In the Mediterranean, the Alboran Sea is the area least frequented by sperm
whales (Gannier et al. 2002). The highest densities of sperm whales are found
towards the Strait of Gibraltar and south of Almeria (de Stephanis et al. 2013).
Despite conservation efforts, the sperm whale population has decreased in the
Mediterranean Sea over the last 40 years (Cañadas et al. 2005; Coll et al. 2010).
Observations of fin whales in the Strait of Gibraltar suggest a migration pattern from
the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean during summer and the reverse in
winter (Andrèu et al. 2010). Fin whale population trends in the area remain unknown
due to low encounter rates (PNUE/PAM-CAR/ASP 2016).
The Alboran Sea is a key area for another important species, the Cuvier’s beaked
whale (Ziphius cavirostris) (MacLeod and Mitchell 2006), because it hosts one of
the highest densities of this species (0.0054 animals/km
2 ) in the world with an
estimated 429 individuals (Cañadas and Vázquez 2014). A “critical area” in the
central Alboran Sea has been proposed to protect this species (Cañadas and Vázquez
2014).
According to Bellido et al. (2006), there is no evidence of resident Phocoena
phocoena populations in the Alboran Sea. However, stranded individuals have
occasionally been recorded along the Alboran Sea coast (Rey and Cendrero, 1982;
Bellido et al. 2006). In a recent study, Blakeman et al. (2018) suggested that there
may be small groups near the Málaga coast.
Dolphins have traditionally been hunted for their meat and for use as bait in pot
fishing (unpublished data). At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a
large cetacean fishery in the Alboran Sea near the Straits of Gibraltar with two
factories, one in Getares (Algeciras, Spain) (de Buen 1922, 1927) and one in Benzou
(Ceuta, Spain). Both factories supported nearby whaling operations mainly targeting
fin and sperm whales, although sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) and Bryde’s
whales (B. edeni) were also hunted (Sanpera and Aguilar 1992). In recent years, no
cetaceans have been hunted directly in the area, although in the past there was
considerable bycatch by driftnet and longline fisheries. The driftnet fishery is
currently in disuse in Morocco and Spain. Silvani et al. (1999) and Tudela et al.
(2005) reported differential bycatch rates between the north and south Alboran Sea.
Bycatch of common and striped dolphin were estimated to be around 327 and 3647
per year in the north and south Alboran Sea, respectively. According to Tudela et al.
(2005), the high dolphin mortality rates in Moroccan driftnets were not compatible
with maintaining their populations. For this reason, there was a significant flow of
individuals from the Atlantic to the Alboran Sea, which has become a sink for the
Atlantic common dolphin population. Rissos’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) is one of
the most bycaught cetaceans by longline fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea
(Macías et al. 2012).
The main threats to cetaceans in the Alboran Sea are anthropogenic disturbances,
such as bycatch, pollution, and ship strikes (UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA 2014). Naval
exercises pose a further threat. Mass strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales in the
Alboran Sea have been demonstrated to be associated with high-intensity
726
J. C. Báez et al.
whales (Gannier et al. 2002). The highest densities of sperm whales are found
towards the Strait of Gibraltar and south of Almeria (de Stephanis et al. 2013).
Despite conservation efforts, the sperm whale population has decreased in the
Mediterranean Sea over the last 40 years (Cañadas et al. 2005; Coll et al. 2010).
Observations of fin whales in the Strait of Gibraltar suggest a migration pattern from
the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean during summer and the reverse in
winter (Andrèu et al. 2010). Fin whale population trends in the area remain unknown
due to low encounter rates (PNUE/PAM-CAR/ASP 2016).
The Alboran Sea is a key area for another important species, the Cuvier’s beaked
whale (Ziphius cavirostris) (MacLeod and Mitchell 2006), because it hosts one of
the highest densities of this species (0.0054 animals/km
2 ) in the world with an
estimated 429 individuals (Cañadas and Vázquez 2014). A “critical area” in the
central Alboran Sea has been proposed to protect this species (Cañadas and Vázquez
2014).
According to Bellido et al. (2006), there is no evidence of resident Phocoena
phocoena populations in the Alboran Sea. However, stranded individuals have
occasionally been recorded along the Alboran Sea coast (Rey and Cendrero, 1982;
Bellido et al. 2006). In a recent study, Blakeman et al. (2018) suggested that there
may be small groups near the Málaga coast.
Dolphins have traditionally been hunted for their meat and for use as bait in pot
fishing (unpublished data). At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a
large cetacean fishery in the Alboran Sea near the Straits of Gibraltar with two
factories, one in Getares (Algeciras, Spain) (de Buen 1922, 1927) and one in Benzou
(Ceuta, Spain). Both factories supported nearby whaling operations mainly targeting
fin and sperm whales, although sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) and Bryde’s
whales (B. edeni) were also hunted (Sanpera and Aguilar 1992). In recent years, no
cetaceans have been hunted directly in the area, although in the past there was
considerable bycatch by driftnet and longline fisheries. The driftnet fishery is
currently in disuse in Morocco and Spain. Silvani et al. (1999) and Tudela et al.
(2005) reported differential bycatch rates between the north and south Alboran Sea.
Bycatch of common and striped dolphin were estimated to be around 327 and 3647
per year in the north and south Alboran Sea, respectively. According to Tudela et al.
(2005), the high dolphin mortality rates in Moroccan driftnets were not compatible
with maintaining their populations. For this reason, there was a significant flow of
individuals from the Atlantic to the Alboran Sea, which has become a sink for the
Atlantic common dolphin population. Rissos’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) is one of
the most bycaught cetaceans by longline fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea
(Macías et al. 2012).
The main threats to cetaceans in the Alboran Sea are anthropogenic disturbances,
such as bycatch, pollution, and ship strikes (UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA 2014). Naval
exercises pose a further threat. Mass strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales in the
Alboran Sea have been demonstrated to be associated with high-intensity
726
J. C. Báez et al.