WDCS in the Mediterranean and Black Seas

The Mediterranean and Black Seas are among the most degraded marine ecosystems on earth and whale and dolphin populations in these highly impacted regions are known to be in dramatic decline.

WDCS is concentrating our work in this region through the CMS Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) to reduce regional threats to whales and dolphins. The ecosystems within the ACCOBAMS region suffer from pollution, coastal development, extensive vessel traffic, over-fishing and the impacts of introduced species. Whales and dolphins are threatened by the activities of a range of countries operating in this semi-enclosed marine system.

Aside from a heavy investment in ACCOBAMS, WDCS's historical contribution to this region has included conservation projects to protect:

• Common dolphin, Greece;
• Northern right whale off Cintra Bay, Morocco;
• Fin whale in the Western Ligurian Sea; and
• Bottlenose dolphin off the coast of Croatia.

Issues WDCS is currently working on in this region:

WDCS CMS Programme
WDCS Species Programme

Current field projects include:

Croatia, Lošinj - Bottlenose dolphins: Jelena Jovanovic heads up this project aimed at informing the general public of the need to protect bottlenose dolphins in Lošinj Dolphin Reserve.

Greece, Kalamos - Common and bottlenose dolphins: WDCS is working with the Tethys Research Institute to protect these diminishing populations of dolphins.

Greece, Kalamos and Lefkada - Common dolphins: Giovanni Bearzi is assessing the impact of fisheries on the common dolphin population in the waters of western Greece.

Italy, Puglia - Bottlenose dolphins: Giovanni Bearzi investigates the abundance, distribution, interactions with fisheries and the effects of the Marine Protected Area in Puglia, southern Italy.

Mediterranean, Pelagos Sanctuary - Various species: Sabina Airoldi from the Tethys Research Institute introduces us to along-term project studying whales and dolphins in the western Mediterranean sea.

Ukraine, Black Sea - Various species: The initial phase of this project involves onboard monitoring of cetacean by-catch during the turbot and spiny dogfish fishing seasons.