{"id":59626,"date":"2025-09-01T17:47:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T15:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnestartit.com\/?p=59626"},"modified":"2025-09-10T16:11:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T14:11:28","slug":"cetaceans-on-the-costa-brava-dolphins-at-the-medes-islands-and-best-observation-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/cetaceans-on-the-costa-brava-dolphins-at-the-medes-islands-and-best-observation-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Cetaceans on the Costa Brava: dolphins at the Medes Islands and best observation practices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Costa Brava<\/strong> is a privileged place to enjoy marine life in its purest state. Among the most charismatic species we find cetaceans<\/strong>, and in particular dolphins, which are frequent around the Medes Islands<\/strong> within the Montgr\u00ed, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park (PNMMBT).<\/a><\/strong> Their appeal sparks the interest of both researchers and visitors, but it must be kept in mind that these animals are extremely sensitive to human presence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cetaceans constitute a group of species with high ecological and scientific value that require special protection. In this regard, Royal Decree 1727\/2007, of December 21<\/a><\/strong>, establishes conservation measures for marine ecosystems, explicitly including the protection of cetaceans in Spanish waters. For this reason, the PNMMBT sets specific regulations and recommendations for best practices, <\/strong>in order to guarantee the safety of the animals while also promoting a respectful and sustainable experience for observers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Which cetaceans can we see at the Medes Islands?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Although this is not an area of large permanent concentrations, several species can be spotted around the Medes Islands.<\/strong> The most common are the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus<\/em>)<\/strong>: the most common and easiest to see, often in social groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba<\/em>)<\/strong>: more frequent offshore, agile and acrobatic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    The presence of these animals confirms the ecological richness <\/strong>of the area and reinforces the importance of conserving it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Regulations and safety distances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Respecting distances <\/strong>is essential to avoid stress and disturbances to the natural behavior of cetaceans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Exclusion zone (0\u201360 meters):<\/strong> it is strictly forbidden to approach the animals. Their path must not be intercepted, nor should any attempt be made to establish contact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Restricted stay zone (60\u2013300 meters):<\/strong> vessels must reduce speed, avoid sudden maneuvers, and remain outside the animals\u2019 line of movement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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      In addition, the use of drones without specific authorization is prohibited<\/strong>, as the noise and proximity can cause significant stress to cetaceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Best Practices for observation and navigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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      If a cetacean appears within 500 m, in the case of dolphins, navigation may continue while maintaining speed and direction. However, in the exceptional case of spotting other cetaceans (whales, pilot whales, porpoises, orcas, or sperm whales), the course must be altered without reversing or making sudden changes in speed or direction. If they appear very close, the engine should be put in neutral or the vessel stopped if necessary.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Beyond respecting distances, the code of best practices<\/strong> includes key recommendations for both recreational and professional vessels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • Do not approach the animals directly; <\/strong>let them come closer if they wish.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Do not touch or disturb<\/strong> cetaceans under any circumstances, especially never place yourself between an adult and its calf.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Do not feed them,<\/strong> to avoid dependency and health problems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Call 112 in the event of any irregular situation,<\/strong> injured animal, or emergency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Do not produce loud or piercing noises<\/strong> to attract or drive them away, including emitting sounds underwater.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Do not reverse or navigate in circles.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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        These measures protect both the animals and people, and ensure that the activity is carried out responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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        Cetaceans, and especially bottlenose dolphins, are bioindicators of the health of the sea.<\/strong> Their stress or displacement due to human pressure can have serious consequences on ecosystems. The conservation of these species is not only vital for biodiversity, but also for sustainable tourism that generates benefits for the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        The PNMMBT <\/strong>is a protected environment where the coexistence between human activity and nature must be based on sustainability and responsibility. Complying with the regulations is essential to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy dolphins and other cetaceans on the Costa Brava.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The Costa Brava is a privileged place to enjoy marine life in its purest state. Among the most charismatic species we find cetaceans, and in particular dolphins, which are frequent around the Medes Islands within the Montgr\u00ed, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park (PNMMBT). Their appeal sparks the interest of both researchers and visitors, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":59476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[534],"tags":[2091,706,2111,602,2094,1740,1739,877],"class_list":["post-59626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-costa-brava-en-2","tag-cetaceans","tag-costa-brava-3","tag-dolphin","tag-medes-islands","tag-pnmmbt-3","tag-ports-catalunya-3","tag-ports-costa-brava-3","tag-sea"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cnestartit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}