ORCA Plymouth-Santander-Portsmouth 2014 dataset

A team of up to four trained volunteers including at least one highly experienced observer recorded cetacean sightings using line transect distance sampling methods from a ferry crossing the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay (Plymouth, UK to Santander, Spain to Portsmouth, UK). Two observers searched a 100° area from either side of the ship with a 10° overlap on the trackline to satisfy the assumption that all animals on the trackline are detected while one observer recorded data and the other rested. Effort information including location, vessel speed, course of vessel and environmental conditions (sea state, swell, precipitation, glare and visibility) were recorded every 30 minutes when observers rotated or when conditions changed. Glare was originally recorded as the position of glare relative to the ship.