The ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative (ASI): Implementing Large Scale Surveys for Marine Megafauna in the Mediterranean and Black Seas

Book excerpt: It is estimated that almost 10% of the worldwide marine biodiversity is encountered in the Mediterranean Sea which only represents 1% of oceans & seas. Whales, dolphins and other marine megafauna (seabirds, turtles, large fish) play a key role in maintaining the equilibrium of marine ecosystems and are an essential component of the natural heritage of Mediterranean and Black Sea countries. However, these species face a variety of significant threats: risk of collisions with maritime traffic, bycatch in fishing gears, habitat degradation, acoustic disturbance, chemical pollution and marine litter, climate change. The “ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative” (ASI) is a pilot program aimed at establishing an integrated and coordinated monitoring system for cetaceans throughout the entire ACCOBAMS area (Mediterranean and Black Seas). Conducted in coordination with riparian countries, it supports the implementation of European and regional policies, in particular the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD-EU) and the Ecosystem Approach process (Barcelona Convention UNEP/MAP). In summer 2018-2019, a synoptic line-transect sampling survey was carried out across the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area, combining visual methods (aerial surveys) and visual and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) from vessels (focused primarily on deep diving species and areas where aerial surveys were not possible).