracking. A review of biotelemetry, with reference to relevant species in Ireland, is presented. Although a number of marine species have been tagged and tracked in Ireland, these studies were generally of short duration or involved small numbers of individuals. However, these studies have shown that tracking marine megafauna in Ireland can be successful and that there is great potential for biotelemetry.
Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters - Behaviour, Distribution and Habitat Use- Final Summary Report.
Irish waters are internationally important for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), with 24 species recorded to date. These range from the harbour porpoise, the smallest species in European waters, to the blue whale, the largest animal to ever have lived on Earth. All cetaceans and their habitats are protected under Irish and international law. The research termed Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters – behaviour, distribution and habitat use was delivered under six Work Packages. The deliverables under this project will provide data which could be used to address a wide range of issues, and will contribute to developing policy advice on meeting Ireland’s statutory obligations.
Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters - Behaviour, Distribution and Habitat Use- WP4 Research into Ecosystem Links and Habitat Use between Cetaceans and Fisheries in the Celtic Sea
Visual line transect survey data for cetaceans were simultaneously collected during synoptic acoustic sampling surveys of small schooling pelagic fish, i.e. herring (Clupea harengus) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in the Celtic Sea, off the south coast of Ireland, from 2004 to 2009. These data were used to investigate the interactions of cetaceans with biological and environmental variables in the survey area. Geographic information systems and generalized linear and generalized additive models were used in this study.
Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters - Behaviour, Distribution and Habitat Use- WP 2: Developing Acoustic Monitoring Techniques
All cetaceans and their habitats are protected under Irish and international law. The research termed Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters – behaviour, distribution and habitat use was delivered under six Work Packages. Cetacean line transect surveys were conducted under Work Package 1 with the following goals:
1. Providing a baseline cetacean distribution and relative abundance data set for the Irish EEZ;
2. Filling spatial and temporal gaps identified in cetacean survey effort within the EEZ;
3. Preparing an Atlas of cetacean distribution and relative abundance for Irish waters;
4. Assessing the temporal use of marine habitats by cetaceans in Irish waters.