[MARMAM] Italo-Tunisian research project
A pool of Italian and Tunisian research bodies has started a yearly joint project on monitoring cetacean in the Region between Sicily and Tunisia. In order to: systematically survey regularly the region throughout the years also in high sea areas; reduce reduces spatial heterogeneity; and to make more efficient the use of the budget resources the project, co-financed from ACCOBAMS, uses regular passengers ferries as platform of observations. http://itucre.blogspot.it/ Due to high productive values, the region between Sicily and Tunisia is considered one of the potential wintering grounds for fin whale. The area is also considered a critical habitat for cetacean species due to important anthropogenic pressures such as fishing, aquaculture, maritime traffic, oil and gas industry, communication cables and construction of wind-mill farms. Despite this, no systematic monitoring study has never been undertaken so far. In order to start a systematic cetacean monitoring of the area, a partnership of Tunisian and Italian research bodies participated with success to the ACCOBAMS 2012 open call for “Monitoring, research, training and projects relating to the conservation of Cetaceans”. Main aim of the project was capacity building issues and, to reach this goal, a partnership within the scientific international network that monitors cetacean using ferries as platforms of observation was built. Moreover, two ferry companies were involved in the project allowing to monitor the area among Tunisia, Sicily and Sardinia. Collected data will allow to: assess cetacean presence and distribution in this poorly surveyed area; investigate seasonal trends in cetacean presence and distribution (sighting will be shared on OBIS Sea Map); investigate fin whale migration patterns. In addition, the project will contribute to assess the quantity of events of collision risks. Networking with the other partners that use the same monitoring protocol is an important added value that will allow a synoptic view of cetacean in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region. Overall, the project goal is also to enact policies, between Tunisia and Italy, so to strengthen the cooperation and dialogue between peoples through the sectors of scientific research, culture and friendship___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Paper on Fin Whale in winter in the Bonifacio Strait
Recently published on the Journal Biologia Marina Mediterranea a short paper on the presence of Fin Whale in winter in the Bonifacio Strait (between Corsica and Sardinia) in the Pelagos Sanctuary. Arcangeli A., Campana I., Carcassi S., Casella E., Cracas F., Fabiano F., Ottaviani D.,Manca Zeichen M., Addis A., Crosti R. (2013). Seasonal sightings of Balaenoptera physalus in the Bonifacio Strait (Pelagos sanctuary).Biol. Mar. Mediterr. (2013), 20 (1): 252-253. The paper, with a translation in English, can be find at:http://www.accademiadelleviatano.org/pubblicazioni/biol.mar.medit.%202013,%2020(1).en%20252-253.pdf___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Recent paper on new feeding ground for Fin Whale in the Mediterranean
Hello everyone, the following paper was recently published: Exploring thermal and trophic preference of Balaenoptera physalus in the central Tyrrhenian Sea: a new summer feeding ground?.Arcangeli, A., Orasi, A., Carcassi, S. P., Crosti, R. (2013).Marine Biology(DOI) 10.1007/s00227-013-2348-8 Abstract In the 1990s, the central Tyrrhenian Sea was regarded as a transit region for fin whales’ (Balaenoptera physalus) summer migration. In recent years, a much higher presence of fin whales during the entire summer season was reported in the region. The hypothesis that the central Tyrrhenian Sea may have become a summer feeding ground was tested gathering data from summer presence of whales in the region (40–42.5°N; 9–13°E) and investigating whether it might be related to sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration, considered as proxies of food availability. Results showed that whales always aggregate in the more productive portions of the investigated area; the general productivity of the area, however, did not directly influence the frequency of occurrence of whales. We concluded that the complex dynamics of the balance between feeding activities and avoiding pressures may have led fin whales to use the region as an opportunistic feeding ground. The final publication is available at link.springer.com. It is fully accessible to all users at libraries and institutions that have purchased a SpringerLink license at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-013-2348-8or you can ask to the correspondence author: antonella.arcang...@isprambiente.it___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Changes in cetacean presence in the Central Thyrrenean Sea over 20 years
We are pleased to announce the publication of the paper: Changes in cetacean presence, relative abundance and distribution over 20 years along a trans-regional fixed line transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10./maec.12006/abstract ABSTRACT From 1989 to 1992, systematic cetacean surveys were carried out twice weekly along a trans-regional fixed transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea, utilising passenger ferries as research platforms. Using the same protocol and supervised by the same investigators, the research restarted in 2007, providing the opportunity to compare consistent data over a long 20-year period. The monitored transect (Civitavecchia-Golfo Aranci) runs along a strategic area just outside the southeastern border of the Pelagos Sanctuary. Over the last two decades, an increasing trend of temperature and salinity, in the deep and intermediate layers, has been documented in the region, as well as general changes over the Mediterranean basin. These changes, together with the increasing impact of some pressures (e.g. maritime traffic) may have led to changes in oceanographic and anthropogenic features and, subsequently, in cetacean presence and distribution. The research aimed to verify whether any changes occurred in the pattern of cetacean occurrence over the 20-year period along the representative transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea. Data from 90 summer weekly runs undertaken in the 1990s were compared with data obtained from 95 runs undertaken in the 2000s. Each ferry run was considered an independent statistical unit: the encounter rate (ER = number of sightings per hour spent on effort) was calculated to compare relative abundance between periods, years and months. Spatial analysis was performed on geographical data using Kernel analysis to map the distribution of sightings. Logistic regression (GLM) was performed to compare habitat preference. Total encounter rate in the 1990s (ER = 0.59 ± CI 0.08) was significantly lower (P 0.01) compared with the 2000s (ER = 0.94 ± CI 0.15). The same seven out of eight species known for their regular presence in the Mediterranean Sea were sighted in both the investigated periods. The most common species were striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Neither the pilot whale nor any other rare or occasional species were sighted during the 6 years of the study. Despite the time span, no dramatic changes were observed for any species, bar fin whale, in terms of distribution, relative abundance, group size or habitat preference. Sightings of fin whale have surprisingly increased (+300%, P 0.001), and their spatial and temporal distribution and habitat preference showed a radical difference between the two periods. The 2000s surveys confirmed the existence of high density areas of cetaceans, especially of fin whale, and the consequent necessity of specific legislative acts for cetacean conservation. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10./maec.12006/abstract___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] JMATE new Issue
New Issue of the Journal of Marine Animals and Their Environment. JMATE is available to the public free of charge and is electronically published by the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society (OERS). Current Issue Volume 2, Issue 2, December 2009 Variation in external morphology of resident Bottlenose dolphins in Bahia San Antonio, patagonia, Argentina Vermeulen E, Cammareri A Endocrine disruptors: an overview and discussion on issues surrounding their impact on marine animals. Zhou J, Cai ZH, Zhu XS ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] ITALY: large scale cetacean monitoring from passengers ferries
In Italy different Institutions (both of public and private sector), Universities and NGO have joined forces to undertake a large scale cetacean monitoring programme from passengers ferries. The network, active since 2007, in summer weekly monitors presence, relative abundance, distribution and migration/dispersion timing of cetacean along the following routes: Civitavecchia-Golfo Aranci (since 2007) in the Central Tyrrhenian sea (along this route from 1989 to 1991 weekly observations on cetacean were undertaken by the same observers); Livorno-Bastia and Savona-Bastia (since 2008) in the Pelagos sanctuary; Calvi-Nizza (from 2009) in the western part of the Pelagos sanctuary. Preliminary data show that in summer most of the sightings of “whales” occur in coincidence with local high primary production zones such as the ones east of Golfo Aranci and along the Calvi-Nizza route. Accademia del Leviatano, Università di Genova, Università di Pisa , CRAB coop, Fondazione CIMA, networked by ISPRA, are the different bodies that participate to the research On the research the network has already submitted two different MS for the 2008 and 2009 European Cetacean Society conference proceedings. Summer weekly sightings can be checked from the blog: http://lericerchedelleviatano.blogspot.com/ ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] JMATE new issue of the marine animals journal
The current issue of The Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology (Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2009) is now available. The journal is accessible to the public free of charge and is electronically published by the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society (OERS). Table of contents include: 1) The short–term impact of dolphin-watching on the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) in western Australia. 2) Cetaceans’ occurrence off the west central Portugal coast: a compilation of data from whaling, observations of opportunity and boat-based surveys. http://www.oers.ca/journal/journal.html ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
