DISTRIBUTION AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF HARBOR PORPOISES (PHOCOENA-PHOCOENA L), WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHINS (LAGENORHYNCHUS-ALBIROSTRIS GRAY), ANDMINKE WHALES (BALAENOPTERA-ACUTOROSTRATA-LACEPEDE) AROUND THE BRITISH-ISLES

Distributional data for three cetacean species, harbour porpoise (Phoc oena phocoena), white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), are presented from sighting s around Britain and Ireland made during seabird surveys at sea. No at tempt is made to estimate the absolute numbers or density of animals p resent, but the distribution and relative abundance of these three spe cies are plotted in terms of the numbers of animals seen per kilometre surveyed. The number of animals seen is adjusted for sea state to all ow for differences in detectability of cetaceans under different weath er conditions. A geographical information system is used to display th e sighting rates in 1-degree rectangles seasonally and for the entire year. Areas of north-western European shelf waters that appear to be m ost important for these three species are the western side of the nort hern North Sea, the Hebrides, and, for porpoises, south-western Irelan d and the southern Irish Sea.