Despite challenging weather conditions during the latter part of the mission, the survey team recorded acoustic detections of sperm whales, Cuvier’s beaked whales and dolphins, including the successful tracking and photo-identification of an adult male sperm whale off northwestern Zakynthos.

The survey combined visual observations and passive acoustic monitoring, providing valuable information from an area recognized as critical habitat for several deep-diving cetacean species.

All data collected during the expedition will be processed by Marine Conservation Research International (MCRI) and will contribute to the ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative II (ASI-II), an international effort coordinated under the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). ASI-II aims to strengthen long-term monitoring of cetacean populations across the Mediterranean and Black Seas and provide the scientific knowledge needed to support evidence-based conservation and management measures for these species and their habitats.

Photos from the mission:

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(Click to open as slideshow. To see the captions in the slideshow click (i).)

Here you can watch a video of the mission from ACCOBAMS.

On the Makares islands, east of Naxos, during recent expeditions the following species of birds were observed as residents on the island of Agios Nikolaos: Scopoli´s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), Yelkouan shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan), Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), Rock dove(Columba livia), European shag (Gulosus aristotelis), Common raven (Corvus corax), Bonelli´s eagle (Aquila fasciata), Eurasian scop´s owl(Otus scops), Common swift (Apus apus), Alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba), White wagtail (Motacilla alba), Blue- rock thrush (Monticola solitarius), European greenfinch (Chloris chloris), Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala).

The recordings of a white-tailed godwit feeding her young next to a small rainwater pond in an old quarry (see video below) underline the importance of the presence of water on small islands, especially for the feeding of young birds (the image at the beginning of the article was processed with artificial intelligence).

Click here to read the full article.

Click here for a description of the island and more photos from the expedition.

We are excited to share the official ERWC promo video, highlighting how our experienced field crews can support your projects through onshore or offshore data collection, including aerial, submarine, and ship-based monitoring.

The topic of the master’s thesis is the identification of codas. Blowers (Physeter macrocephalus) live in long-lived social clades within matriarchal societies, which are phonetically distinguished by dialects of socially learned click series called codas. Dialectal differences in codas patterns have identified seven distinct cultural tribes inhabiting the Pacific Ocean. Studies have shown that “identity codas”, following a 3+1 click pattern, characterize the geographically and genetically isolated Mediterranean subpopulation. However, recent research suggests that this pattern may differ between Western and Eastern Mediterranean bellows populations. This Master’s research involves acoustic analysis of codas from bellows living in the Greek Trench, initially aiming to assess how closely they adhere to or deviate from the known 3+1 pattern. If this pattern differs, evidence of vocal specificity and cultural transmission would support regional diversity in this species. This, in turn, would benefit ongoing conservation efforts to promote nature and biodiversity and reduce human disturbance in important Mediterranean marine habitats.

The collaboration with ACCOBAMS will be integrated into NCCs LIFE MareNatura program research, so that the records of the two programs are harmonized and yield the best possible results.

It is a pleasure and an honor for the NCC team to contribute to such an important initiative.

What is ACCOBAMS (from the ACCOBAMS website):

The Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS) is a legal conservation tool based on cooperation. Its purpose is to reduce threats to cetaceans notably by improving current knowledge on these animals.

This intergovernmental Agreement provides the demonstration of the commitment of riparian Countries to preserve all species of cetaceans and their habitats within the geographical Agreement area by the enforcement of more stringent measures than those defined in the texts adopted previously.

ACCOBAMS results from consultations between Secretariats of four Conventions:

the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean,

the Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals,

the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats,

the Bucharest Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution.

Finally, given the migratory characteristics of these species, the Agreement was established under the auspices of the Bonn Convention (UNEP/CMS).

ACCOBAMS was signed on November 24th, 1996 and entered into force on June 1st, 2001.