Tethys Research Institute aerial survey cetacean sightings 2009-2011

Caterina Lanfredi; Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara

doi:10.15468/585nbj

Tethys Research Institute aerial survey cetacean sightings 2009-2011

Citation

Lanfredi, C. and G. Notarbartolo di Sciara. 2011. Tethys Research Institute aerial survey cetacean sightings 2009-2011. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/776) on yyyy-mm-dd. https://doi.org/10.15468/585nbj accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-14.

Description

Original provider: Tethys Research Institute Dataset credits: Tethys Research Institute; Institute for Environmental Protection and Research - ISPRA Abstract: Monitoring abundance and distribution is essential in any conservation strategy, but is often ignored in many regions, including much of the Mediterranean. It is a priority of the Italian Ministry of the Environment, who funded a series of aerial surveys around Italy, to provide significant baseline information on cetaceans distribution and abundance. The covered areas included the Pelagos Sanctuary, the Central Tyrrhenian, the Corsica and Sardinia Seas, and the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Taranto. Numbers of animals within the Sanctuary are significantly higher in summer, when human activities and thus potential population level impacts are highest. A crude comparison with data from past shipboard surveys suggests an appreciable decrease in fin whale density in the Pelagos Sanctuary area over the last decade, reiterating the need for a major synoptic basinwide survey, as well as regular monitoring surveys. The low CVs and CIs reconfirm the effectiveness of aerial surveys in estimating abundance of certain cetacean species in suitable areas/circumstances and may provide a model for other areas of the Mediterranean. These surveys provide baseline data to develop efficient long-term systematic monitoring programmes, as required by a number of national and international frameworks. The collected data may also be crucial in assessing whether ship strikes, one of the main causes of death for fin whales in the Mediterranean, are affecting the Mediterranean population. Supplemental information: Effort data are from 2009 only. When time and observed counts were not available, "00:00:00" and "1" was filled in, respectively.

Purpose

Not available

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Balaenoptera physalus
common name: Fin Whale rank: species
Globicephala melas
common name: Long-finned Pilot Whale rank: species
Grampus griseus
common name: Risso's Dolphin rank: species
Physeter macrocephalus
common name: Sperm Whale rank: species
Stenella coeruleoalba
common name: Striped Dolphin rank: species
Tursiops truncatus
common name: Common Bottlenose Dolphin rank: species
Cetacea
common name: cetaceans rank: order
Delphinidae
common name: dolphins rank: family
Cetacea
common name: cetaceans rank: order
Ziphius cavirostris
common name: Cuvier's Beaked Whale rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Oceans

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Caterina Lanfredi
originator
position: Primary contact
Tethys Research Institute
email: caterina.lanfredi@polimi.it

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
originator
position: Primary contact
Tethys Research Institute
email: tethys@tethys.org
homepage: http://www.tethys.org

OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

Caterina Lanfredi
owner
position: Primary contact
Tethys Research Institute
email: caterina.lanfredi@polimi.it

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
owner
position: Primary contact
Tethys Research Institute
email: tethys@tethys.org
homepage: http://www.tethys.org

ACCOBAMS and WDCS
originator
The Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)
homepage: http://www.accobams.org/

Caterina Lanfredi
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
Tethys Research Institute
email: caterina.lanfredi@polimi.it

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
Tethys Research Institute
email: tethys@tethys.org
homepage: http://www.tethys.org