Between 5 and 15 June 2026, Nature Conservation Consultants (NCC) successfully completed the ASI-II Hellenic Trench vessel survey, covering all planned transects from Paxoi island to South Eastern Crete. The survey has been implemented in the framework of LIFE MareNatura project and in collaboration with WWF Greece, MOm and Arion, contributing to one of the Mediterranean’s most important monitoring efforts for marine megafauna.
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:
(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.
