The CETUS Project, led by CIIMAR, is a cetacean monitoring program in the Macaronesian region and it aims to collect whale and dolphin's occurrences to determine their distribution and abundance in this vast region of the Atlantic. The project results from a partnership between CIIMAR and TRANSINSULAR company (Grupo ETE), that offers its cargo ships to be used as a monitoring platform along maritime routes between Portugal and Madeira, Azores, Canary and Cape Verde islands.

Data are collected by trained observers and are being used by researchers on PhD and several Master thesis. The final research goal is to provide new insights into distribution and abundance of cetaceans, delivering habitat models to map, explore and predict cetacean hotspots in the area, addressing international and European conservation priorities and supporting management decisions. Recently, the project also includes an environmental educational component through an itinerant program, where schools in the islands are visited and activities/lectures are undertaken.

More information about the project here.