New book about cetaceans in European waters

Our encounter with a fin whale bigger than our boat

I don't know about you, but I get really excited every time I have an encounter with a wild animal and for some reason, whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals make for the most magical encounters. I've been fortunate enough to have crossed the Atlantic several times and had ideal conditions for viewing cetaceans. I've written often about our encounters but I didn't have a good visual reference for identifying who I was meeting out there with any certainty. A stunning new user-enabling reference book is about to be released that will change all that for anyone sailing in European waters. My review of the book, Europe's Sea Mammals, follows. I can't wait to head back out to sea with this on board.

Europe's Sea Mammals

Including the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde

A field guide to the whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals

by Robert Still, Hugh Harrop, Tim Stenton, and Luis Dias

Princeton University Press, Paperback,
June 2019, $24.95, £20.00

ISBN 9780691182162, 208 pp., 5 7/8 x 8 ¼, 200 colour photos

E-book ISBN 9780691190624

The first identification guide to Europe’s Cetaceans and Seals

Finally, a visual reference for the identification of 39 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises and 9 species of seals in a region that spans the Eastern Atlantic from Iceland to Macaronesia, and the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic seas. Produced in cooperation with ORCA, the marine conservation charity, the book includes mapping data from a decade of surveys which shows current distribution and changes over time.

Unlike many other reference guides, this is not the work of scientists but rather of a team of professional tour guides with extensive experience identifying and discussing the range, ecology, behaviour, and conservation status of each species. Information is presented in very clear, simple terms. The visuals are unparalleled, presenting the animals in various states of swimming, diving, and feeding, with tips on distinguishing between species. Maps identify where each mammal can be found at different times of the year. Stunning photography makes you want to get out there to see for yourself.

Appendices include Observation Guidelines and what to do in the case of animal strandings. Also included are legislation summaries for the different jurisdictions and a table of names in other languages. The introduction provides a quick overview of morphological terms used to identify animals and tips on how to observe them. Overall, it’s a truly valuable resource to keep onboard.

Europe’s Sea Mammals is an essential companion for anyone venturing any distance offshore in European waters.  Who hasn’t been thrilled at an encounter with these magnificent sea creatures? We’re so fortunate to be out there to see them in their environment, and now we can tell others all about it in an informed manner.

About the authors

Robert Still is publishing director of WILDGuides and a prolific natural history author. Hugh Harrop is an award-winning photographer and owner of the ecotourism business Shetland Wildlife. Tim Stenton is a widely traveled whale photographer and the author of Moray Firth Dolphins. Luís Dias is an accomplished photographer and former marine research biologist who runs ocean tours from Madeira.

Available direct from the publisher: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/14236.html

eBook editions are available from many online vendors.