CATT F-POD Data - Wales

These data gathered and contributed to CATT by:

• Natural Resources Wales
• Swansea University
• Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre / The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

Wales

Equivalent to Natural Resources Wales Plan

Each site has a unique Site Code of 13 characters GB 050N 005W XXX the first three characters are landmass, the next six are latitude and longitude, the last three identify the specific site.

The data set contains files generated by the Chelonia Limited passive acoustic logger, F-POD. The files can be analysed using the freeware available on a link in related materials. This dataset is updated regularly with new recordings.

Classification and noise risks are scored from 0 to 11 for each file using ‘Classification Warnings’ (Files & Filters Tab) Quick view or export.

• Summed risks of 3 or 4 require user evaluation.
• Summed risks of 5 or 6 likely require special handling.
• Summed risks of 7 and above are likely highly misleading.

The CATT project aims to track trends in the population of those cetacean groups that can be monitored acoustically by logging their echo-location activity using the F-POD instrument made by Chelonia. These groups are porpoises, dolphins and all other toothed whales except the Sperm Whale.

Long term population monitoring projects are notoriously difficult to establish using conventional funding streams, so CATT is supported by the participants and by Chelonia Limited. Chelonia is loaning instruments and providing free data curation, some data analysis, and funding for the deployment of F-PODs on some coastal observation sites maintained for other purposes. After 5 years it should be possible to form a clear assessment of the utility of the project and how it might best proceed.

The data will become openly available within 6 months of being brought ashore, on the basis that users should notify and acknowledge the participants whose data is used.

The data can support various types of analysis and opportunities that will include:

• Detection of trends over time in levels of cetacean acoustic activity.
• Insights into local patterns of cetacean activity of particular interest to participating citizen groups.
• Studies of cetacean acoustic behaviour – F-POD data has already given major insights into
• click-based social communication in riverine and marine dolphins, and in porpoises.
• Opportunities for Master’s projects and larger academic studies.
• Opportunities for training in relevant skills including handling and analysing the data set.
• Opportunities for raising awareness of ocean life.

Natural Resources Wales

WAL Skomer MCZ NRW GB051N005WSKM

Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre / The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

WAL CB4 GB052N004WCR4

WAL CB5 GB052N004WCR5

WAL CB6b GB052N004WCR6

Swansea University

WAL Swansea Station51 GB051N004WS51

WAL Swansea Station53 GB051N004WS53

WAL Swansea Station59 GB051N004WS59

WAL Swansea Station64 GB051N004WS64

WAL Swansea Station72 GB051N004WS72

WAL Swansea Station132 GB051N004W132