Txema Brotons, PhD “cum laude” in Biology and Master in Environmental Management. Founding President of TURSIOPS in 1998 and currently its Scientific Director, acting as PI (Principal Investigator) of the entity’s research projects. Specialized in the field of cetaceans and marine acoustics, since 2003 he has been developing together with the University of St Andrews the Balearic Sperm Whale Project, which monitors the sperm whale population around the Balearic Islands. With more than three round the world research sailing trips behind him, he has participated in research projects in places such as Hawaii and Uruguay and  has collaborated with renowned scientists such as Dr Luke Rendell, Dr Enrico Pirotta, and Dr Manuel Castellote. In addition to an extensive scientific bibliography, he is co-responsible for the technical document for the extension of the PNMT of the Cabrera Archipelago and the creation of the Important Marine Mammal Area of the Balearic Islands shelf and slope of ACCOBAMS. He is currently working on the protection of the recently discovered sperm whale breeding area in the north of Menorca.

Image credits: courtesy of the contributor