A Peaceful Day at Sea

The weather conditions were just perfect, no wind and the sea was so calm with a mirrored reflection, so we took advantage of this fantastic weather and we went out for a boat trip.

Thrilled to collect some data on cetaceans and also wanting to test our equipment including the hydrophone for collecting acoustic data, camera used for Photo-ID and drone used for recording videos of behavioral information from above the animals. Also it is important to coordinate with the team to work together during whale sightings, writing down the observational and behavioral notes and using the GPS for coordinates.

Thanks to the great weather we were able to head past Å, following the coast line and approaching the southern end of Lofoten. It can be tricky to do field work down there, as being this close to the end of the archipelago the currents and winds from the open ocean can be strong and potentially make it unsafe for the boat operations.

But we were lucky, and we were able to explore more around this area, and it was along this portion of coastline that we spotted one harbor porpoise heading in the opposite direction of the boat. It was traveling very fast, but we were able to gather the sighting.

Then we started to head North, towards Reine and when we reached deeper water, we deployed the hydrophone and started to listen with the headphones. We only heard boat noise for a while, probably from the ferries and other ships as Vestfjorden is a busy ferry route, especially during the summer period.

After retrieving the hydrophone and reorganizing the equipment on board, we made our way back, always accompanied by many Puffins along the way. Very cute!! 

Satisfied with the day the research assistants are now more familiar with the equipment that they put it on the charge as soon as they got back home, ready to go out anytime!