The north of Menorca, a vital place for the sperm whale

This August, the association TURSIOPS, has started a new campaign on the north coast of Menorca, Moby Mummy 23, with the aim of protecting the sperm whale nursery located in that area of the island and to define a new Marine Protected Area in the north of Menorca.

The vessel "Irifi", 12.3m long, with which the Tursiops team carries out the research, has landed at Marina Port Mahon to share their findings during their search for sperm whales in the northern part of the island. 

The team of six people participating in the Tursiops research, has sailed aboard the "Irifi" more than 700 miles, searching and tracking sperm whales in the waters north of Menorca. 

During these days they have obtained surprising data, they have located four groups of sperm whales, which have totaled 36 individuals, of which 9 were calves, the largest number ever recorded since 2003 in the Balearic Islands. One of the groups consisted of 18 animals. These data provided by Tursiops, confirm the north of Menorca as an area of vital importance for the Mediterranean sperm whale.

In addition to the presence of sperm whales, the team has made seventeen sightings of other species of macrofauna; eight striped dolphins of up to eighty animals, three groups of pilot whales, a common dolphin, three loggerhead turtles and a manta ray. 

The data obtained during this campaign ratify the "Sperm whale nursery in the north of Menorca" as a key area to protect. The objective of the creation of this MPA is to minimize the negative impacts of human activities on the sperm whale nursery located in these waters. After several years of development of the "Moby Mummy" project, it has been possible to determine a sperm whale breeding area in the Western Mediterranean, located in the north of Menorca. This area suffers a low intensity of navigation, far from the main maritime traffic routes of large ships, and makes it a region of first order for the conservation of this species.