Marine Mammals and Megafauna in Irish Waters - Behaviour, Distribution and Habitat Use- WP 2: Developing Acoustic Monitoring Techniques

Abstract

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.