Le balenottere del Santuario seguite con i satelliti

Le balenottere mediterranee migrano in inverno come le loro cospecifiche negli oceani, o si comportano diversamente, in linea con il fatto che sono una popolazione sostanzialmente isolata, vivente in un ambiente molto diverso da quello dell'Atlantico? I ricercatori di Tethys sperano di dare una risposta al quesito quanto prima. Infatti, sono riusciti ad applicare dei trasmettitori satellitari su diverse balenottere (Balaenoptera physalus) nelle acque del Santuario Pelagos per i cetacei.
Tra gli obiettivi, fondamentali per la conservazione della popolazione, c'è anche quello di individuare i siti invernali di riproduzione, oltre a eventuali rotte migratorie, che potrebbero essere sovrapposte ai dati sul traffico marittimo, in maniera da evitare le collisioni - un problema non indifferente per questa specie in particolare.
Sette sono le balenottere equipaggiate con un trasmettitore, concepito per fornire la posizione di ogni animale  attraverso i sei satelliti orbitanti del sistema Argos. Gli itinerari dei vari individui possono essere seguiti attraverso un sito dedicato, previa registrazione gratuita. Le mappe verranno aggiornate settimanalmente.

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Accedi direttamente alla registrazione

Fin whales of the mediterranean Sanctuary tracked by satellite

Are mediterranean fin whales migrating in winter like other whales do in the oceans, or do they behave differently, given the fact that they belong to a substantially isolated population in an environment that differs to that of oceanic ones? Tethys' researchers hope to answer the question in the next few weeks.
For the first time Tethys has been able to deploy satellite transmitters on several fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Pelagos Cetacean Sanctuary.
The project aims to enable the identification of areas in need of special protection: to assess breeding grounds is an important goal for the conservation of the population. Moreover potential migratory routes may be added to maritime traffic information, because collisions with vessels represent a serious threat for fin whales in particular.
Seven individuals have been equipped with a special transmitter each, enabling them to regularly bestow their position through the Argos Satellite system, based on 6 orbiting satellites.
The whale’s itinerary may be followed on a dedicated page upon registration. The maps tracing the various movements will be updated weekly.

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Separated rays

A new paper on phylogeny of mobulid rays, largely based on tooth morphology, just appeared on the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society with the coauthorship of Tethys' President, Giuseppe Notarbartolo: an interesting aspect is that Manta, Mobula mobular and Mobula japanica appear separated from the remaining species of Mobula.

Here is the abstract:
The exact affinities of the fossil teeth attributed to the devilrays (mobulids) are critical for resolving the debated origin of these giant pelagic rays amongst Myliobatiformes and the timing of their evolution toward planktivory. We performed the first detailed comparative description of teeth belonging to most of the living and fossil mobulids. Based on a survey of living devilrays, three dental morphologies are newly identified as cobblestone tooth plates, comb-like teeth, and peg-like teeth. In addition, all extinct mobulid species are reviewed with comments on their dentition, fossil record, and geographical distribution. As a result, three fossil mobulid taxa are newly described from the Late Eocene of south-west Morocco (Argoubia barbei gen. et sp. nov., Oromobula dakhlaensis gen. et sp. nov., and Eoplinthicus underwoodi sp. nov.). This has permitted the first assessment of the phylogenetic positions of extinct and extant species of mobulids, using cladistic analyses and a combined data set of nondental anatomical characters from the literature and the dental characters defined here. Our new results support the monophyly of mobulids including all living and most extinct species and indicate that mobulids are closely related to rhinopterids. They also indicate that there was a recent split within Mobulidae into the three tooth morphology groups that we describe in this paper. This work provides clues to the evolutionary history of this clade since the Early Eocene, including the gradual lack in tooth interlocking toward the filter-feeding strategy, whereas the preservation of cusped teeth without feeding function in modern filter-feeder mobulids is interpreted as a tool for precopulatory purposes.

The full paper can be found on Wiley online library (only for registered users).

Adnet S., Cappetta H., Guinot G., Notarbartolo-di-Sciara G. 2012. Evolutionary history of the devilrays (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) from fossil and morphological inference. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, London 166:132-159. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00844.

Devastating plastic - La tragedia della plastica

Plastic materials are the most common debris in the oceans all over the world; they have horrific impacts on marine wildlife and on the whole ecosystems.  Different creatures get entangled in plastics and drown or ingest toxins. Plastics pose a threat to the health of the food chain, while oceans are silently choking on our plastic waste, as shown in this insightful video about the Marine Debris Survey, a world first study of the plastics around the coastlines.

Watch the video

La plastica ha un impatto devastante negli oceani di tutto il mondo, sia a livello di specie che di interi ecosistemi. Gli animali restano impigliati e annegano, oppure ingeriscono le tossine che vengono rilasciate. La plastica mette a rischio l'intera catena alimentare, mentre i mari soffocano silenziosamente a causa dei nostri rifiuti. Il video (in inglese) spiega tutto questo nel contesto del Marine Debris Survey, il primo studio mondiale del genere.

The vaquita (+ 99 more species): the most threatened in the world

More than 8,000 scientists from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) have recently come together to identify 100 of the most threatened animals, plants and fungi on the planet. As a result a new list of the species closest to extinction was released by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The report, called "Priceless or Worthless?", has been presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in South Korea on September 11th.
If nothing is done to protect them, those 100 species, from 48 different countries, are first in line to disappear completely. Among them is the vaquita (Phocoena sinus); Giuseppe Notarbartolo, Tethys' President, is the author of the chapter about this most endangered cetacean living in the Gulf of California.
Species and wild habitats are often valued and prioritised according to the services they provide for people, but conservation should go beyond this. Do these species have a right to survive or do we have a right to drive them to extinction?”

Read the report

La vaquita (e altre 99 specie): le più minacciate del pianeta

Oltre 8000 ricercatori della Commissione per la sopravvivenza delle specie dell'International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN,SSC) hanno identificato le 100 specie viventi più minacciate del pianeta. Il risultato è una nuova lista pubblicata recentemente dalla Zoological Society of London (ZSL) e dalla IUCN, e presentata l'11 settembre scorso, al World Conservation Congress nella Corea del Sud.
Tra le 100 specie che saranno con ogni probabilità le prime a scomparire se nulla verrà fatto, c'è anche la vaquita, un piccolo cetaceo che vive esclusivamente nel golfo della California, la cui scheda è stata compilata dal Presidente di Tethys, Giuseppe Notarbartolo.
Spesso le specie vengono valutate sulla base del loro valore per l'uomo, ma la conservazione dovrebbe andare oltre: abbiamo il diritto di condannarle all'estinzione, o hanno, loro, il diritto di sopravvivere?
Leggi il rapporto (in inglese)

CSR_18 (September 10th - 16th)

The final week of the season. As the summer draws to a close, the weather becomes more unpredictable. We were able to venture out the first day and soon found a sperm whale which we acoustically tracked and took pictures of for our photo-identification catalogue. This animal bore marks which looked like they were due to a collision with a ship. The afternoon brought striped dolphins, that rode the bow wave made by Pelagos, before heading back to Sanremo to avoid the forecasted bad weather conditions.
We were unable to leave the harbour for the next two days due to high winds and waves. The group was able to fully appreciate the ferocity of the sea from the roof of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The next day, we had lectures about the cetacean species found in the Mediterranean, and using our photo-ID techniques we found a match for the sperm whale we had sighted earlier in the week. He was called ‘Cut’ presumably because of the collision mark in front of his dorsal fin.
We left the harbour early the next day and transited along the coast. The sea was alive with feeding tuna – quite a sight to see so many jumping fish from the water. At the time we were above the slope of the ocean floor, a productive area favoured by many cetaceans. However, we did not expect to see a fin whale which usually feeds on krill - which are generally found in the pelagic area, further out to sea. But, sure enough, we saw the distinctive tall vertical blow of the largest cetacean found in the Mediterranean. We followed the fin whale on a ‘zigzag’ route, commonly associated with feeding behaviour in this species.
The sighting conditions were tough, with periods of the day spent in ‘negative sighting conditions’ – when waves are breaking and it becomes increasingly difficult to see cetaceans. We spent the night in Saint Jean, sheltered from the wind.
The final day of the week proved to be our most exciting, providing a glorious end to the 2012 CSR season. The day ended with four sperm whales synchronously vocalising, surfacing within minutes of each other. We raced between animals, attempting to get photo identification pictures and photogrammetry data for each whale. While the whales were diving, we were treated to a symphony of clicks, including codas, chirrups and clangs, which are sounds usually associated with social behaviour among sperm whales. The final encounter involved a sperm whale swimming upside down under Pelagos, and then spy-hopping at the stern so that it could get a better look at us. What a way to finish the season!

Viridiana, Eva, Martina and Luke

Following link is for participants of this week's expedition, showing the ship's route, pictures of some of the sightings and of some moments of the cruise which were memorable (or even not so...)

Ai partecipanti al turno è dedicato uno spazio con il percorso effettuato durante la settimana, le foto di alcuni avvistamenti e qualche immagine dei momenti da ricordare - importanti e non

How to stop finning, simply explained - Cos'è il finning e come fermarlo, in poche parole

We have been talking a lot about shark finning. This video by Shark Alliance explains the problem very well.

watch "Finning ban made simple".

ITA Abbiamo parlato spesso della disdicevole pratica del finning degli squali. Questo video di Shark Alliance spiega la questione molto bene, in termini estremamente semplici.

Guarda il video (manca purtroppo la versione italiana. C'è in inglese, francese, tedesco, spagnolo o portoghese)

Uomini e cetacei: un difficile rapporto

E' uscito pochi giorni fa in libreria un nuovo libro di Marco Affronte:
"Jack il delfino e altre storie di mare", Editrice De Vecchi, 256 pp. 11,90 €

C’è un rapporto particolare fra gli uomini e i cetacei. L’essere umano prova verso delfini e balene un’ampia gamma di sentimenti: essi preludono a interazioni e comportamenti che possono trovarsi a due estremi veramente lontanissimi tra loro. Da una parte la baleneria, le stragi di delfini in Giappone e alle Faroe, e come non ricordare la legge italiana che, fino alla fine degli anni settanta, premiava con una ricompensa un pescatore che avesse consegnato alle autorità la coda di un delfino ucciso? All’estremo opposto ci sono un amore e un interesse verso questi animali, che molto spesso superano davvero ogni logica. In tutto il mondo crescono la domanda di poter vedere e avvicinare questi animali nel loro ambiente naturale, così come iniziative e campagne per la loro salvaguardia e tutela.
Nel libro "Jack il delfino e altre storie di mare", si racconta proprio di questo particolare rapporto fra l'uomo e i delfini (ma anche le balene), attraverso 11 storie, realmente accadute.
Si va dal leggendario Pelorus Jack, che per 25 anni ha "scortato" i traghetti attraverso il pericoloso French Pass, in Nuova Zelanda, all 'indimenticabile delfino Filippo, che ha vissuto per alcuni anni nel porto di Manfredonia. C'è la storia del cucciolo di balena grigia J.J., recuperato morente sulle coste della California, nutrito e curato per un anno intero e poi restituito con successo al mare. E ci sono le tre balene grigie intrappolate nei ghiacci dell'Alaska, che scatenano una folle corsa per restituite loro la salvezza.
Non manca nemmeno la lunga saga dell'orca Keiko, più famosa come Free Willy, ormai divenuto un simbolo del tentativo dell'uomo di riscattarsi dalle sue colpe verso i cetacei costretti alla cattività.
Altre due piccole orche, Luna e Springer, rimaste sole e sperdute nelle acque della British Columbia sono protagoniste di due storie parallele, ma dal finale drammaticamente diverso.
Ci sono anche i racconti di alcuni solitary dolphins, animali selavativi che "scelgono" di lasciare il loro gruppo per vivere a contatto con l'uomo.
Il libro si chiude con un'esperienza personale dell'autore, proprio con uno di questi delfini, nelle acque del nord Adriatico.

CSR 17 (September 3rd-9th)

The seventeenth cruise of the Cetacean Sanctuary Research project got off to a slow start due to unfavourable weather and sea conditions, constraining us to stay in the harbour the first day. Nevertheless, this time was put to good use by having various lectures about the biology and ecology of cetaceans in the Mediterranean sea. After a photo-identification lecture, our participants diligently and valiantly helped us match several sperm whale flukes with the Tethys catalogue, and found out that we have two new individuals. One of them was named “Anonymous”, after a participant suggested that hackers around the world belonging to the ‘Anonymous’ group should help cetologists create a photo-identification recognition software instead of their usual hacking practices. Here goes an appeal! On a more serious note, this anecdote illustrates just how tricky and time-consuming this simple yet multipurpose research technique can be. The other sperm whale, on the other hand, was kindly named Quentin.
Once the weather cleared up, we were able to set off for three long, beautiful, and productive days out at sea. Having reached our required 200m depth range, we deployed our hydrophone array, which instantly revealed that two sperm whales were clicking away right off of Sanremo! They were very close together and clicked in unison – practically synchronously – which made the tracking process more complicated, however we managed to collect data successfully. The following day was filled with sightings of striped dolphins, our most commonly occurring species, and a sperm whale sighting out in the pelagic area. Thursday night was spent offshore, revealing a beautifully dark star-filled sky, until the moon came out and illuminated our hazy surroundings, occasionally allowing us to glimpse striped dolphin splashes. Our acoustic sampling stations recorded during the night watch revealed a teeming sea of activity taking place under Pelagos. While participants and researchers slept, cetaceans were busy feeding and communicating!
Once the sun rose, we resumed our sighting shifts and were later delighted to have two fin whale sightings. The first one was a very small individual, leading us to think it might have been a juvenile or a calf that had been separated from the mother. The second sighting was composed of two large adults that were slowly travelling at a speed of around 2 knots, and surfacing quite close together. At the end of the day we decided to moor in the quaint little bay of Villefranche su Mer, where the participants ventured ashore for a short wandering.
The final day included a close encounter with another sperm whale, for which we took the opportunity to make an underwater video – a great end to a fantastic week!

Viridiana, Eva, Martina and Luke

Following link is for participants of this week's expedition, showing the ship's route, pictures of some of the sightings and of some moments of the cruise which were memorable (or even not so...)

Ai partecipanti al turno è dedicato uno spazio con il percorso effettuato durante la settimana, le foto di alcuni avvistamenti e qualche immagine dei momenti da ricordare - importanti e non

Add your voice against shark finning - Voci contro il "finning" degli squali

"After decades of abusive and unsustainable fishing of sharks globally, it is simply unthinkable that an institution such as the European Union could abstain from implementing with extreme urgency the most basic of measures such as the one which will be voted on 19 September this year. As an European citizen I would be ashamed of anything short of full acceptance of the rule of landing sharks with fins attached, given that I would greatly prefer that sharks were not fished at all." 

                                  Giuseppe Notarbartolo, Tethys' President, in support of the final effort to protect sharks in Europe promoted by Shark Alliance. 

September 19th, the European Parliament will vote on a proposal to amend the EU regulation that bans shark “finning” (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea). Prohibiting at-sea removal of shark fins, and thereby requiring that all sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached, is the simplest, most reliable means of implementing a finning ban. An increasing number of countries agree, and so do scientists and politicians, as well as thousands of people around Europe. The statements of many of them can be found on Shark Alliances dedicated website.

To help conservationists make final push to protect sharks in Europe, please add a message of support before September 19th. Thank you.

"Dopo decenni di pesca degli squali globalmente abusiva e insostenibile, è semplicemente impensabile che un'istituzione come l'Unione Europea possa non implementare con estrema urgenza una misura basilare come quella che si voterà il prossimo 19 settembre. Come cittadino europeo mi vergognerei di qualunque cosa non sia la piena accettazione della regola che gli squali debbano essere sbarcati con le pinne attaccate - fatto salvo che preferirei di gran lunga che gli squali non fossero pescati del tutto." 

                                               Giuseppe Notarbartolo, Presidente di Tethys a supporto dello sforzo finale per proteggere gli squali in Europa promosso da Shark Alliance.

Il prossimo 19 settembre, infatti, si terrà in Commissione Pesca UE il dibattito e la votazione finale sugli emendamenti proposti per la modifica del regolamento sul finning (la pratica di tagliare le pinne agli squali, abbandonando l'animale moribondo in mare). Proibire la rimozione delle pinne in mare e quindi imporre che gli squali vengano portati a terra con le pinne è il mezzo più semplice ed affidabile per mettere al bando questa crudele pratica. Un numero sempre maggiore di Paesi, scienziati e politici appoggiano l'iniziativa, e lo stesso vale per migliaia di persone in tutta Europa. Diversi commenti si trovano sulla pagina dedicata di Shark Alliance.

Per aiutare nello sforzo finale verso la protezione degli squali in Europa, aggiungete un messaggio di supporto prima del 19 settembre. Grazie!

ulteriori notizie in italiano

CSR_16 (August 28th - September 2nd)

Volunteers of CSR_16 might not have been lucky with the weather but they definitely have been with sightings! In only two days they have been able to enjoy a sighting of four sperm whales swimming together and diving almost in synchrony, and many sightings of fin whales, for a total of at least 8 different individuals. They could better understand the importance of the conservation of those animals after having encountered one with the mark of a propeller on its back, and having directly observed the big number of ships and ferries that cross the whale routes every day.
CSR_16 people had the opportunity to spend a night out at sea, experiencing night shifts but especially a fin whale sunset and a fin whale sunrise.
The days spent in the harbor were delighted by fine cuisine and lots of laughing. Half of the group enjoyed the visit of the oceanographic museum of Monaco, while the other half, particularly willing to learn and take part of the research, spent one day matching sperm whales flukes and finding an already known individual and many new ones.
Despite of the unfriendly weather, CSR 16 was definitely a week worth experiencing!

Morgana, Giulia, Chiara, Luke

Following link is for participants of this week's expedition, showing the ship's route, pictures of some of the sightings and of some moments of the cruise which were memorable (or even not so...)

Ai partecipanti al turno è dedicato uno spazio con il percorso effettuato durante la settimana, le foto di alcuni avvistamenti e qualche immagine dei  momenti da ricordare - importanti e non

CSR_15 (August 20th -26th)

We have been so lucky the weather conditions allowed us to go to Corsica, staying out at sea for the whole week. CSR 15 was definitely the week of superlatives – with us having lunch in the middle of a group of feeding fin whales and meeting a sperm whale that led us to a group of four socializing animals. Together, they seemed to be braver, investigating our boat intently and letting us listen to their clicks, trumpets, codas and many other curious vocalizations. We watched them breaching in the sunset, and the only reason for us to end that stunning experience was the fading daylight.
On our way back to San Remo we realised why the route we were traveling on is called the "Fin Whale Highway": even during night navigation we could listen to the breathing of those big baleen whales in the dark that surrounded us.
No doubt this has been an extraordinary week for everybody!

Morgana, Giulia, Nina & José

Following link is for participants of this week's expedition, showing the ship's route, pictures of some of the sightings and of some moments of the cruise which were memorable (or even not so...)

Ai partecipanti al turno è dedicato uno spazio con il percorso effettuato durante la settimana, le foto di alcuni avvistamenti e qualche immagine dei  momenti da ricordare - importanti e non

Vote for the mediterranean monk seal! Votate per la foca monaca del Mediterraneo

The mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is on the list of endangered species, due to loss of habitat, interaction with fisheries and deliberate killings. Only few populations survive, among which the colony of Gyaros, an uninhabited greek island in the Northern Cyclades. A project aimed at ensuring the survival of the monk seal by establishing a sanctuary on the island and by managing it in collaboration with the local stakeholders, proposed by Tethys' President Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, together with WWF Greece and the dedicated greek NGO MOm,is one of the three nominees for the La Prairie award for innovation in marine protection.
The award has been established in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, in order to support grassroot projects aimed at resolving environmental issues: a donation of 100.000$ will go to one of the selected initiatives. The winner will be chosen by an international jury together with fans around the world via an on line voting system. 

Everyone can vote: please help the mediterranean monk seal by voting this deserving project. And if you answer the 8 questions too (on the bottom of the page, scroll down), you earn additional votes for the project. Thank you!



ITA La foca monaca del Mediterraneo (Monachus monachus) è una specie un tempo frequente nei nostri mari, ma oggi sull'orlo dell'estinzione a causa della perdita di habitat, e delle interazioni con la pesca che spesso sfociano anche in uccisioni deliberate. Oggi ne sopravvivono solo poche colonie, tra cui quella dell'isola greca disabitata di Gyaros, nelle Cicladi settentrionali. Il Presidente di Tethys Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, assieme a WWF Grecia e MOm, associazione non governativa greca), hanno presentato un progetto per un santuario sull'isola da gestire in collaborazione con le popolazioni e in armonia con gli interessi locali, ora nominato fra i tre possibili vincitori del perstigioso La Prairie award per l'innovazione nella protezione dell'ambiente marino.
Il premio, creato in collaborazione con la Fondazione Alberto II di Monaco, e dedicato a supportare progetti innovativi per la soluzione questioni ambientali, prevede una donazione di 100.000 $ al progetto considerato migliore. Il vincitore sarà decretato da una giuria internazionale, e da una votazione popolare via internet.

Chiunque quindi può votare: chi vuole sostenere la foca monaca del Mediterraneo può esprimere la preferenza per il progetto; inoltre, rispondendo anche alle 8 domande, che appaiono in fondo alla pagina (bisogna scorrere con il mouse), si ottengolo ulteriori voti. Grazie!

picture by V. Paravas/MOm

I vegetariani a Gorizia e l'insostenibilità della caccia alle balene

Cosa sappiamo oggi dei cetacei, quali sono i più minacciati nel Mediterraneo e nel mondo, e perché la caccia alle balene è insostenibile anche dal punto di vista scientifico: di questo e di altre questioni legate alla tutela del mare parlerà Maddalena Jahoda di Tethys, domenica 2 settembre prossimo, alle 16.30 a Gorizia, nell'ambito del Festival Vegetariano, giunto quest'anno la terza edizione.

La manifestazione si terrà in piazza della Vittoria, dal 31 agosto al 2 settembre e vedrà la partecipazione di nomi illustri tra cui Margherita Hack, Enzo e Patrizia Maiorca e Peter Hammarsted.
Gli interventi dedicati al mare saranno concentrati nel pomeriggio e sera di domenica.

CSR_14 (August 13th - 19th)

At the beginning of each week the Principal Investigator together with the captain designs a loose plan for the next days, taking into account the weather forecast and especially the sea conditions; then they evaluate the effort distribution inside the study area and the sighted species until that moment.Everything was calling for eastern routes, a Levante in the Ligurian sea vocabulary, and the lack of Risso’s dolphins and Cuvier beaked whales sightings was a good reason to go searching for those fascinating species.Within the first hour of navigation, bottlenose dolphins joined the motorsailer "Pelagos" and gifted the crew with a sighting which was one of the closest to the San Remo harbour. Together with photo-identification, also respiration patterns and a one hour sound recording were taken.A few hours later, while acoustically tracking two sperm whales, a fin whale blow appeared and the sperm whale emerged in the vicinity. Striped dolphins joined the group performing whale riding on the rostrum of the fin whale. Four species in one day… Not too bad as a start! The following days did not disappoint the expectations of the ecovolunteers, gifting every single route with more and more fin and sperm whales.Going east had become an utopia because every time we tried to do so, the sperm whales were there, right on the slope with their clicks and fluke ups, preventing us from proceeding, as each individual requires at least two hours of data collection.  Finally, on friday "Pelagos "spent a lovely night anchored at Gallinara, a tortoise shaped private island in front of Alassio. Bird colonies are the morning wake up and old mysterious buildings give a pirate allure to the landscape. The week ended with sperm whale sightings overtaking fin whales.

Francesca, Nina, Giulia and Josè

Following link is for participants of this week's expedition, showing the ship's route, pictures of some of the sightings and of some moments of the cruise which were memorable (or even not so...)

Ai partecipanti al turno è dedicato uno spazio con il percorso effettuato durante la settimana, le foto di alcuni avvistamenti e qualche immagine dei  momenti da ricordare - importanti e non

Be dolphin SMART!

It is summertime and you may encounter whales or dolphins while sailing in the Mediterranean or somewhere else. But it is not always obvious how to behave when cetaceans are around. Especially dolphins seem smiling and happy, but this should not fool you. “The most common mistake most people make is that they try to touch the dolphins, swim with them, feed them or interact with them in the wrong way” says Tethys' researcher Joan Gonzalvo, recently interviewed by Lalina Fafouti on Sunday’s special supplement on Science of the greek newspaper “TO BHMA” ("The tribune").

Moreover the boat traffic has increased exponentially, especially in the Mediterranean, and so did the potential disturbance to cetaceans it generates. To avoid causing the animals unnecessary stress, threatening endangered populations, just follow a few simple rules: put your engine at the “neutral” speed and keep a distance of 50 metres, do not feed the dolphins, do not try to touch them, do not dive in to swim with them. 

These rules are summarized on the Ionian Dolphin Project's website as: be SMART

Read more on IDP's website

ITA E' estate e non è difficile avvistare qualche delfino o balena in Mediterraneo o in altri mari del mondo. Ma come comportarsi? I delfini in particolare sembrano sempre sorridenti e felici, il che però non deve trarre in inganno. "L'errore più comune, dice Joan Gonzalvo, ricercatore Tethys recentemente intervistato dal prestigioso quotidiano greco TO BHMA ("La tribuna"), è tentare di toccarli, di nuotare con gli animali, di dar loro da mangiare o comunque di interagire nella maniera sbagliata." 
Gonzalvo, che è responsabile delle ricerche sui delfini della Grecia nell'ambito del Ionian Dolphin Project (IDP) di Tethys, ha anche coniato il felice slogan "Be dolphin SMART "("sii intelligente con i delfini") dove l'acronimo, visibile nel riquadro qui sopra, sintetizza poche semplici regole, traducibili all'incirca così:
State ad almeno 50 metri di distanza dai delfini (100 dalle balene)
Muovetevi con cautela se i cetacei danno segni di essere disturbati (improvvisi cambiamenti di comportamento)
Assicuratevi che il motore sia in folle
Ricordate di non dare da mangiare, non toccare né nuotare con delfini selvatici
Trasmettete ad altri queste informazioni per essere dolphin SMART.


Leggi di più sulla pagina di IDP