Work Package 4 - Phase 2 |Sanctuaire pour les mammifères marins Agoa

Marine mammals and seabirds of the Caribbean

Led by Agoa Sanctuary

Objective

To enhance knowledge on marine mammals and seabirds

The phase 1 of CAMAC led to the activation of a network of marine mammal and seabird specialists, who laid the groundwork for the operational phase.
Their work allowed to define the monitoring methods to be implemented in phase 2:

1 - A boat-based transect survey with an acoustic component, consisting of a towed array hydrophone, to inventory marine mammal and seabird species

2 - A seabird monitoring program aimed at improving knowledge of offshore feeding areas that could interact with human activities

Details of the work carried out during phase 1, as well as the associated deliverable, are available here.

Phase 2

In order to achieve the scientific objectives established during phase 1, marine mammals and seabirds are addressed separately in phase 2, as two distinct sub-axes, each with its own network of specialists. On the one hand new data will be collected through field campaigns and on the other hand a regional overview of species distribution and human activities will be delivered in a collaborative end product.

Marine Mammals

Specific Objective: Improve knowledge on the distribution, relative abundance, and diversity of marine mammals in the Wider Caribbean Region.

Protocol: visual and acoustic monitoring of marine mammals through the implementation of sea transects.

Monitoring of marine mammals will be conducted through transects established across seven key sites in the Caribbean. The territories selected for monitoring campaigns were carefully chosen according to specific criteria and validated through a vote by the network of local specialists.

Site Selection Criteria:

Area with limited knowledge on cetaceans
Presence of existing or suspected threats
Suspected hotspot and/or presence of rare or endangered species
Area with local stakeholders willing to engage in the project
Diversity of habitats suitable for marine mammals

In order to maximize international cooperation, each key site is composed of two to four territories.

Accordingly, the at-sea survey campaigns will take place at the following sites:

Lot 1 – "Greater Antilles" represented by: Haiti – Jamaica – Cuba
Lot 2 – "Central America" represented by: Costa Rica – Nicaragua
Lot 3 – "North-Eastern Antilles" represented by: Puerto Rico – US Virgin Islands – British Virgin Islands
Lot 4 - "Northern Caribbean" represented by: Bahamas – Turks and Caicos Islands
Lot 5 - "South-Western Caribbean" represented by: Panama – Colombia
Lot 6 - "Southern Caribbean" represented by: ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) – Venezuela
Lot 7 – "Southern Lesser Antilles" represented by: Grenada – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Barbados – Saint Lucia

For each lot, specific transects will be proposed for the monitoring activities. In addition, a passive acoustic monitoring protocol will be implemented during the at-sea survey campaigns.

Each campaign will last two weeks and will be conducted during the rainy season 2026 and during the dry season 2027; in order to compare the data obtained according to the time of year.

Data analysis of the campaigns will depend on the quality and limitations of the information gathered. Ideally, Density Surface Modelling (DSM) will be used to estimate cetacean abundance across the lot’s study areas. When detectability cannot be reliably estimated (whether across lots or within historical datasets) habitat-use or suitability models will be used to map species distribution.

These spatial outputs will feed into a broader threat and risk-mapping process that combines survey results with existing and partner datasets on species and human pressures such as fisheries, shipping, and climate change following the Blue Corridors approach. By evaluating spatial overlap between marine megafauna and anthropogenic activities, the project helps to identify high-risk zones, critical habitats, movement corridors and bottlenecks. This integrated approach synthesizes current knowledge on species distribution, density and conservation status, supports impact assessments, and informs targeted conservation measures. Results will ultimately contribute to peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs and outreach materials co-produced with CAMAC partners.

Timeline

Publication of the call for tenders for the at-sea campaigns: 9 October 2025
Deadline for submission of tenders: 3 December 2025
Announcement of tender results: March 2026
Workshop 3: June 2026
Rainy season campaign: August/September 2026
Dry season campaign: March/April 2027
Final reporting and results dissemination: End of 2027

Seabirds

Specific objective: Gain a deeper understanding of Caribbean seabirds spatial ecology and behaviour.

Protocol: Analyzing movement data from bird tags.

The monitoring of seabirds is also the subject of a call for tenders, in which specialists can propose their own study sites located in the wider Caribbean region. The call for tenders is divided into two lots: one focusing on terns and noddies, the other on boobies, and is available online at this address.

A fully collaborative approach, combining partners’ expertise with an updated literature review, has been implemented to jointly select the focal seabird species and the appropriate survey protocols. The successful candidate from the call for tenders will then lead the analysis of the tagging data, with methodological and logistical support from the CAMAC team.

Timeline

Publication of the call for tenders: February/March 2026
Announcement of results: May 2026
Tagging campaigns: Winter: 2026–2027
Final reporting: End of 2027

Contact

Victoria Pouey-Santalou - Scientific officer

victoria.pouey-santalou@ofb.gouv.fr