Natacha Aguilar de Soto

Natacha Aguilar de Soto is a Spanish marine biologist at the University of La Laguna (ULL), Tenerife, Canary Islands.[1] She is a Ramón y Cajal research and teaching fellow at ULL[2][3][4] and has been a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at ULL and at the Center for Research in Ecological Modeling (CREEM) of the University of St. Andrews (SMRU).[5][6] She is the director of cetacean research within ULL's BIOECOMAC (Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Ecología Marina y Conservación).[7][8]

Natacha Aguilar de Soto
Aguilar de Soto in 2021
EducationUniversity of La Laguna
Known forCetacean research
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of La Laguna, University of Saint Andrews

Aguilar de Soto studies the diving behavior of deep-sea cetaceans including beaked whales[9][10] and pilot whales.[1][11] Her research on the short-finned pilot whale is causing scientists to reassess foraging models for the behavior of marine predators.[11] She leads research on bioacoustics, acoustic ecology, and the effects of noise disturbance on cetaceans,[12] which is influencing human management policies.[13] Aguilar de Soto is the president and co-founder of the Asociación GIC (Grupo de Investigación de Cetáceos),[14] and a founder of CETAVIST, the Cetacean and Seabird Sighting Network of the Canary Islands.[15]

Career

Natacha Aguilar de Soto has a doctorate in Biology from the University of La Laguna (Universidad de La Laguna, ULL) in Tenerife, Canary Islands.[5] Aguilar de Soto joined the University of La Laguna as a student, began a long-term research study observing Blainville´s and Cuvier´s beaked whales in 2002[16] and published her Ph.D. work in 2006.[17] As a member of the BIOECOMAC (Biodiversity, Marine Ecology and Conservation) research group at ULL she is the director of research on cetaceans and bioacoustics.[5][12][8][7]

Aguilar de Soto was the project manager of the SOUNDMAR project (2010–2013) at ULL, under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action funded by the European Union.[6] She was the project manager of the ECOSOUND project (2015–2017) at the Center for Research in Ecological Modeling (CREEM) of the University of St. Andrews (SMRU)[5] also funded through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action from the European Union, as part of the Horizon 2020 initiative.[6] Aguilar de Soto became the Ramón y Cajal fellow at ULL in 2017.[2]

She is the president and co-founder of the Asociación GIC (Grupo de Investigación de Cetáceos),[14] which was established in 2003 for the study, conservation and protection of marine mammals in the Canary Islands region.[18][19]

She is a founder of CETAVIST, the Cetacean and Seabird Sighting Network of the Canary Islands,[15] which was organized in 2012 to involve citizen scientists.[20][21] Volunteers observers for CETAVIST travel on passenger ferries. Between December 2012 and October 2016, they carried out 1,300 surveys of cetaceans and seabirds.[22] The work received support from the Fundación Biodiversidad – MAGRAMA, and its records are made publicly available through the database www.aviste.me.[23]

Aguilar de Soto has participated in expert groups examining the impact of marine noise, including ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area), ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas), and OSPAR (Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic).[14] She has participated in population density estimates for Ireland and Scotland[24] and in mitigation initiatives for the Canary Islands[14][25] New Zealand,[14][26] Australia,[27] and others.[28] In 2019, Aguilar de Soto was named a "Hope Spot Champion" as part of a campaign to make Tenerife-La Gomera a "Hope Spot" at the center of an enlarged marine protected area.[4]

Research

Aguilar de Soto's research covers various fields, such as diving and feeding behavior,[1][10] ecology and acoustic communication of deep-diving cetacean species,[10] distribution and abundance estimates of cetaceans and seabirds,[22] and human impact on the marine environment, especially noise pollution[29] and cetacean collisions with boats.[13]

Topographic map of the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands provide a home to at least twenty-six species of cetaceans, including Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris), True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus), Gervais's beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus), Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), and northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus).[30] At least five species maintain a year-round presence in the archipelago, the only place in the North Atlantic where they are known to do so.[2] Between 1985 and 2003, at least seven mass stranding events in the area involved beaked whales at the same time that naval exercises were being carried out.[30][31] In 2004, a moratorium on the use of naval sonar within 92 kilometres (57 mi; 50 nmi) of the Canary Islands was established[13][32] by the Spanish Ministry of Defense, an action in accordance with resolutions by ACCOBAMS and others.[33]

Cuvier's beaked whale

In 2003 Aguilar de Soto began a long-term research study observing Blainville´s and Cuvier´s beaked whales in the waters off El Hierro (Canary Islands). Researchers carried out seasonal monitoring of cetaceans using non-invasive DTAGs, developed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The tags attach using suction cups which eventually fall off. They record sound and motion and transmit data back to researchers. The objective of this work was to better understand the behavior, social structure and population distribution of beaked whales.[30][34]

Short-finned Pilot Whale surfacing

Aguilar de Soto's Ph.D. thesis addressed Acoustic and diving behaviour of the short finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) off the Canary Islands. Implications on the effects of man-made noise and boat collisions (trans., 2006).[17] The combination of recorded whale "clicks" and "buzzes" with speed, orientation, and depth data from the DTAGs revealed an unsuspected picture of how the whales hunt. Described in the Journal of Animal Ecology (2008), pilot whales make high-speed dives to pursue large deep-dwelling prey and then return to the surface to breathe and rest.[1][34][11] The amount of energy involved in such sprints is far greater than a minimum cost. This research indicates that marine ecologists must address use of three-dimensional space, prey field distribution and the metabolism of energy expenditure as factors in models of marine foraging.[11] Aguilar de Soto's research on these “cheetahs of the deep sea” is causing scientists to rethink their understanding of diving and feeding behaviors. It may influence policies for the management of whale-watching and shipping.[34][10]

With the R.V. Cornide de Saavedra, Aguilar de Soto helped to evaluate the effects of a submarine volcanic eruption off El Hierro Island, occurring from 10 October 2011 to 5 March 2012.[35][36]

Blainville's beaked whale

Also in 2012, Aguilar de Soto co-authored an article in Marine Mammal Science discussing the acoustic camouflage of Blainville's beaked whales. Blainville's beaked whales avoid detection from killer whales by maintaining complete silence during ascents and at less than 170 metres (560 ft) below the surface. Vocalizations consistent with echolocation and communication occur only in the latter part of descents and the deepest phase of dives, in which social group members synchronize their movement.[37]

Sperm whale

With Andrea Fais and other researchers from multiple international centers, Aguilar de Soto carried out a complete acoustic sampling of sperm whales, in the deep waters off the Canary Islands.[38] After covering an area of 52,933 square kilometres (20,438 sq mi) along 2,668 kilometres (1,658 mi) of acoustic line-transects,[39] the scientists estimated that the current population of sperm whales in Canary waters was around 224 individuals. They compared that data with strandings involved in collisions with ships. Data from the CetAVist project between 2012 and 2015 indicated that the Canary Islands is one of the places in the world with the most records of stranding of cetaceans due to collision with ships. In addition, the study highlighted that the mortality of sperm whales due to collisions may exceed the natural growth capacity of the species in the archipelago, leading to a decline in population. As a result of this study, a number of steps were recommended to address this issue. Some recommendations have been implemented, such as the inclusion of relevant information in the training of ship captains who study at the ULL Nautical Engineering School.[38][40][41]

Frame from first underwater footage of True´s beaked whales, PeerJ, 7 March 2017.

In 2017, Aguilar de Soto coauthored a study on the family of beaked whales (Ziphiidae). It includes the first known underwater video recording of living True's beaked whales (Mesoplodon mirus), one of the least known and rarely seen beaked whales in the world.[42][22] The recording was made off the coast of the Azores from a small inflatable boat as part of the Master Mind student program. The teacher and students did not recognize the species or realize that it was a historical first.[16] The presence of True's beaked whales in the footage was later confirmed by Aguilar de Soto.[42]

Awards and honors
  • 2018, Award for outstanding female researchers, Instituto Universitario de Estudios de las Mujeres (IUEM), University of La Laguna[3]

Selected publications

References
  1. Pain, Stephanie (31 May 2022). "Call of the deep". Knowable Magazine. Annual Reviews. doi:10.1146/knowable-052622-3. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  2. "La ULL, foco internacional del estudio de cetáceos". ULL – Noticias. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. "Awards". University of La Laguna. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  4. "Spain's Canary Islands Declared a Hope Spot Amid Global Climate Change Discussion at CoP25". Mission Blue. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  5. "NATACHA AGUILAR". Radio Televisión Canaria (in Spanish). 31 May 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  6. "Relevant knowledge gathered in the framework of COLUMBUS project to address MSFD-Descriptor 11. Energy including Underwater Noise" (PDF). COLUMBUS Dossier-Underwater Noise. 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  7. "Dr. Natacha Aguilar de Soto". Cachalot Expert Database. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  8. "Natacha Aguilar Soto". MONICET. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  9. Vyawahare, Malavika (7 February 2020). "Beaked whales' stealth behavior gives clues to mystery of mass stranding". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  10. Visser, Fleur; Oudejans, Machiel G.; Keller, Onno A.; Madsen, Peter T.; Johnson, Mark (12 May 2022). "Sowerby's beaked whale biosonar and movement strategy indicate deep-sea foraging niche differentiation in mesoplodont whales". Journal of Experimental Biology. 225 (9): jeb243728. doi:10.1242/jeb.243728. ISSN 0022-0949. PMC 9163448. PMID 35417009. S2CID 249519472. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  11. Hindell, Mark (September 2008). "To breathe or not to breathe: optimal strategies for finding prey in a dark, three-dimensional environment". Journal of Animal Ecology. 77 (5): 847–849. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01441.x. PMID 18844756.
  12. "Natacha Aguilar de Soto". Sound and Movement Tags. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  13. Faerber, Meghan M.; Baird, Robin W. (2010). "Does a lack of observed beaked whale strandings in military exercise areas mean no impacts have occurred? A comparison of stranding and detection probabilities in the Canary and main Hawaiian Islands" (PDF). Marine Mammal Science. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00370.x. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  14. "Quienes somos". Asociación GIC (in Spanish). 29 January 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  15. García Ovide, Belén; Tavero, Nerea; Herrera, Talía; Mora, Anna; Gil-Velasco, Marcel; Francisco, Aguilar; Bécares, Juan; Aguilar de Soto, Natacha (March 2016). "www.Aviste.Me: an innovative online database of cetacean and seabird sightings". Conference: European Cetacean Society 2016At: Madeira Islands.
  16. "First underwater video footage of the True ́s beaked whale – Author interview with Natacha Aguilar de Soto – PeerJ Blog". Peerj Blog. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  17. Baird, R.W.; Webster, D.L.; Schorr, G.S.; McSweeney, D.J.; Barlow, J. (2008). "Diel variation in beaked whale diving behavior". Marine Mammal Science. 24 (3): 630–642. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2008.00211.x. S2CID 9876850. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  18. "Asociación GIC". Triodos Bank (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  19. Bécares, J.; Gil-Velasco, M.; Morales, E.; Aguilar, N. (2015). "Canarias con la Mar Conservación de Cetáceos y Aves Marinas en Canarias Memoria técnica. Junio de 2015" (PDF) (in Spanish). Informe de GIC-ULL a la Fundación Biodiversidad-MAGRAMA. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  20. Ovide, Belén G. "Cetavist". cetavist.blogspot.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  21. "AvisteMe-Base de datos de avistamientos desde ferries para el estudio de la población y la prevención de colisiones". cetaceos.webs.ull.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  22. Aguilar de Soto, Natacha; Martín, Vidal; Silva, Monica; Edler, Roland; Reyes, Cristel; Carrillo, Manuel; Schiavi, Agustina; Morales, Talia; García-Ovide, Belen; Sanchez-Mora, Anna; Garcia-Tavero, Nerea; Steiner, Lisa; Scheer, Michael; Gockel, Roland; Walker, Dylan; Villa, Enrico; Szlama, Petra; Eriksson, Ida K.; Tejedor, Marisa; Perez-Gil, Monica; Quaresma, João; Bachara, Wojtek; Carroll, Emma (7 March 2017). "True's beaked whale ( Mesoplodon mirus ) in Macaronesia". PeerJ. 5: e3059. doi:10.7717/peerj.3059. PMC 5344021. PMID 28286714.
  23. David, Léa (16 November 2021). "USE OF FERRIES AS PLATFORMS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR CETACEAN MONITORING IN THE ACCCOBAMS AREA: STRENGTHENING THE NETWORK" (PDF). FOURTEENTH MEETING OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Monaco, 22–26 November 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  24. GORDON, JONATHAN; GILLESPIE, DOUGLAS; LEAPER, RUSSEL; LEE, ARTHUR; PORTER, LINDSAY; O’BRIEN, JOANNE; MEADE, ROSSA; Ó CADHLA, OLIVER; BERROW, SIMON (2020). "A first acoustic density estimate for sperm whales in Irish offshore waters". Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. 21: 123–133. doi:10.47536/jcrm.v21i1.187. S2CID 229405467. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  25. Dolman, S.J.; Aguilar de Soto, N.; Pierce, G.J.; Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. (2010). Beaked whales and active sonar: transitioning from research to mitigation. Report from the European Cetacean Society Conference Workshop, Istanbul, Turkey (PDF). European Cetacean Society Special Publication Series No 53. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  26. Ebdon, Philippa; Riekkola, Leena; Constantine, Rochelle (1 February 2020). "Testing the efficacy of ship strike mitigation for whales in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand". Ocean & Coastal Management. 184: 105034. Bibcode:2020OCM...18405034E. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.105034. ISSN 0964-5691. S2CID 211368617. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  27. Arranz, Patricia; de Soto, Natacha Aguilar; Madsen, Peter T.; Sprogis, Kate R. (1 December 2021). "Whale-watch vessel noise levels with applications to whale-watching guidelines and conservation". Marine Policy. 134: 104776. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104776. ISSN 0308-597X. S2CID 239433014.
  28. Technical Report on Effective Mitigation for Active Sonar and Beaked Whales (PDF). Brugge, Belgium: 16th ASCOBANS Advisory Committee Meeting. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  29. Prideaux, G (2017). Technical Support Information to the CMS Family Guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessments for Marine Noise-generating Activities (PDF). Bonn: Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals. ISBN 9780646960111. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  30. Johnson, Genevieve (4 March 2005). "El Hierro and Beaked Whales Real Audio Report". PBS – The Voyage of the Odyssey – Track the Voyage – ATLANTIC OCEAN. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  31. Parsons, E.C.M.; Dolman, Sarah J.; Wright, Andrew J.; Rose, Naomi A.; Burns, W.C.G. (July 2008). "Navy sonar and cetaceans: Just how much does the gun need to smoke before we act?" (PDF). Marine Pollution Bulletin. 56 (7): 1248–1257. Bibcode:2008MarPB..56.1248P. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.04.025. PMID 18534632. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  32. Good Stefani, Giulia C.S. (24 May 2013). "Exclude Navy Sonar and End Mass Strandings". NRDC. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  33. 26th Meeting of the Advisory Committee ASCOBANS/AC26/Doc.4.3 Online, 8–12 November 2021 Dist. 24 September 2021. "INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT CALLS ON MEMBER STATES TO CURB MILITARY SONAR AND OTHER NOISE TECHNOLOGY". NRDC. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
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  36. Afonso-Carrillo, Julio, ed. (2013). El Hierro, nacimiento de un volcán : actas VIII Semana Científica Telesforo Bravo (PDF) (in Spanish) (1ª ed.). Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife: Instituto de Estudios Hispánicos de Canarias. ISBN 978-84-616-5651-6. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  37. Braun, Camrin D.; Arostegui, Martin C.; Thorrold, Simon R.; Papastamatiou, Yannis P.; Gaube, Peter; Fontes, Jorge; Afonso, Pedro (3 January 2022). "The Functional and Ecological Significance of Deep Diving by Large Marine Predators". Annual Review of Marine Science. 14 (1): 129–159. Bibcode:2022ARMS...14..129B. doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-032521-103517. ISSN 1941-1405. PMID 34416123. S2CID 237254422. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  38. Ritter, Fabian; Aguilar de Soto, Natacha; Martín, Vidal (2019). Towards Ship Strike Mitigation in the Canary Islands (PDF). International Whaling Commission. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  39. Fais, Andrea; Lewis, Tim P.; Zitterbart, Daniel P.; Álvarez, Omar; Tejedor, Ana; Soto, Natacha Aguilar (21 March 2016). "Abundance and Distribution of Sperm Whales in the Canary Islands: Can Sperm Whales in the Archipelago Sustain the Current Level of Ship-Strike Mortalities?". PLOS ONE. 11 (3): e0150660. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1150660F. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150660. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4801403. PMID 26999791.
  40. Goldman, Jason G. (19 April 2016). "Death by a Thousand Ship Strikes". Hakai Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  41. "Report of the Scientific Committee". Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. 17 (SUPPL). 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  42. Daley, Jason (8 March 2017). "See the First Video of One of the World's Rarest Whales". Smithsonian Magazine.
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