The dangers of plastic in the ocean
Plastic in the Ocean? What impact does it have on different marine species, including sperm whales and dolphins?
Another winter day on the island of São Miguel and another sea trip from Picos de Aventura that turned out to be full of surprises!
After a briefing about the species of marine mammals we could find and the safety on board, we went out to sea with our customers in a good mood!
With the indications of our lookouts on land, we head towards a place where sperm whales may be sighted (Physeter macrocephalus) about 5 miles offshore. This possibility quickly evolved into a certainty! Through their breaths, we saw a group of about three adult individuals and we were able to follow one in particular more closely (figure below).
After a few minutes, the animals dived and we headed closer to the coast where we were lucky to find a sperm whale that turned out to be quite curious and friendly. As he approached the boat and exhibited the behavior of spyhopping, as seen in the image below, we realized that the animal was interested in a lost piece of fishing net!
As soon as the calf moved away from the boat and the net, we immediately took it out of the water and, what was our astonishment when, when viewing the captured video, we saw the dangerous interaction of the sperm whale with the net.
This highlights the already well-known problem of plastic in the ocean and ghost fishing nets in the ocean and the dangers this poses to marine life.
After this unexpected and worrying encounter, our lookouts informed us of a group of dolphins that were nearby. These approximately 50 individuals, made up of adults, juveniles and calves, were common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and were on feeding. We ended up finishing our trip to the sea surrounded by these animals and all the frenzy associated with their behavior!
