Whalewatching Madeira

Whale and dolphin watching around the Madeiran islands

Around the Madeiran islands, whale watching http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_watching is mainly done on a non-dedicated manner and is regulated by a voluntary code of conduct established by the Madeira Whale Museumpublishes Tecnhical Reports for the Project for the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Madeira Archipelago[http://www.museudabaleia.org/posters/ECS08/22%20ECS%20Ferreira%20etal.pdf

The Whale Museum in Madeira (Museu da Baleia) is developing studies of the Cetaceans of the Madeira Archipelago. The museum is situated in the small fishing village of Caniçal on the East Coast of Madeira. The museum records the whaling activities that formed a central part of many fishermen's lives for many decades. Whaling has been prohibited in Madeiran waters since 1982. Now, some of the men who once hunted whales are now helping to preserve whales. Some donated their hunting equipment to the museum and created crafts and pieces of artwork from parts of old whale bones or teeth.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare research vessel, ‘Song of the Whale’, spent several seasons, starting in 1987, studying the distribution patterns of sperm whales and the potential for whale watching in the waters of the Azores and Madeira.

Whale and dolphin sightings off the Madeira islands

The crew of the Lobosonda 1 have recorded the sightings of these species off Madeira:

January: Common dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Pilot whale, Sperm whale,

February: Common dolphin, Striped dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Pilot whale, Sperm whale

March: Common dolphin, Striped dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Sperm whale, Humpback whale, Sei whale

April: Common dolphin, Striped dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, False killer whale, Pilot whale, Sperm whale, Humpback whale, Fin whale, Sei whale, Bryde’s Whale

May: Common dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Risso’s dolphin, Rough-toothed Dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Pilot whale, Sperm whale, Fin whale, Sei whale,Minke whale, Bryde’s whale

June: Common dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, Rough toothed dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Pilot whale, Sperm whale, Fin whale, Sei whale, Minke whale, Bryde’s whale

July: Common dolphin, Striped dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, Rough toothed dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, False killer whale, Pilot whale, Sperm whale, Minke whale, Fin whale, Sei whale, Bryde’s whale

August: Striped dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, Rough toothed dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, False killer whale, Pilot whale, Sperm whale, Fin whale, Sei whale, Minke whale, Bryde’s whale

September: striped dolphin, atlantic spotted dolphin, , atlantic spotted dolphins, rough toothed dolphin, risso’s dolphin, botlenose dolphin, false killer whale, pilot whale, sperm whale, humpback whale, fin whale, Sei whale, bryde’s whale

October: striped dolphin, atlantic spotted dolphins, risso’s dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, pilot whale, sperm whale, humpback whale, fin whale, Sei whale, bryde’s whale

November: bottlenose dolphin, striped dolphin, pilot whale, sperm whale, humpback whale, bryde’s whale

December: bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, pilot whale, sperm whale, bryde’s whale

Link to films of whale and dolphin sightings in Madeira’s waters: http://uk.youtube.com/user/lobosonda