Global MPA database

MPA Global Database is a project that aims to create a database on the existing Marine Protected Areas, worldwide.

Based largely on information in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), the project has two main goals: to develop a more robust global MPA baseline than currently exists, and to develop alternative scenarios of global MPA networks using spatial modelling techniques.

MPA Global Database contains a great variety of information such as: names of MPAs for each country, area covered and year of designation, mean area of MPAs, percentage of MPAs located in a specific latitude etc.

This database shows that 4435 MPAs exist worldwide and they cover an area of 2.35 million km2. These numbers sound misleadinly big, but the fact is: only 0.65% of the world oceans is covered by MPAs!

Even more impressive is the estimate of global no-take areas (areas where fishing is banned). The percentage of world oceans subject to this specific regulation is only 0.08% !

This database is a new tool for the marine conservation and shows how much still needs to be done to protect marine biodiversity.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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For more information:
http://mpaglobal.org
http://depts.washington.edu

French driftnets killed by the European Court of Justice

Oceana, an international organization that works to protect and recover the oceans in the world, has announced that the European Court of Justice has refused to grant France exemption from the prohibition of the use of driftnets in the Mediterranean.

Driftnets used to catch bluefin tuna and swordfish were outlawed in the European Union from 2002 because they constitute a threat to the conservation of cetaceans, sea turtles and sharks. However, years after the ban entered into force, France and Italy have continued using driftnets. While operations in Italy have been downright illegal, the French fleet had taken advantage of legal loopholes to continue carrying out its activities, with full support from its government. French driftnets have caused significant mortality to striped dolphins in the waters of the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean cetaceans.

The European Court of Justice ruled that the French driftnet fleet should not have a temporary exemption from the ban as requested by its government. As such, France cannot offer the driftnet fleet its protection in 2008. Any fishing vessel using this gear to catch bluefin tuna must be sanctioned by French authorities.

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara

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For more information:
Oceana's press release, 17 March 2008

Bycaught dolphins on British coasts

A scaring number of dolphins and porpoises are washing up dead on British coasts.

Since the beginning of the year, 29 animals have been found on the beaches of south-west England. Experts suspect that most have drowned after being caught up in fishing nets.

Some dolphins have their tails or beaks amputated probably due to a useless attempt to free them from the nets, in other individuals bellies have been sliced open after death to try to make them sink.

Mark Simmonds, science director at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said: "It is a horrid way for these dolphins to die and you can see that when they come ashore. Fishermen are getting more adept at hiding the evidence and what we see on land is only a proportion of the problem."

On the other hand, Andy Wheeler, from the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation, said: "Every reasonable effort is made by fishermen to avoid bycatch of dolphins. The jury is still out on whether the level of bycatch is a threat to the population."

Considering that the fishing effort is increasing worldwide, it’s time to increase also our effort to eliminate bycaught animals, whether cetaceans, birds, marine turtles, sharks or others.

Silvia Bonizzoni

Photo: WDCS

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For more information:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth
http://www.wdcs.org/news

Salmon stocks are collapsing

After cod and tuna, one more fish stock is in trouble.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has warned that, from northern Oregon to the Mexican border, the entire American west coast salmon season may have to be halted due to the collapse of crucial stocks in California’s major watershed.

Counts of young salmons, whose numbers have decreased sharply for two years, were the first major indication of the problem. The number of fish that survive more than a year in the ocean, or jacks, is a marker for the abundance of full-grown salmon the next year. Experts said that the 2007 count of the fall Chinook jacks from the Sacramento River was less than 6 percent of the long-term average.

The words from Robert Lohn, regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Portland (Oregon), are less then encouraging: “The Central Valley fall Chinook salmon are in the worst condition since records began to be kept -- this is the largest collapse of salmon stocks in 40 years.” The problem is so serious that even the commercial fishermen understand that for this year there is no point lobbying for a higher quota, or any quota at all.

A number of possible reasons were called to explain the situation. Changes in the ocean currents, pollution, dams, water diversions, overfishing, habitat loss and changes in hatchery operations are some of the potential causative factors.

Silvia Bonizzoni

(Drawing by Massimo Demma)

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For more information:
http://www.independent.co.uk
http://www.nytimes.com
http://business.the-environmentalist.org

Crazy race for the last Mediterranean tuna

A new WWF report, 126 pages long, provides the first real estimate of the actual catch capability of the Mediterranean purse seine fleet targeting bluefin tuna.

The results are discouraging: few tuna stocks left are driven by unregulated and unsustainable fisheries to a tragic end point.

Without considering the potential catch from other fleets, such as pelagic trawlers, longliners etc., the Mediterranean purse seine fleet has a calculated yearly catch potential of 54,783 metric tonnes. This amount is twice the fishing capacity of current quotas and more than 3.5 times the catch levels recommended by scientists to avoid stock collapse.

Since 1997 there has been a large expansion of the Mediterranean purse seine fleet. In the coastal waters of western Greece, the Tethys Research Institute registered a steady decline in the encounter rate of top predators including common dolphins and tuna (see paper about the decline of marine megafauna and the video Disappearing Dolphins).

How could we ever get to this point? Systematic upward adjustment of quotas, under-reporting of catches, uncontrolled increase in fishing capacity, illegal fishing, ever-increasing market demand ever-expanding fleet size and efficiency... these are some ingredients of the foolish management that brought the tuna stocks to nearly collapse.

Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean, has a clear view of the situation: “The fishery is unsustainable in every way – economically, socially, and ecologically. The time to act is now – while there are still bluefin tuna to save in the Mediterranean”.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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For more information
http://www.panda.org
To download the report
http://assets.panda.org

Ocean deserts

The world oceans are deeply affected by human activities, from pollution to resource overexploitation, but now there is a new problem.

The least biologically productive areas of the oceans are expanding much faster than predicted. This is the result of a new study conducted by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Hawaii.

The evidence of this expansion comes from data collected by a visual satellite sensor that reads reflective colour to measure the density of chlorophyll in phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms that are the base of the marine food web. Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are characterized by huge 'black' spots, which indicate zones of very low productivity. These zones, likened to deserts, now cover an estimated 51 million square kilometres in the two oceans and are replacing very fast adjacent prolific areas.

This change in ocean biology, probably linked to the warming of sea surface waters, can have deep consequences to all marine ecosystems. It may negatively affect all the marine food web from plankton to fishes, turtle and cetaceans.

Silvia Bonizzoni

(The image by NOAA shows black areas considered the least biologically productive)

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For more information:
www.noaanews.noaa.gov

Individual recognition of dolphins reported by Pliny the Elder 1931 years ago

Cetacean research pioneers David and Melba Caldwell wrote in their 1972 book “The world of the bottlenosed dolphin” that the earliest example of the practice of prolonged observation of cetaceans based on the recognition of individuals over extended time was that of Pelorus Jack - a Risso’s dolphin observed between 1888 and 1912 swimming near ships crossing Cook Strait, between the northern and southern portions of New Zealand.

Recently my attention was pointed to a writing by Pliny the Elder which moves back the clock of such scientific method by 1,811 years!

In the 9th book of his Naturalis Historia, published in 77 A.D., the ancient naturalist wrote about dolphins: "They grow fast, and it is believed that they reach their maximum size at 10 years of age. They can reach the age of 30, as discovered through the experimental cutting of nicks on their tails" (Adolescunt celeriter, X annis putantur ad summam magnitudinem pervenire. Vivunt et tricenis, quod cognitum praecisa cauda in experimentum).

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara

Using satellite images to protect the Ocean

Not everyone knows that satellite images can be used to support marine conservation.

The concept is simple. Satellites have global reach and can repeatedly capture images of any area, they can reveal the land/seascape disruption and habitat degradation caused by anthropogenic activities. They can be used to monitor industrial sites, logging operations, environmentally sensitive areas, urban sprawl, shipping traffic, fisheries, and resource-management practices, no matter where in the world they occur.

Also, they can be used to monitor fishing activities. Daniel Pauly, a world-renowned fisheries scientist, is the pioneer of this innovative idea. Pauly was inspired by a satellite image of a fleet of trawlers at work in the ocean. Looking at the image, he realized that trawlers could be seen so clearly that it would in theory be possible to monitor fishing from satellites and assess their impact. With historical and global archives, it is also possible to compare images to show changes over time. This kind of data could lead to restrictions on industrial fishing methods.

In addition to being a source of scientific data to document environmental change, satellite images may also represent a powerful communication tool. Using satellite photographs, we can document and communicate the impact of anthropogenic activities and promote a sustainable use of resources.

Silvia Bonizzoni

(The satellite photo shows mud trails made by shrimp trawlers off the mouth of the Yangtze River www.digitalglobe.com)
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For more information:
www.theglobeandmail.com
www.eurekalert.org
www.iht.com

The Making of Whales of the Mediterranean Sea

(...) When we reached our final destination in Paleochora, it was time to travel north. We dragged 7 bags onto a bus for three hours, took an overnight ferry to Athens, jumped in a car and drove 6 hours to the small town of Vonitsa. Giovanni Beazi, Joan Gonzalvo and Silvia Bonizzoni of Tethys took us under their wing for a week. We learned about the complex issues surrounding the decline of the short beaked common dolphin around Kalamos and in the Mediterranean over recent years.

Backed by irrefutable data, Giovanni trusted us to tell a story that had taken him years to piece together. Many people think that dolphin, or any marine mammal research for that matter is an easy job. On the contrary, it takes years of dedication and passion, long hours usually accompanied by a lack of funding, and meticulously attention to every detail to document a subject. In Giovanni's case, the hardest part is that he has had to watch those animals disappear in front of his eyes. Giovanni has worked in the eastern Med for years, and now Joan is leading the way in sharing the science and conservation posibilities with local communities and fishermen. If you want to get involved and help them, you can. They run a fantastic Earthwatch program, which is a great opportunity to see bottlenose dolphins in the wild - a population that continues to thrive, unlike most in the Med. (...)

Chris Johnson / EarthOCEAN

Read the whole story

Advice

“Any scientist who wants to make important discoveries must study an important problem”.

— Peter Medawar in Advice to a Young Scientist

Reply by Daniel Pauly to question: "What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?" on Nature's Lifelines. Nature 421:23 (2 January 2003).

Save the tuna

Tuna are vanishing, worldwide, due to unsustainable fishing pressure and short-sighted environmental management.

That tuna are collapsing is now perfectly clear. It has been repeated by a large number of scientists and experts, and even by fishermen.

So, it’s time for us to act. If you want to change the situation, there is something you can do.

If you don’t buy tuna, you give to this amazing species a chance of survival. Take action now: stop consuming tuna, and recommend to your friends to do the same.

SB

(Drawing by Massimo Demma)

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For more information:
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/tuna-boycott638.html
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=125120
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn13346-tuna-fisheries-facing-a-codlike-collapse.html

Sanctuaries of the Sea

Sanctuaries of the Sea è il quinto e ultimo episodio della serie Cetacean Investigation, una raccolta di documentari prodotta da earthOCEAN.

Negli episodi precedenti Chris e Genevieve Johnson hanno illustrato le caratteristiche del Mediterraneo, hanno parlato dei cetacei che ci vivono e identificato le specie più a rischio e i problemi che le affliggono. Questo nuovo documentario costituisce il capitolo conclusivo della serie e si focalizza sull’importanza delle Aree Marine Protette.

Il protagonista del documentario è Erich Hoyt, autore di numerosi libri e uno dei massimi esperti di aree protette. Vengono intervistati anche Ana Cañadas e Ricardo Sagarminaga, due ricercatori spagnoli che studiano i cetacei nel Mare di Alboran, e Cristina Fossi, tossicologa all’Università di Siena.

Nel video si parla anche del Santuario dei Cetacei, fortemente voluto dall’Istituto Tethys che ne ha proposto la costituzione già nel 1990. Le ricerche svolte da Tethys negli ultimi vent’anni ne evidenziano la straordinaria biodiversità, l’abbondanza di cetacei, ma anche la fragilità. Il Santuario è infatti minacciato da un’intenso traffico marittimo, da un’elevata concentrazione di sostanze tossiche nella rete trofica e dall’uso illegale di reti pelagiche derivanti.

Secondo Erich Hoyt, il Santuario dei Cetacei, così come tante altre AMP, rappresenta una sfida. L’obiettivo è infatti quello fornire una tutela effettiva (e non solo una tutela sulla carta) di tutte le specie e gli ecosistemi marini.

L'istituzione di Aree Marine Protette non è certo l’unica soluzione a tutti i problemi dei nostri mari, ma si tratta sicuramente di un ottimo punto di partenza!

Silvia Bonizzoni

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Il quinto episodio di Cetacean Investigation è visibile sul sito: http://www.earthocean.tv/series/whalesmed_part5.html

Per maggiori informazioni sul Santuario dei Cetacei:
http://www.tethys.org/sanctuary.htm

The Story of Stuff

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view.

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.

It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

The Story of Stuff

Amvrakikos Dolphins

by Genevieve Johnson - earthOCEAN

As part of the series "Whales of the Mediterranean Sea", Chris and I are in Vonitsa, Greece to film bottlenose dolphins in the Amvrakikos Gulf. Giovanni Bearzi is President of the Tethys Research Institute in Italy and has studied coastal dolphins in the western Mediterranean for two decades.

It is early August and we are scheduled to meet Giovanni and researchers Joan Gonzalvo and Silvia Bonizzoni, at the dock at 7am. Giovanni and Joan run the Earthwatch program - "Dolphins of Greece".

Joan and the Earthwatch volunteers jump into one zodiac, Giovanni, Silvia, Chris and I, into another. As we head out into the Gulf, the sea surface is flat, and the town glows behind us in that golden light that makes sunrises worth waking up for.

We are looking for common bottlenose dolphins, a population that scientists from the have studied for several years. Amvrakikos supports a resident population of about 150 animals, the highest known density in the Mediterranean Sea. Bottlenose dolphins used to be regular inhabitants of most coastal areas in the Med, but human pressures have caused populations to decline and fracture. Fortunately, this is not the case in Amvrakikos, and the dolphins appear to thrive in the shallow, protected waters of this semi-enclosed basin. All we have to do now is find them!

Dolphins are unpredictable creatures and the gulf is about 400 square kilometers. The researchers usually encounter smaller groups, and we only had two days out on the water. This is not a lot of time when looking for fast moving, free ranging marine mammals; especially if you want to film them. Also, the weather can frequently be uncooperative. Wind is the enemy of all cetacean researchers and a sea surface with white caps can obscure even the closest animals. But Joan and Giovanni know the area well, and have a hunch about where the dolphins might be. If we find them early we will beat the wind that apparently blows up daily by midday. We scan the sea surface for dorsal fins and the two zodiacs separate to broaden our search area.

It doesn't take long to spot the first group of animals. We turn the bow in their direction and the dolphins slowly materialize. First just a handful, then 20, then 30. Within minutes we are in the midst of 50 dolphins, one-third of the population in the Gulf. We can't' believe our luck. Joan, Giovanni and Silvia are excited, so we now this is special, apparently, the best sighting of the season so far.

This was the last of 9 days on the water for the Earthwatch volunteers. They work side-by-side with the researchers, collecting data and taking photographs. These digital images allow the researchers to identify individual animals. Spending so many days with the dolphins means Giovanni, Joan and Silvia recognize many of the dolphins on sight, especially those with scars, nicks or scratches on their dorsal fins.

Meanwhile, with plenty of dolphins to go around, we concentrated on filming. The dolphins are very active and include adults, juveniles and calves. Some groups are feeding; others leap into the air or laze at the surface. Others are curious and approach us for a free ride under the bow. The water displaced by the boat when underway creates a pressure wave that pushes the dolphins with very little effort on their part. We have watched dolphins bow ride the heads of large whales. It is probably where they learned the skill, long before boats became a permanent fixture in their world.

Chris leans over the bow to film the dolphins. The surface is like glass and the dolphins roll and gambol, turning side on to look up at the boat. The rest of us watch as the dolphins and Chris's camera lense take a long, and very close look at one another.

For the next three hours, the outside world doesn't seem to exist. It is just the dolphins and us, together in the Gulf, and we are all exuberant.

The research team is pleased with the data collected. Of course, we are thrilled with the footage we have taken. Joan decides it is time to leave the dolphins and head back to Vonitsa for lunch, before the Earthwatch team begins downloading and collating data in the afternoon.

We reluctantly leave the dolphins; some of them taking advantage of their last bow riding opportunity for the day. We head back to port past several small islets, and swarms of seabirds. In addition to bottlenose dolphins, the gulf is also a haven for loggerhead sea turtles and birdlife, and contains some of Europe's most significant wetlands.

We arrive back in town at midday and tie up the zodiacs. We step from the world of the dolphins back onto dry land and the welcoming Greek atmosphere that permeates the now busy village.

It is always thrilling to visit areas where local wildlife still is flourishing. It's rejuvenating and reassuring to know that such places still exist, especially in the densely populated Mediterranean. Most importantly, it reminds us that we cannot afford to lose such places, or take them for granted. Instead, we can play our part in protecting the precious areas that remain. The first step is to get out there and experience these magnificent and charismatic animals in their own environment. That is when we truly understand why it's all worth protecting.

© Genevieve Johnson / earthOCEAN

Dolphins Across the Med

Il 27 marzo 2008, presso la sede della Royal Geographical Society di Londra si terrà Dolphins Across the Med, un evento organizzato dall'Earthwatch Institute.

Protagonisti della serata saranno il ricercatore spagnolo Ricardo Sagarminaga e il ricercatore di Tethys Joan Gonzalvo. Joan parlerà della ricerca che svolge sui delfini nel Golfo di Amvrakikos, nel contesto dello Ionian Dolphin Project.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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Per ulteriori informazioni sull'evento:
http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/events08/dolphins.html

Disappearing Dolphins

Disappearing Dolphins è il quarto episodio della serie Cetacean Investigation, una raccolta di documentari realizzati da earthOCEAN.

Si tratta di un video di 17 minuti che vede come protagonisti i ricercatori di Tethys Giovanni Bearzi e Joan Gonzalvo. Il documentario spiega perché dal 1995 vi sia stato un rapido declino della popolazione di delfini comuni e mostra gli effetti dell'eccessivo sforzo di pesca esercitato nelle acque della Grecia ionica.

Ma non parlano solo gli "scienziati". Un momento singolare del documentario è sicuramente l'intervista fatta a due pescatori locali che spiegano il loro rapporto con i delfini di Kalamos e quali sono i motivi che, secondo loro, hanno portato alla sparizione di questi cetacei.

Non è la prima volta che Tethys collabora con Chris e Genevieve Johnson di earthOCEAN. Nel primo episodio di Whales of the Mediterranean Sea è stato intervistato Simone Panigada, vicepresidente di Tethys, che ha parlato delle balenottere comuni del Mediterraneo oggetto dei suoi studi.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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Il quarto episodio di Cetacean Investigation è disponibile online al sito:
http://www.earthocean.tv/series/whalesmed_part4.html

Il primo episodio di Cetacean Investigation è disponibile online al sito:
http://www.earthocean.tv/series/whalesmed_part1.html

DolphinPeople

A story featuring the work of three enthusiastic and dedicated researchers who study coastal dolphins in western Greece.

The video highlights the importance of personal commitment to protect endangered marine mammal populations.

DolphinPeople was filmed in western Greece between 2001-2003.

Watch the video online

Mediterranean Coastal Dolphins

A short video on the decline of coastal dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea.

This video was produced in 2004. A revised Flash version has just been posted online.

Watch the video online

Decline of common dolphins in western Greece

This graph shows the decline of common dolphins around Kalamos in years 1995-2007, based on photographic mark-recapture.

Common dolphin numbers dropped from about 150 animals in 1996 to only 15 in 2007.

Ongoing research by Tethys indicates a high risk of local eradication for common dolphins by the year 2010 unless fishery management measures are implemented immediately within this area.

The Ionian Dolphin Project research team

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Bearzi G., Notarbartolo di Sciara G., Reeves R.R., Canadas A., Frantzis A. 2004. Conservation Plan for short-beaked common dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea. ACCOBAMS, Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area. 90 pp. (1.9 Mb)

Bearzi G., Politi E., Agazzi S., Azzellino A. 2006. Prey depletion caused by overfishing and the decline of marine megafauna in eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters (central Mediterranean). Biological Conservation 127(4):373-382. (444 Kb)

Bearzi G. 2007. Marine conservation on paper. Conservation Biology 21(1):1-3. (176 Kb)

Dolphins of Greece expedition: My experience

Student Sarah Marley recalls her experiences on the Earthwatch expedition Dolphins of Greece. The expedition, which she joined in September, was her prize for winning the 2007 BBC Wildlife Young Environmental Journalist of the Year competition.


After travelling through Athens, Vonitsa came – quite literally – as a breath of fresh air. Nestled in a small bay on the southern coast of the Amvrakikos Gulf, surrounded by scenic mountain views, and radiating a “typically Greek” feeling so thick you could cut it with a knife, Vonitsa seemed like the ideal location for a Greek adventure.

Or so I thought until I sat down in my first proper Greek cafe to hear James Blunt emanating from the depths of the bar across the street. Consoling myself with an ice-cold coke and the thought that not everything in life is perfect, I waited for the rest of the Dolphins of Greece Earthwatch team to arrive. Surprisingly, Malvina and Elisa – the two research assistants for this project – recognised me straight away as a volunteer. “You’re too pale to be local” they laugh at me. Finding people of a similar sense of humour to you is always good when working on a project, and my fellow teammate Lesley didn’t let me down either. A bright and cheery Londoner, she was easy to get along with from the start. I could tell this was going to be a fabulous time.

Back at the research station, the Principal Investigator Joan (Gonzalvo Villegas) explained the purpose of the project. The Amvrakikos Gulf has one of the highest dolphin population densities in Greece. This is possibly due to the gulf being one of the most productive coastal areas in the country, with its nutrient-rich waters attracting many fish species. Unfortunately, this also attracts fishermen. This human presence not only impacts fish stocks, but the local environment through pollution, construction of marinas and housing, increased boat traffic, and other factors. The aim of the project is to monitor the dolphin population and understand how these animals interact with their environment. The effects of human activities can then be assessed to determine the impact on the local wildlife.

In other words, this isn’t just a holiday – our contribution as volunteers can influence the outcome of this important research. Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it…

Next morning we were up bright and early for a 7am breakfast. Dragging our bleary-eyed, semi-comatose forms through to the dining room, Joan explained what we were going to do that day. The team would be doing transects across the bay looking for dolphins, turtles, sea birds and any other interesting fauna. When we found some dolphins, we would record the group’s angle and distance from the boat. During the sighting, which could last up to an hour, we would regularly record dolphin group position, size, composition and behaviour. Sounds easy enough we thought, curled up on a sofa drinking tea. No worries.

We walked down to the boat at about 8am and headed out to sea. “Wow, what an adventure!” I thought, as we moved out of harbour, “The sun’s shining, I’m in Greece, and we’re off to look for dolphins – magic!” Two hours and no dolphin sightings later, the magic was starting to wear off while the cold set in. Although Greek afternoons are long and warm, out in the early morning, moving at speed across the sea, there’s not much heat to be found. Shorts and strappy tops are not to be recommended…

Just when I was about to give up hope, Joan perked up. Had he seen something? Dolphins? Where? Frantically scanning the horizon, I thought I could just about make out some distant splashes. How had he spotted that? We headed towards the sprays of water and met our first Greek dolphins.

For me, seeing dolphins is always an amazing experience. As a child I watched them from cliff tops in north-east Scotland, and just recently I experienced them a bit closer out in the Scottish Moray Firth while helping with some research there. It’s an experience that leaves me speechless. To be sitting on a small boat, drifting slowly across the water, and find yourself watching a group of dolphins…it’s perfect. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And it’s not just a case of you watching them – they’re just as interested in you. Sitting at the bow of the boat, you watch as they swim underneath, lolling onto their side to look back up at you. Sometimes you can even hear their clicks and whistles. It’s like looking into a whole different world, which in effect you are. It’s a privilege.

Which is why we can’t just sit watching all day – we volunteers have work to do. Grabbing a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) we start logging data; calling to each other as a different individual suddenly appears; timing dives and following the dolphins’ progress across the gulf. All the while, Joan drives the boat, takes photos of the dolphins for later identification, and still manages to spot other dolphin groups in the distance. The man is nothing short of a marvel. Watching him in action is almost as inspiring as watching the dolphins themselves.

Then, all too soon, the group leaves us. I’m surprised to find that an hour has passed, the cold of before long forgotten. We head back to Vonitsa, retiring to the Green-Faced-Chef Café to discuss our first survey trip, to a background of James Blunt’s greatest hits. Then it’s back to the research station for lunch, a quick siesta, and back to work. That afternoon, we’re taught how to crop the photos from the morning’s survey, and learn how to match the photos to known individuals in the Dolphin Catalogue.

Afterwards, we attend a short ‘lecture’ from Joan, and watch videos explaining a bit more about the work in and around the Amvrakikos Gulf. Throughout the stay, we also learn about the threats faced by the dolphins – as well as other wildlife – with particular emphasis on the dangers of over-fishing. These are topics familiar to everyone; always cropping up in the news or on nature programmes. But once you’ve been to the areas affected, once you’ve seen for yourself what there is at stake, seen how much can be lost, then you sit up and take notice. And if by supporting Earthwatch and contributing to some of the research as volunteers we can make a difference to the plight of these areas and the wildlife affected, then I can’t wait to go on my next expedition.

Sarah Marley

Marine Conservation on Paper? An urgent call for action to protect cetaceans

(a statement presented at the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to ACCOBAMS)


We, the undersigned institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), note that despite the positive intent of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and the commitment of ACCOBAMS Parties demonstrated through many Resolutions, Recommendations at previous and in particular at this 3rd Meeting of the Parties, an equivalent degree of essential, tangible conservation activity has not yet taken place.

We are conscious and appreciative of the significant depth of work that has been developed for the Parties by the Scientific Committee of ACCOBAMS in order for them to mitigate threats to cetaceans. We also recognise that several Parties have made progress in implementing Resolutions and some ambitious decisions have been made and Resolutions adopted at this MOP3 of which we highly appreciate. However, although recognizing the overall will by Parties to improve the protection and conservation status of cetaceans in the Agreement area, we wish to express a strong call for action, recognizing that a slow response in implementing decisions and conservation measures would mean the objectives of the Agreement will not be reached.

We note in particular the following concerns:

1. the critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable status of most cetacean populations in the Mediterranean and Black Seas (as recognized in Resolution 3.9)

2. the continued use of driftnets in part of the Agreement area, causing an unacceptable level of cetacean bycatch and a destructive impact on marine ecosystems in general, including in the PELAGOS Sanctuary

3. the continuation of the employment of non-selective fishing methods, the growing intensity of fishing, and the widespread impact of over-fishing leading to ecosystem damage and depletion of cetacean prey

4. the continued lack of implementation of appropriate mitigation measures to reduce underwater noise.

We therefore urge all Parties to take immediate and concrete action to fully meet their commitments under ACCOBAMS and thereby ensure the survival of cetacean populations within the Agreement area.

Signed on 25th October 2007 by:

WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, International
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Ocean Care, Switzerland
Delphis, Italy
Oceana Europe
Morigenos – Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Society, Slovenia
Animal Friends, Croatia
Blue World Marine Institute for Research and Conservation, Croatia
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

The decline of common dolphins around Kalamos, Greece

This short video shows the movements of short beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis recorded by Tethys researchers around the island of Kalamos, in western Greece, between 1997 and 2007.

While research effort in this area has been increasing over the years, common dolphin numbers showed a continuous decline, dropping from about 150 animals in 1996 to only 15 in 2007.

Management action is urgently needed to prevent the complete eradication of common dolphins from this part of the Mediterranean Sea - one of the last places where these beautiful and endangered marine mammals still survive.

The Ionian Dolphin Project research team

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The early days of the Adriatic Dolphin Project

Tethys President Giovanni Bearzi reports on his experience with the project

I first went to Losinj in 1987 with my father’s inflatable boat, staying in a camping. I was told that dolphins around Losinj and Cres were easy to find, and could be approached from small boats. That sounded very interesting to me, as I was looking for ways to do a dolphin study for my Biological Sciences thesis at the University of Padua.

By that time I had been surveying portions of the Mediterranean from oceanographic vessels, recording cetacean sightings. However, I was hoping to get a little closer to the animals, rather than just identifying the species and counting them while passing by. I soon realised that Losinj offered amazing opportunities. Bottlenose dolphins were easy to find, they could be photographed individually (which later allowed the identification of most community members) and they could be followed at close quarters during their daily movements, thus allowing to collect information on their behaviour.

The first time I came back home after two weeks in Losinj I knew for sure that my life had changed - I finally had found what I was looking for. I completed my thesis on northern Adriatic dolphins, and then Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and myself decided that it was worth to continue, under the umbrella of the young Tethys Research Institute. Our aim was to start a long-term study to replicate in the Mediterranean what the likes of Randy Wells and Bernd Würsig had done in other parts of the world.

In 1990 Giuseppe and I crossed the border between Italy and former Yugoslavia with a busload of enthusiasm and hope. With us there was Laura Bonomi, one of the finest field workers I ever met. We managed to find a sponsor for the boat, an outboard engine, basic research equipment (a reflex camera, a tape recorder and the first GPS model available on the market), plus a little money for the renting of a house and for the gasoline. Nobody cared much about earning a salary, or turning the project into some sort of business (which it never became). All we wanted was finding the dolphins and getting to know them better.

And that’s what we did, eventually, facing all sort of difficulties, dealing with damaged boats, broken engines, political trouble, much frustration, cold winters, lack of money, countless hours writing proposals and entering data, personal difficulties and the whole set of problems that come with a field project. But also hundreds of unforgettable hours spent with the animals, known one by one as good friends. The joy of being at sea, alone or with some of the many extraordinary people who joined me in that adventure. Observing dolphins, and eventually understanding at least in part what was going on, what they were doing, what they were likely to do next, and who was there socialising with Taba and Pinna Vibrante.

Although research was our main activity, the Adriatic Dolphin Project developed into something more than just a dolphin study. It soon attracted interest from enthusiastic local supporters such as Arlen Abramic, and then Nena Nosalj and many others. Nena, in particular, was instrumental in enhancing the public awareness potential of the project and allowing us to share whatever we learned about the local dolphins with the general public and the media. The Dolphin Day was one of her many brilliant ideas. She and Arlen also “forced” me to make dozens of presentations in front of a public that ranged from tourists to fishermen, from refugee children to commando soldiers.

Today, I’m so glad I did all that, contributing to the development of what is now one of the most successful and long-lasting dolphin projects in the Mediterranean, and setting the stage for the next round of fine people, Drasko, Pete, Caterina and all the others, to whom we eventually passed the baton. After almost two decades, it is nice to see that the Adriatic Dolphin Project has managed to overcome many apparently insurmountable problems and that Blue World is now doing such an excellent work, with about the same spirit and motivation we had in the early days. I wish that all will continue to produce outstanding conservation results, shining as a testimony that commitment by enthusiastic individuals can make a difference in this world.

Giovanni Bearzi

Venice, Italy, November 2004

'True' fishery catches

"(...) It may be useful to stress again that reconstructions of the sort presented here do not claim to provide 'true catches'. 'Truth' must remain elusive. But the catches presented in this report certainly represent an improvement over the present situation, and could thus be considered to move towards the 'likely true' catch levels. And often, this is all we can hope for: to improve on things."

Daniel Pauly
Director, Fisheries Centre

from the Director's Foreword of "Reconstruction of Marine Fisheries Catches for Key Countries and Regions (1950-2005)" Edited by Dirk Zeller and Daniel Pauly. FCRR 2007, Vol. 15(2).

Tethys in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Tethys (Greek Τηθύς), daughter of Uranus and Gaia, was a Titaness and sea goddess who was both sister and wife of Oceanus.

She was mother of the chief rivers of the world known to the Greeks, such as the Nile, the Alpheus, the Maeander, and about three thousand daughters called the Oceanids.

Considered as an embodiment of the waters of the world she may be seen as a counterpart of Thalassa, embodiment of the sea.

(adapted from Wikipedia)

What does the common dolphin (and of course other dolphins) mean to you personally?

(one of a series of questions posed to the Tethys president during a recent interview)

Common dolphins are quintessential expressions of beauty and grace in the marine environment. They are elegant and highly-evolved marine mammals that are tightly interconnected with their habitat. As long as they are there, and they are doing well, you know that the sea is alive and you can expect to find a number of other marine creatures all around. Tuna and swordfish, and of course their main prey: anchovies and sardines.

When I started studying common dolphins at Kalamos, these animals would surround our boat every day and swim in its wake. It was the marine equivalent of the Garden of Eden. Today, after the apple was stolen, we see common dolphins once a month. Their formerly healthy population has been reduced by one order of magnitude in only ten years. Common dolphins have become a symbol of how the most beautiful marine environment can be quickly devastated and corrupted by human activities, in the interest of a handful of commercial fishermen.

Giovanni Bearzi

What has been the greatest success of your engagement?

(one of a series of questions posed to the Tethys president during a recent interview)

I wish I could say actual protection of the animals I have been studying, but this would be far too optimistic.

A Marine Protected Area has been created recently with the intention of protecting bottlenose dolphins around Losinj, 16 years after our initial proposal. But I wonder if the animals there have noticed.

Kalamos has become an Area of Community Importance (Natura 2000) and common dolphins living there make the theoretical conservation targets of international agreements and recommendations. But the dolphins certainly haven’t noticed.

I did my best to promote dolphin conservation in several Mediterranean areas, but has anything happened? At best, I may have contributed to a microscopic increase in public and institutional awareness. Maybe.

So, perhaps the greatest success of my engagement has been influencing the choices of a number of young people and students, who eventually decided to devote their life to cetacean research and conservation. Several excellent people around me claim to have been inspired by my own work (as much as I myself have been - and still am - inspired by the work of my mentors). This makes me proud, and gives a meaning to what I am doing.

In addition, I’m happy to have been working with the Tehys Research Institute for two decades, giving my share to let this ship navigate over troubled waters in a rather hostile Italian reality.

Giovanni Bearzi

What do the volunteers do, why do they come and help, and what touches them the most?

At Tethys, we have been welcoming volunteers at our field stations and on board our research boats since 1990. These people support our projects financially by participating in 7-9 day courses, and this allows us to work over long periods of time and remain independent. Their contribution is essential. In addition, volunteers engage in field data collection, help us process the data, and provide the researchers with motivation and moral support.

Most volunteers come because they want to see whales and dolphins in the wild, but many eventually realize the implications and challenges of a research project, learn about the problems faced by the animals, and eventually become supporters and advocates of conservation efforts.

Many volunteers joining our field courses see their experience as a special one. Getting close to cetaceans in their natural environment is nothing like watching them on TV. Volunteers are touched by their elegance, beauty and behavioural complexity. They realize how ‘special’ these animals are, and (sometimes) get to understand the link that ties them to their environment. They start seeing them as enormous, and yet fragile creatures exposed to a range of threats caused by human activities. They can also spend much time talking with the researchers and understand their motivations and the reasons behind their unusual choice.

I have been working in the field with hundreds of volunteers, and although there may be personal likes and dislikes, it has been an amazing and enriching human experience. Many of them have become good friends, and even colleagues.

Giovanni Bearzi

What can and has to be done, so that common dolphins will survive?

I could name a number of management actions likely to benefit dolphins and the marine environment: Marine Protected Areas, fishery reserves (areas closed to fishing), strict enforcement of the existing laws (much of the fishing out there is illegal), and so on. But we should avoid just blaming the governments and seeing ecosystem destruction as the result of somebody else’s choices and activities.

We are responsible, too. As voters, in the first place. At the last political elections have we voted ‘with our wallet’, or have we attempted to shift the centre of gravity towards a more sensible environmental policy? Have we ever tried to reduce our own consumption rates, recycle, and make our lives a little more sustainable? Ultimately, the ongoing lack of respect towards the marine environment results from our own desires and demands. People sitting in their comfortable car and never considering taking a train instead of an airplane should consider that a link might exist between their own behaviour and air pollution, or even climate change. Those who enjoy eating swordfish and tuna at the restaurant may want to think about the implications for the marine environment.

Whilst there are practical and feasible actions that can at least stop the decline of common dolphins in some areas (at Kalamos this would include an immediate ban of the most detrimental fishing activities), I think that we should realize that damage to the marine environment is also a result of our life styles and collective habits. Changing our own behaviour and giving up something felt as desirable can be as pleasant, and even more fulfilling, than increasing our consumption rates. The reward consists in knowing that we are part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. We do not only blame others for declining biodiversity and beauty all around us. We are actually doing our best to protect the things we treasure, and we enact consistent behaviour. Our choices might even influence those of others and eventually turn into new behavioural trends.

Giovanni Bearzi

What future for Mediterranean common dolphins?

The future for Mediterranean common dolphins is grim. They have declined greatly during the past 40 years, and their chances of recovery are shadowed by ongoing mortality in fishing gear and overfishing of their key prey.

Common dolphins need a healthy marine environment to survive, but few people in the region seem to be interested in their conservation. Development and exploitation are by far more attractive. Ever-increasing consumption rates and short-term economic benefits bear a cost, and most of the times this cost is paid by the environment.

People everywhere want to eat more fish, spend their holidays in hotels with seaside pools and parking lots, have a second or third house with sea view (where they may live for one or two weeks every year). This results in increasing pressures on the coastal marine ecosystems. Fish stocks get depleted, coastal development increases pollution and disturbance at sea, and the animals there find it difficult to survive in habitats exposed to continuous degradation.

We have been studying common dolphins in the costal waters of Greece for almost two decades, around the island of Kalamos. Initially, there was plenty of these animals and the area was almost pristine. Today, fish stocks have been depleted by overfishing and the area is being ruined by a kind of development that does not take into account the need to preserve the environment. As a result, only a few common dolphins are left, and their chances to survive are linked to an unlikely political determination of including fishery and ecosystem management actions in ongoing development plans.

This kind of things are happening everywhere in the Mediterranean, and common dolphins must bend to short-sighted economic interests. Local human communities are equally impacted, as they see their traditions and cultures being wiped out by companies building immense and ugly hotels near beautiful beaches and villages, while a few large commercial fishing boats take most of the fish away, and little is left for the artisanal fishermen (and the dolphins).

Giovanni Bearzi