1) Identify the areas of importance for the bottlenose dolphin in the coastal waters of Madeira archipelago, with the aim of establishing adequate marine Nature 2000 sites for this species;

The conservation status of the bottlenose dolphin in the waters of the Archipelago of Madeira was determined to be of "Least Concern" (LC – Portuguese Vertebrate Red List, ICN 2005). However, the results of studies carried out by the Madeira Whale Museum (MWM) suggest that this species is found in greater numbers in the shallower coastal waters, which are subject to intense anthropogenic pressure resulting from increased human activities in the coastal area, e.g., shipping traffic, fishing, and whale-watching, among others. Consequently, the effects from these human activities may cause a reduction in the habitat available to the bottlenose dolphin in the Archipelago of Madeira. It is therefore urgent that areas sensitive/crucial to the bottlenose dolphin be identified and managed in a sustainable manner, making the human activities compatible with this purpose. The establishment of these areas will also reinforce the ecological coherence and connectivity of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network in the Atlantic, especially in regard to this species.
To achieve this goal, systematic nautical surveys will be carried out in the coastal waters of the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo and the Desertas. Besides these surveys, the sea effort will also be oriented toward the carrying out of surveys at sea in areas already identified as potentially important to the bottlenose dolphin, and other areas that may come to be identified as such in the systematic nautical surveys mentioned above. Photo-ID will be another of the study tools used to accomplish this aim.


2) Define areas of operation for the whale-watching boats in Madeira archipelago waters and establish the respective carrying capacity;

In recent years, whale-watching has grown rapidly in Madeira Island, as well as in other parts of the world, with impacts on the cetacean populations that are not yet fully perceptible and measured. Given the current market potential of the activity, the number of boats operating in the Archipelago of Madeira will certainly tend to increase. In light of this, in order to have a sustainable growth in the activity that includes minimising the impact on cetaceans (the product being sold in this activity), it is important to define areas for the operation of the whale-watching boats and their corresponding carrying capacity. Our intention in doing this is to distribute the exaggerated pressure that can result from the concentration of boats in a restricted area. What is being aimed for, then, is the healthy and sustainable growth of the industry, based on sound knowledge and criteria, that minimise the negative impacts on cetaceans and their conservation status.
In order to achieve this goal, systematic surveys at sea will be carried out in the coastal waters of the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo and the Desertas, together with an inventory of the number of boats, and information on their operations, specifically, their routes and the area covered, their time at sea and other information that may be considered relevant.


3) Surveillance of the conservation status of cetaceans' species in Madeira offshore waters.

Presently, the monitoring of the cetaceans in the Archipelago of Madeira is restricted to the coastal waters (within 12 nautical miles of the coasts). This project is therefore an opportunity to develop and implement the surveillance in the offshore waters, in a precautionary logic that will enable us to identify the threats to cetaceans in these remote waters. The knowledge of the possible impacts is fundamental to the implementation of mitigating measures, contributing to the maintenance or improvement of the conservation status of cetaceans of the Archipelago of Madeira. The surveillance measures to be developed during this project will be later included in the Programme for Permanent Monitoring of Cetaceans in the Archipelago of Madeira.
To meet this goal, the fishing vessels (especially the tuna fishing boats) that operate in the offshore waters of the Madeira EEZ will serve as platforms of opportunity.