Whale-Watching cetacean occurrences by Futurismo Azores Adventures from 2008 to 2018 off São Miguel (Azores)

Data Records

The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 18,425 records.

2 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

González García L, Barata C, Idárraga Garcés V (2025). Whale-Watching cetacean occurrences by Futurismo Azores Adventures from 2008 to 2018 off São Miguel (Azores). Version 1.0. Futurismo Azores Adventures. http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=futurismo_sm_0818

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Futurismo Azores Adventures. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 170e1ee4-2daa-4082-be67-01d2647ab554.  Futurismo Azores Adventures publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Portugal.

Keywords

Samplingevent; Observation; cetacean; whale-watching; Azores

Contacts

Geographic Coverage

Data was collected off São Miguel Island, one of the easternmost islands of the Archipelago of the Azores in the Mid-Atlantic.

Taxonomic Coverage

The dataset compiles observations of 20 cetacean species and 19 other species of marine megafauna, recorded by Futurismo Azores Adventures off São Miguel Island (Azores, Portugal) from 2008 to 2018.

Temporal Coverage

Project Data

Whale watching has become one of the most important touristic activities in the Azores archipelago (Portugal). The number of commercial tours has increased over the years, providing therefore an increasing number of opportunities for cetacean data collection at sea. Futurismo Azores Adventures is one of the leading companies in the Region and has been registering data during their trips consistently since 2008. Currently, the existing data gathers more than 15000 sightings of cetaceans which are divided into two slightly different datasets (2008-2018 and 2019 onwards) stored in external hard drives. Acknowledging the opportunistic nature of the data, we emphasize the necessity for a rigorous quality check to address potential flows and inconsistencies and ensure data accuracy before public release. We aim to create routines to facilitate data processing and guarantee regular updates to the public domain following the international biodiversity standard Darwin Core. That way, we will adapt and standardize the methodology for data collection and processing to maximize data accessibility, transparency and reusability following the FAIR principles. We aim to publish in open access (via EMODnet Biology) the data collected between 2008 and 2018, and make it available via API for the wider public. As the data collection is still ongoing, we also envisioned regular data flow after the project in the long-term with an expansion on the spatial cover (to the north coast of São Miguel and Pico Island), and will do so in the future. By adopting open licensing, the project contributes to the global collaborative effort in marine conservation, fostering synergies, and enhancing the impact of sound research. Part of these opportunistic data has already been used for peer-reviewed articles and academic dissertations, showcasing its value for research. Among others, it can be useful to detect potential changes in species distribution or migrations, identify suitable areas, or even document extraordinary events. Futurismo Azores Adventures' commitment to establishing a robust database adhering to international standards sets an example, showcasing how the link between tourism and science could be crucial for research and conservation.

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

Data compiled in this dataset was registered during commercial whale-watching tours of Futurismo Azores Adventures. Trips have an average duration of 2.5 to 3h. Biologists/guides on board are responsible for registering the data about the sightings. Animals are firstly spotted from land by experienced lookouts located in strategic points off São Miguel's coast, characterised by good spatial cover and visibility. They are equipped with powerful binoculars (Steiner 20 x 80) that on a good visibility day can see up to 45 kilometres into the sea using the same technique used historically by whalers. Once they spot the animals, they communicate via VHF radio with the skipper on board, guiding the boat to the area where they were spotted. Once in the area, the biologist on board registers all the data from the sighting (time, GPS coordinates, species, group size, valuable information about the individual/group behaviour, sea state and visibility). For this dataset (until 2018), data was registered in a paper datasheet, and only later was transferred to an Excel file, and stored appropriately in hard drives. In this project, we completed the Excel database by adding the missing original information, then carried out a cleaning process to standardize and harmonize variables across years, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of records. Original variables were mapped into Darwin Core (DwC) terms, and transformation was conducted mostly using R routines. However, due to the heterogeneous nature of the data over the years, a significant portion of the verification was done manually. Data was organised in three tables according to the standard structure of a DwC-Arquive. The core table of this dataset is the event table, which summarises information related to the whale-watching trips and the encounters. These are linked to the occurrences detected on each encounter, which are organised by species, life stage and sex. And at the same time, both events and occurrences are linked to the extended Measurement of Facts table, which compiles all the variables related (for instance, sea state or visibility related to the events, and number of individuals or behaviour related to the occurrences).

Method step description:

1. Data was collected at sea during commercial whale-watching trips in the Azores between 2008 and 2018. 2. Digitalised data in Excel was checked and completed against the original datasheets. 3. Original variables were harmonized and standardized across years. 4. Original data was checked and validated, mostly regarding coordinate formats and information extracted from the comments section. 5. Original variables were mapped and transformed into DwC-terms. 6. Data was organised in three tables: Event Table, Occurrence Table and Extended Measurement Or Facts Table (eMoF). 7. DwC data was validated with WoRMS, with the NERC Vocabulary Server (NVS) and EMODnet/OBIS tools.

Bibliographic Citations

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