MONICEPH project: Monitoring cephalopods during whale-watching activity in the Azores (2020-2024)

The study of oceanic cephalopods off the Azores Archipelago began decades ago with the analysis of stomach contents from sperm whales that were hunted for the whaling industry. The identification of numerous cephalopod species contributed significantly to cephalopod taxonomy, as well as enhancing understanding of the sperm whale diet. In the 1990s, the shift from whaling to whale-watching created new opportunities to continue studying deep-ocean ecology: participatory research involving the actors of the new industry.

MONICEPH (MONItoring CEPHalopods during whale-watching activity in the Azores) is a collaborative platform designed to collect, organise and disseminate cephalopod occurrence data gathered by whale-watching companies in the Azores. From 2020 to 2024, cephalopod remains found at the water's surface during sightings of cetaceans were collected in partnership with companies from four islands: São Miguel, Terceira, Pico and Faial. The deep-ocean cephalopod remains at the water's surface were likely brought up by their predators during feeding activity. We assume that sperm whales, in particular, occasionally release cephalopods at the surface due to incomplete consumption during a hunt or for feeding of their calves. Trained staff collected the samples, which were subsequently identified using DNA barcoding and/or morphological characteristics. The dataset includes 182 cephalopod records across 16 species. One species, Onykia carriboea Lesueur, 182, has been newly identified in the region, expanding the list of species previously documented in the published data for the Northeast Atlantic.