Whale watching Madeira A Paper by Paul Abbiati See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whalewatching_Madeira

Whale watching Madeira Around the Madeiran islands, whale watching is mainly done on a non- dedicated manner and is regulated by a voluntary code of conduct established by the Madeira Whale Museum which publishes Technical Reports for the Project for the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Madeira Archipelago Link: http://www.museudabaleia.org/posters/ECS08/22%20ECS%20Ferreira %20etal.pdf  

Madeira’s long association with whales “The island has a long association with whaling; in the 1700s, whaling ships called here for supplies and to hire skilled crew for whaling voyages. Whaling contributed to the island's economy with a catch of over 4,000 sperm whales between 1941 and 1981. Madeira voluntarily stopped whaling in 1981, five years before the rest of the country (Portugal)” Source Greenpeace Opening Statement to IWC Conference, Madeira, Portugal, June 2009 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/greenpeace- opening-statement-t  

Sei Whale

Madeiran Whale Museum (Museu da baleia) -The Madeiran Whale Museum is developing studies of the Cetaceans of the Madeira Archipelago. The museum is situated in the small fishing village of Caniçal on the East Coast of Madeira. The museum records the whaling activities that formed a central part of many fishermen's lives for centuries. -Now, some of the men who once hunted whales are now helping to preserve whales. -Some donated their hunting equipment to the museum and created crafts and pieces of artwork from parts of old whale bones or teeth. Link: http://www.museudabaleia.org/  

Potential for whale watching in the waters of the Azores and Madeira. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) research vessel, ‘Song of the Whale’, spent several seasons, starting in 1987, studying: -the distribution patterns of sperm whales and -the potential for whale watching in the waters of the Azores and Madeira. Whalewatching boats regulated by the local authorities have recorded sightings of all species spotted on ‘sighting sheets’ in Madeira’s waters for years. See this link for species sighted month by month: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whalewatching_Madeira

A Cagarra (Corys Shearwater)

Madeira’s fast-growing whale watching industry “Madeira now has a fast-growing whale watching industry, which works to ensure that the business does not harm the populations on which it depends, showing once again that a whale is worth much more alive than dead. Most Madeiran whale watching vessels complete sightings sheets, which contribute to expanding scientific knowledge of cetaceans in these waters.”

Madeira: a success story.. swopping whale-hunting for whale tourist activities, June 2009 The Madeiran Environmental Minister, Francisco Correia praised regional action to value whales in the region through activities including tourism at the Opening of the IWC Whale Conference June 2009 in Madeira

Spotted dolphin

But, dangers for whales continue and are clear! Organisations have reported: “..present dangers are clear. If incidental takes by net entanglement are not sharply reduced or halted, the current take of western grey whales will drive the population to extinction during this century. The survival of the northern right whale remains in the balance, withship strikes and net entanglements preventing population recovery. The Vaquita is critically endangered. Two years ago the Baiji was declared extinct. “ Source Greenpeace Opening Statement to IWC Conference, Madeira, Portugal, June 2009 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/greenpeace- opening-statement-t

Finally, the natural beauty in Madeira’s waters Enjoy this film: ‘Madeira Nature in Photography’ by Luis Dias: http://www.luisdias.net/

Profile of the Paper’s writer Paul Abbiati, a recreational scuba-diver spends much of his time in Madeira where his wife was born. He observes marine creatures from his base in Paul do Mar when he can by swimming, snorkelling, diving and from boats and land. He has rescued marine birds such as Cory’s Shearwater (locally known as ‘Cagarras’) and reports sightings of creatures such as turtles to organisations in the region recording such information for scientific purposes Note the source of all the images in this presentation is WIKIMEDIA COMMONS