Data from: Multi-platform deployments of low-cost devices for cetacean passive acoustic monitoring

Description This dataset contains 445 minutes of unedited acoustic recordings of free-ranging odontocetes, including five identified species and unidentified dolphins, collected in the Western Mediterranean Sea between 2022 and 2024. The data were obtained during field campaigns conducted under the Integrated Ocean Observing Systems for Dynamic Ocean Management (IOS4DOM), TECMAR (Organismo Parques Nacionales, Ref 3002/2023), and LIFE-OASIS projects (LIFE23-NAT-ES-LIFEOASIS – 101148343). Recordings were captured using the HydroMoth underwater acoustic recorder, deployed opportunistically during fishing operations (longlines, trammel nets, anchored Fish Aggregating Devices, aFADs) and during boat-based cetacean monitoring surveys. Where possible, species identification was supported by concurrent visual observations. Species included Species name Duration across deployments (min) Size (GB) Deployment type Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) 58.3 1.7 fishing, boat-based surveys Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) 55.3 1.96 fishing, boat-based surveys Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) 8.3 0.35 boat-based surveys Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) 19.3 0.36 boat-based surveys Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) 66 2.17 boat-based surveys Unidentified dolphins (Delphinidae family) 237.7 4.02 fishing Dataset contents For each species, the dataset contains: .txt annotation tables with signal metadata. Audio clips of individual annotations. Full-length recordings from which the clips were derived (in WAV format). Only audio files containing cetacean vocalisations are included in the published datasets. Data within each species folder are organised by deployment ID, with complete metadata for each deployment provided in "Supplementary_table.xlsx". The annotations can be visualised in free Raven Lite software (https://www.ravensoundsoftware.com/raven-pricing/#raven-lite-license) or similar; please note that some custom columns in the .txt annotation tables may not be visible in the free version, as they were created in Raven Pro. Potential applications The dataset provides a valuable resource for studying the acoustic repertoire and spatial distribution of odontocetes, as well as their interactions with human activities such as fisheries. It can support research on cetacean ecology, behaviour, and conservation, and offers training material for developing automated detection and classification tools.