PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals is a special marine protected area in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. It is located between France and the Italian regions of Liguria and Sardinia and covers an area of around 90 000 km2. The sanctuary is the most important breeding and feeding site for cetacean populations living in the Mediterranean Sea and thus crucial for their well-being. Distinct ecological and sea floor conditions in the sanctuary mean that primary production (the creation of organic compounds through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis) in the area is very high and supports a diverse food chain.
The unique seabed features in the area, such as canyons, attract a large number of sperm whales that often emerge near the coast. Major commercial, tourist and industrial sites are also located in the area, and marine traffic (e.g. passenger, cargo and fishing boats) is particularly high during the summer, when the presence of sperm whales is higher. Collisions and injuries to animals are consequently frequent, affecting the Mediterranean sub-population that amounts to just 2 500 mature individuals.
OBJECTIVES
The WHALESAFE project aimed to develop an interference avoidance system for detecting and tracking sperm whales, identifying threats to them and preventing collisions and other risks by issuing warning messages in real time to ships in the area. A protocol for reducing the disturbance and impact risks would be drafted in cooperation with the local coast guard and agreed by all stakeholders involved. After receiving the warning message, ships would then be invited to apply this protocol and the coast guard would supervise its application. The system planned was innovative because it prevents ship impacts with the whales by monitoring and acoustically tracking the animals underwater. Sperm whales spend three quarters of their time underwater.
RESULTS
The WHALESAFE project was not able to maintain an operational detection system due to setbacks and technical obstacles. The difficult marine environment and the occurrence of force majeure events (collisions with boats and marine storms) demonstrated how much of a challenge it is to operate this type of system at such a distance from the coast. Furthermore, due to climate change, the frequency of extreme natural events has increased in the Mediterranean Sea. The storm at the end of October 2018 was more severe than those predicted by weather forecasting models. Future detection units should thus be designed with greater safety margins.
Nevertheless, the project was able to track three deep whale dives and to predict the emerging area of the cetaceans within a radius of 400 m, the first time such a calculation has been made using real time data for this species in the Mediterranean Sea.
A way of increasing durability would be to deploy the monitoring system at a greater depth without connections to the sea surface. Data transfer to the onshore station could be achieved by means of a submarine cable. While this solution is more effective and secure, it is also much more expensive and beyond the budget of the project.
Communication activities carried out among fisherman and boaters and onboard the Costa cruises raised awareness of the conservation of the sperm whale, the risks of collisions between cetaceans and boats and the main conservation aims of the Pelagos Sanctuary. Educational activities reached more than 5 400 school children. Furthermore, the project was featured on four national TV channels (TG1, TG2, Ra1 Linea Blu and Rai News), in six regional stations (3 TG Regione Rai, 2 Primocanale, 1 Telecity) and on one national radio programme (Rai Isoradio).
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
