Pilot Passive Acoustic Monitoring in the Strait of Gibraltar: First Evidence of Iberian Orca Calls and 40 Hz Fin Whale Foraging Signals

Abstract

The Strait of Gibraltar is a major biogeographic bottleneck connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where migratory cetaceans coexist with an intense maritime traffic. To evaluate the feasibility of broadband passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) for both soundscape characterisation and cetacean detection, a short drifting-buoy experiment was conducted near Barbate, Spain, in May 2025. The system, equipped with a calibrated SoundTrap 400 recorder, continuously sampled the underwater acoustic environment for 2.5 h. Analysis of the recordings revealed vocalisations of Orcinus orca, representing the first preliminary and incomplete description of the Iberian killer whale acoustic repertoire, and numerous transient tonal events with energy peaks between 40 and 50 Hz, consistent with baleen whale sounds previously attributed to foraging fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Sperm whale clicks and delphinid whistles were also occasionally detected. The power spectral density analysis further showed a persistent anthropogenic component dominated by vessel noise below 200 Hz and narrow-band echosounder signals at 30 and 50 kHz. These findings confirm the potential of PAM to detect multiple cetacean species and to resolve the complex interplay between biophony and anthropophony in one of the world’s busiest marine corridors. Establishing a permanent PAM observatory in the Strait would enable continuous, non-intrusive monitoring of species presence, behaviour, and habitat use, thereby contributing to conservation efforts for endangered populations such as the Iberian killer whale.