Targeting fin whale conservation in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea: Insights on movements and behaviour from biologging and habitat modelling

Biologging and habitat modelling are key tools supporting the development of conservation measures and mitigating the effects of anthropogenic pressures on marine species. Here, we analysed satellite telemetry data and foraging habitat preferences in relation to chlorophyll-a productivity fronts to understand the movements and behaviour of endangered Mediterranean fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) during their spring-summer feeding aggregation in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. Eleven individuals were equipped with Argos satellite transmitters across three years, with transmissions averaging 23.5 ± 11.3 days. Hidden Markov Models were used to identify foraging behaviour, revealing how individuals showed consistency in their use of seasonal core feeding grounds; this was supported by the distribution of potential foraging habitat. Importantly, tracked whales spent most of their time in areas with no explicit protected status within the study region. This highlights the need for enh..., The dataset contains raw location data from eleven fin whales equipped with ARGOS satellite transmitters in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. , , # Targeting fin whale conservation in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea: insights on movements and behaviour from biologging and habitat modelling [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zsv](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zsv) This file contains location data from eleven fin whales equipped with ARGOS satellite transmitters and tracked in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. ## Description of the data and file structure   Ptt = Tag ID Instrument = Transmitter model. \"Mk10\" is a depth-recording (SPLASH) satellite tag (n = 1), \"UT\" are Smart Position Only satellite tags (n = 10) Date = Date and time of location transmission, in the format YYYY-mm-dd hh:mm:ss (UTC) Type = Satellite system used for transmission. When a Mote is used instead of the satellite system, the location quality rating is not available (as in row 5322 of the dataset) Quality = Location quality rating. B, A, 0, 1, 2 or 3, in increasing order of position accuracy. Estimated error for class 3 is predict...,生物记录（Biologging）与栖息地建模是支撑保护措施制定、缓解人为压力对海洋物种负面影响的核心工具。本研究针对西北地中海海域濒危地中海长须鲸（Balaenoptera physalus）的春夏觅食聚集行为，分析了卫星遥测数据及与叶绿素a生产力锋面相关的觅食栖息地偏好，以解析其移动模式与行为特征。研究三年内共为11头个体安装了阿戈斯（Argos）卫星发射器，平均传输时长为23.5±11.3天。本研究采用隐马尔可夫模型（Hidden Markov Models）识别觅食行为，结果显示个体对季节性核心觅食地的利用具有一致性，这一结论得到潜在觅食栖息地分布数据的支撑。值得注意的是，被追踪的长须鲸多数时间都处于研究区域内未明确划定保护等级的区域，这凸显了加强... 本数据集包含在西北地中海海域安装阿戈斯卫星发射器的11头长须鲸的原始位置数据。 # 聚焦西北地中海长须鲸保护：基于生物记录与栖息地建模的移动与行为研究 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zsv](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zsv) 本文件包含在西北地中海海域被追踪、安装阿戈斯卫星发射器的11头长须鲸的位置数据。 ## 数据与文件结构说明 Ptt = 标签编号（Tag ID） 仪器 = 发射器型号。其中"Mk10"为具备深度记录功能的（SPLASH）卫星标签（n=1），"UT"为仅智能定位卫星标签（n=10） 日期 = 位置传输的日期与时间，格式为YYYY-mm-dd hh:mm:ss（协调世界时UTC） 类型 = 传输所用的卫星系统。当使用Mote而非卫星系统时，无法获取定位质量评级（如数据集中第5322行） 质量 = 定位质量评级，分为B、A、0、1、2、3，定位精度依次递增。3级的估算误差为预...