Cetacean observations in the Indian Ocean Sanctuary and the South China Sea, Mauritius to the Philippines, April 1999

Information on cetaceans in the Indian Ocean Sanctuary and the South China Sea is summarized from a cruise carried out from 29 March to 17 April 1999. Ten species were positively identified: finless porpoise, pantropical spotted dolphin, spinner dolphin, sperm whale, melon-headed whale, pygmy killer whale, false killer whale, Cuvier’s beaked whale, Bryde’s whale and fin whale. Spotted dolphins, melon-headed and pygmy killer whales were sighted around the Island of Borneo and sightings of fin whales and a sperm whale west of the Balabac Strait suggest a possible migration route of these species between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. This is the first record of fin whales in the South China Sea. Purpose: This note details cetacean observations made during a cruise from Mauritius to the Philippines in April (ca 4,520 nautical miles). Supplemental information: Time was not provided, so it was filled with "00:00:00.