On 20 April MCR’s archival acoustic recorder was deployed 100 km north of Cape Verde Islands on a German (GEOMAR) oceanographic mooring. The deployment was made from the RV Meteor during GEOMAR’s climate change research in the tropical Atlantic. The recorder will log acoustic data for up to 12 months at this site, generating a unique long-term dataset on the presence of humpback whales in the region. In carrying out this research, we hope to shed light on the timing of humpback whale migrations to and from the archipelago where they go to breed and give birth each spring. We also hope to determine whether southern hemisphere humpbacks migrate to the archipelago during the austral spring. The device will also record other species such as sperm whales and dolphins. Thanks to both IFAW for funding the research and to GEOMAR for providing a platform for the deployment. As we write, humpbacks are starting to return to their northern feeding areas (with sightings recorded in the Azores, Ireland and Iceland in the past week), let’s hope they were singing on their travels!
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