Lutra 47(1)_Kiszka et al_2004

Distribution and status of small cetaceans along the French Channel coasts: using opportunistic records for a preliminary assessment

Small cetaceans can use a variety of habitats and are generally wide-ranging. The study of their distribution and abundance is time-consuming and dedicated surveys are very expensive. In order to assess the diversity, distribution, and frequency of small cetaceans off the French Channel coasts, we collated opportunistic sightings collected by French mammalogist organisations, from the French/Belgian border to Pointe du Raz, western Brittany. A total of 1,350 small cetacean sightings are presented in this paper, collected between 1980 and 2000. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are common off the western French Channel coast. Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) and common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) occurred infrequently in the Channel, mostly on a seasonal basis. The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) occurred regularly off the northern French coast. These results are important for planning systematic assessments of the distribution and abundance of small cetaceans off the French Channel coasts.