Overview
Status: Ongoing
Topics: Research
Start date: 15/07/2024
End date:
Parent project: Telemetry Lab
Project website:
Funding institutions: WWF Greece within the framework of the “Greek Wildlife Alliance” Initiative
Project supporters: WWF France
Target species: Sperm whale, Cuvier’s beaked whale
Tethys role: Leader
Project leader: Tethys Research Institute
Project manager for Tethys: Simone Panigada
Project partners: WWF Greece
WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative
Project subcontractors:
Project staff: Nino Pierantonio, Viola Panigada, Margherita Zanardelli
Project other staff: Amalia Alberini - WWF Greece, Nicole Godsil - WWF Greece, Christopher Johnson - WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative
Milestone project:
Detailed description
The Hellenic Trench hosts the highest density of endangered sperm whales in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The area was designated as an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) by the IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force in 2016, as a recognised and important feeding and breeding ground for the species. High levels of mortality due to vessel strikes and disturbance arising from seismic surveys and military exercises threaten cetaceans and their viability. The project aims to increase knowledge on presence, behavioural states and migration patterns of deep-diving cetaceans in relation to the presence and impacts of human activities, through visual and acoustic vessel-based surveys via the WWF Blue Panda vessel alongside bio-logging, photo-identification and photogrammetric approaches.
Results
In July 2024, a solitary adult sperm whale male was equipped with a minimally-invasive ARGOS satellite-linked transmitter (LIMPET SPOT 365) southwest of Kefalonia, Greece. Over 57 days, 1,725 locations revealed movements from the Ionian Sea through the Hellenic Trench into the southern Aegean, with extended occupancy in the Dodecanese and the Northeastern Aegean islands regions. This represents the first satellite track of a male sperm whale in Greece, providing valuable novel insights into the species’ habitat use, behaviour and movement patterns, and identifying previously undocumented transit and residency areas. These findings highlight critical areas for place-based conservation and demonstrate the value of satellite telemetry in informing targeted management and conservation measures.