Effort Based Watches and Sightings.

Effort Based Watches of 30 minutes duration and multiples thereof, are an important tool in understanding local populations and sightings of cetaceans.

Effort Based Watches can only be recorded when sea state is 2 or less.

 By measuring and recording the Effort undertaken by an observer, it begins to become possible to appreciate the frequency and normal expectations for sightings around our coast.

Watches that yield no sightings become as important as Watches that provide cetacean sightings data.  A ‘Nil Sightings’ Watch is important because it is evidence of absence, whereas a lack of Effort Based Watches merely reflects an absence of evidence.

Regular Watches at the same site throughout the entire year provide real and valuable data about cetacean occurrences around the Isle of Man.  In an ever more changing environment, if we fail to understand what we presently have, we will certainly loose it without even being aware of its gradual demise.