This August, the Tursiops association launched a new campaign, christened Moby Mummy 23, on the north coast of Menorca with the aim of protecting the sperm whale nursery found in that part of the island. The 12.3-metre Irifi, used by the Tursiops team to carry out research, recently berthed at Marina Port Mahón to share its findings during its search for sperm whales in the northern part of the island.

 

The six-strong team involved in the Tursiops research project sailed more than seven hundred nautical miles aboard Irifi to search for and track sperm whales off the northern Menorca coast.

 

They recently located four groups of sperm whales, formed by thirty-six individuals of which nine were calves, the highest number ever recorded since 2003 in the Balearic Islands. One of the pods consisted of eighteen whales. This data provided by Tursiops confirms that the north of Menorca is an area of vital importance for the Mediterranean sperm whale.

 

In addition to sperm whales, the team made seventeen sightings of other species of macrofauna: eight striped dolphins, three groups of Risso's dolphins, one common dolphin, three loggerhead turtles, and one manta ray.

 

The data collected during this campaign confirms the "Sperm Whale Nursery of Northern Menorca" as a key area to be protected. The creation of this MPA sets out to minimise the negative impacts of human activity on the sperm whale nursery located in these waters. The project counts on the support of the Menorca Island Council, Menorca Lines, Marina Port Mahón, Prezer-Adalmo, and Menorca Preservation.