INTRODUCTION

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Since 2013 the EDMAKTUB association has been developing the ‘Fin whale Project’, a long-term study on the fin whales’ (Balaenoptera physalus) presence during their migration along the Garraf coast (South of Barcelona coast) from late winter to early summer. One of the main objectives is a two-way collaboration, making known this situation to stakeholders operating along the entire Catalonian coast and receiving practical information mostly about the presence of this species in the area. As a consequence, a network of contacts with sailors, recreational and commercial fishermen has been established. The initial contacts were established during the first year of the project, with focus on the most influential guild operating in the study area (i.e. Vilanova i la Geltrú). Subsequently, the network has been expanding, with adjacent guilds included, so that fishermen from up to seven guilds form part of it at present.

The Fin whale Project provides relevant information on the subject and promotes the active participation of opportunistic platforms, aiming towards the development of a dynamic, citizen science partnership specialized in collecting data of cetacean sightings. In that way, there is real-time information flow that can also be maintained outside the principal study period .

MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY

The cooperation and the involvement of stakeholders are fundamental for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, maintaining and expanding this dynamic collaboration with the opportunistic platforms as a form of citizen science is of high importance. Constant communication with these opportunistic platforms, which interact with different cetacean species, offers a more extended study area for obtaining data.

Fishing vessels of up to three different guilds can be found operating in the study area.For this purpose, Members of EDMAKTUB visited the involved guilds and informed the captains individually, in order to solicit their collaboration. The distributed material contains leaflets of the Fin whale Project, as well as providing simple identification keys of the different cetacean species the can be observed. The participators are principally trawling fishermen, due to their activity area coinciding with the distribution area of the fin whale, although some longline fishermen are involved. The opportunistic platforms network also includes sailors and recreational fishermen who have been informed through sessions during sailing regattas, events in the “Club Náutico de Vilanova” or direct contact in the open sea. Finally, communication among stakeholders has offered the project more publicity and increased the number of citizen scientists involved.

Opportunistic platforms as a source of citizen science during a scientific study: ‘Fin whale Project’

Cristina Martín1, Natàlia Amigó1, Mireia Bou1, Elena Fernández1, Flavien Foncin1, Estefanía Jiménez1, Margarita Junza1 , Eduard Degollada1,

(1) Asociación EDMAKTUB, Barcelona, Spain info@edmaktub.org

crmarber@gmail.com

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS With the support of:

CONCLUSIONS

Fig. 2. Barplot of the cumulative sightings provided by EDMAKTUB, professional and recreational fishermen during the study period. Note the increase in sightings reported by professional fishermen in 2015.

YEAR Registered Informed

Provided

Results Registered Informed

Provided

Results Registered Informed

Provided

Results Registered Informed

Provided

Results

2014 24 20 7 13 9 2

2015 23 23 7 11 10 3 28 27 3 16 11 2

VILANOVA BARCELONA TARRAGONA ARENYS

Fig. 1. Map of Garraf coast and the approximate areas covered by the fishing guilds collaborating with the "Fin whale Project", along with the distribution of the reported sightings. Note the sightings provided by fishermen outside EDMAKTUB's main operating area.

The contacts network has expanded since the year of its creation (see Table 1) and more than 15 different vessels have already provided reports on sightings. As a result, the percentage of sightings provided increased from 28% of the total sightings in 2014 to almost 50% next year, with more than 40 sightings reported by fishermen and sailors during the study period (Fig. 2), highlighting the value of their participation. This expansion of the network has led to an total increase of sightings, even though the presence of fin whales in the Garraf coast has notably decreased during 2015 (obs. of EDMAKTUB and contacts network). The exponential increase of the numbers of informed platforms allows the coverage of a greater surface year after year, allowing the collection of more, as well as higher quality information on the distribution of the Fin whale. Finally, the importance of the network’s input is not restricted only to reports on sightings, but also lies in observing the inter-annual variability in the presence of cetacean species, especially when it comes to professional fishermen.

Table 1. Summary of the trawling vessels registered in each guild and the number of vessels that were informed by EDMAKTUB and provided sightings during the study period.