Partie française de la campagne européenne SCANS IV (surveillance des petits cétacés de l'Atlantique et de la Mer du Nord)

The Small Cetaceans in European Atlantic waters and the North Sea surveys (SCANS) are regionally coordinated synoptic surveys that started almost 30 years ago with the aim of monitoring whales, dolphins and porpoises on the shelf and offshore waters of the European Atlantic.

The objective of the SCANS-IV project is to estimate the abundance of cetacean species in shelf and oceanic waters of the European Atlantic through a large-scale multinational aerial and shipboard survey in the summer of 2022. This is the most appropriate survey timing because of the higher probability of good sighting conditions, and also to ensure that results are comparable with those from previous SCANS surveys conducted in 1994, 2005/2007 and 2016 (Hammond et al. 2002, 2013, 2021).

The project will be achieved through the successful completion of six work packages (WP, Appendix 1). The first two WPs (WP1 & WP2) focus on collecting data on cetacean abundance and distribution through implementation of aerial surveys on the continental shelf and shipboard surveys in offshore waters. The data will be analysed in WP3 to generate abundance estimates, trends and perform spatial habitat modelling. WP4 will consider the long-term security of the large-scale cetacean monitoring SCANS programme in the Northeast Atlantic and propose a governance structure to ensure the continuation into the future. WPs 5 & 6 will focus on dissemination of results, project management and reporting.

This interim report details the tasks undertaken between June 2022 and October 2022, specifically targeting the French seaboard.