Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Alexandre Paumier (1), Tom Grove (2), Filipa Isabel Pereira Samarra (3), Guðjón Már Sigurðsson (1), Valérie Chosson (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland; 2. The University of Iceland's Research Centres in Húsavík, Húsavík, Iceland; 3. University of Iceland’s Institute of Research Centres, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland;
Kynnir / Presenter: Alexandre Paumier
In Atlantic Subarctic waters, cetaceans have been extensively monitored during the last 50 years. In Iceland, specialists from the Marine and Freshwater Institute (MFRI) and from University of Iceland Háskóli Íslands (HÍ), along with whale watching companies, fishermen and citizens have worked together to collect sighting and photographic data . Each different contribution helps to improve our understanding of cetacean population, their ecosystem dynamic and conservation of the North Atlantic biodiversity.
The MFRI curates the Icelandic National humpback whale catalogue (ISMN Catalogue). It hosts over 1500 individuals for a total of over 10 000 sightings registered since 1981. It is the result of various projects, from scientific surveys, whale watching and citizen contributions, creating a baseline for long term monitoring. Continuous improvement in scientific understanding of cetacean diversity relies directly on such wide collaborations.
Similarly, the collection of public data provides equally important information. The Íslenskir Hvalir/ Icelandic Whales Sightings Facebook page has centralised over 1400 sightings of 13 cetacean species since 2018. Scientists, naturalists and citizen provide direct sighting data and live information through these platforms.
The importance and the impact of cetaceans in the Icelandic´s marine and economic ecosystems creates an efficient incentive to further understand their dynamic and impact on the local environment. Photo-ID approach and